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X Men: First Class
- Thread starter Azureknight 773
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- Jan 25, 2009
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Saw the X-Men film and loved it. Really enjoyed how they gave the characters so much more depth....especially as it concerns the relationship between Eric and Charles. What fascinated me more so than anything else in the film was how much it seemed very much like a reflection between the struggle for being proud of one's ethnicity and knowing how to address that. Wasn't surprising to see that, in light of how the background of X-Men developed during the Civil Rights era and the days of Martin Luther King and Malcom X---one side for integration and the other for segration, one side feeling like differing groups could work together and another side feeling as if it could never work.
For more, an excellent article on such can be found under the name of Black Politics, White Minds and the X-Men in 2006 (as well as The Racial Politics of X-Men | Psychology Today ). For an excerpt:
The famous quote by black political icon, orator and legend Malcolm X is well known to many. However I couldn't help notice the surprise on a friend's face when he heard the line uttered not by the 1960s black visionary, but British actor Sir Ian McKellen in the role of another icon that rose to prominence in the turbulent 1960s: Eric Magnus Lehnsherr, better known as Magneto. The first of these luminaries may have been flesh and blood while the other exists only as ink within Marvel Comics X-Men Universe, but that didn't matter: because in that brief moment I had been vindicated.
Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), left, and Magneto (Ian McKellen), right, in X-Men movie. In this scene McKellen utters the famous Malcolm X quote.
Let me rewind so you can better get my point….
When I first ran along the pages of the X-Men comic world as a kid, I was hooked. It was a fascinating story filled with characters with names like Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler. These were heroes with powers that boggled the mind: the ability to heal from any wound and brandish claws made of the strongest metal on Earth; control the weather to create cyclones or maelstroms with but a thought; or equipped with a body that could not only perform amazing acrobatic feats but teleport and reappear again with a quick smell of brimstone and a BAMF! These characters went off on adventures to far off worlds filled with Kree, Sh'iar or the terrifying Brood, battled prehistoric beasts in hidden jungle realms and even tangled with demon lord sorcerers in nether realms called Limbo.
From left to right, just a few characters of the X-Universe: Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Gambit.
But what set this story apart for me from so many other comic titles that sat upon shelves and racks was the theme it espoused.
The main characters (both heroes and villains) in the X-Universe belong to a group called mutants, humans born with a special "x" factor in their genes that gives them varied powers. These mutants are oppressed and hated by the majority, who fear them. They suffer acts of brutal violence, people don't want mutants in schools with their children, nor do they want them to have any type of equality. There are hate groups claiming to be for normal human rights that think mutants should be rounded up. In the 1980s mutants are enslaved in the mythical nation Genosha, which not only practiced mutant-apartheid but quite intentionally lay off the coast of South Africa. Like something from a modern day AIDS conspiracy theory, a terrible engineered disease strikes down many of them. There's even a derogatory word for mutants, "mutie." And of course those who sympathize with mutants are labeled "mutie lovers." Like some ultimate COINTELPRO operation, even the US government conspires against them, not above carrying out unethical medical experiments on this hapless and persecuted minority.
A familiar hateful slogan from history refitted for comic book fantasy.
It doesn't take a rocket-scientist to see the parallels (all rocket-scientists out there however, keep up the good work).
As I thumbed through the pages of my X-Men comic book at a young age I would casually switch mutant for black, "mutie" for [place your racially charged expletive here] and gene for race. I was well aware that the subjugation of mutants was symbolic of various forms of intolerance, bigotry and persecution beyond the black plight. Yet it wasn't very hard to notice that it was the black plight that was initially used as the backdrop of the story. If the struggle against the dominant society wasn't enough to convince me of this fact, reading of the inner-struggle of this oppressed group confirmed matters.
Most mutants keep their powers hidden, hoping to assimilate into society and thus "pass." Others hate what they are and seek ways to change the way they were born. A few even think they are cursed. But most interesting in the X-Universe are the two major factions who vie for power among the mutant masses and react in similar, yet widely divergent ways to the hatred meted out to them by the larger human society.
One group of mutants (the X-Men) are led by Professor Charles Xavier, a wheel chair bound psychic with a peaceful demeanor who hopes for a better world where little mutant girls and little human boys will one day hold hands. The other group is led by Magneto, a powerful and fiery minded mutant with the ability to control magnetism. A survivor of Nazi persecution, Magneto pushes for mutant liberation: preaching mutant pride and declaring that his people should fight on their feet rather than live on their knees. Professor Xavier hopes a destructive gene war will never happen, and appeals to humanity's brotherhood. His one-time friend and ally Magneto however is more cynical, believing the gene war is inevitable and that mutant violence in the name of self-defense is not violence at all---but a struggle for freedom.
For years I had been telling many that Professor Xavier, the white leader of the X-Men, was a symbolism for the philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Like the Civil Rights icon, Xavier worked feverishly for better relations between humans and mutants, holding out for what was often referred to in the comics as a "dream." And Magneto, the equally white, impassioned master of magnetism who is more interested in mutant freedom than integration, was in my mind none other than an allegory for Malcolm X. I was usually met with scoffs and disbelief, with most telling me I was taking things too seriously. It was just a comic book they would say. True enough, I would concede to the doubters, the mutant dilemma symbolized many an oppressed minority group and was not singly focused on blacks. But I argued that the many interconnecting factors in the comic pointed to a Civil Rights vs Black Power ideological clash as its main symbolism, namely through Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
One of many ideological battles through the years between Magneto and Professor Xavier's X-Men
Personal confirmation had come for me years ago in a Wizard magazine article. Therein it confirmed that comic book creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had indeed come up with the X-Men concept while following the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of 1960s that unfolded daily on their television screens. In fact right before the release of the first X-Men movie, an Entertainment magazine article stated that the director for the motion picture version of the comic did not come onto the project until the X-Men was pitched to him as a classic battle between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
For my hardheaded friend however it would take Magneto's final words to convince them of my theories. So when I was in that dark theater watching the first X-Men movie and saw acceptance slowly settle onto his face, I couldn't help but smile with a smug "told ya' so."
But with confirmation also came disturbance.
When I first came to the realization that the comic book I was reading was not as vague as once thought, and was indeed borrowing greatly from elements of a specific real life struggle, I had to reexamine everything no longer from the perspective of just another comic book fanatic---but from that of the oppressed group in question, black folks. And I came to some interesting realizations.
Firstly, while the X-Men comic touts itself as a story with the theme of countering bigotry and intolerance---that's a bit of a misnomer. What the story really discusses, in the main, is how an oppressed group reacts to that bigotry and hatred. And it is a theme, using the black struggle as a central backdrop, borne entirely from white minds. Herein lies the critique.
To my knowledge neither Stan Lee nor Jack Kirby (creators of the X-Men and literal demigods of the comic world; may I not be smote for my sacrilege) conducted any large polling of black people when designing the X-Men. Neither spoke with Dr. King or Malcolm X to ask their take on things. I have no idea if the two delved into long and complex research on the variance of black political thought, but I seriously doubt it. Rather what we had were two white men who decided to tackle the oft-neglected problems of racism in America through the pages of fiction and symbolism (being certain in the racially charged 1960s to even use all white characters). And though it was a noble, well-intentioned deed, an idea hatched by two white men thinking themselves equipped and empathic enough to speak on the black struggle was bound to have inherent flaws.
What we get from the X-Men therefore is not really an understanding and accurate analysis of the black struggle, the multi-faceted ways black people have dealt with persecution, the overall problems of race and racism, or the goals and philosophies of Dr. King and Malcolm X. Rather the X-Men speak volumes more precisely on white perceptions of race, white ideas of racism and white views on the historical and political black reactions to such oppression. And even though these are liberal perspectives from two individuals who themselves know something of persecution (Stanley Lee was born Stanley Lieber and artist Jack Kirby was born Jacob Kurtzberg -- two men of Jewish heritage who were forced to take on monikers simply to work professionally), the ideas espoused still tend to fall way short of the mark.
In this white created world that hates and fears mutants, the two factions that arise among mutant kind are forever locked in a war---with each other. It is a classical white view on the turbulent 1950s and 60s. Furthermore Lee and Kirby created not only an opposition of political views among this oppressed minority but a clear white statement of who was right and who was wrong, in effect casting moral judgment on real life black politics and how blacks react to oppression.
For more, an excellent article on such can be found under the name of Black Politics, White Minds and the X-Men in 2006 (as well as The Racial Politics of X-Men | Psychology Today ). For an excerpt:
"By any means necessary."
The famous quote by black political icon, orator and legend Malcolm X is well known to many. However I couldn't help notice the surprise on a friend's face when he heard the line uttered not by the 1960s black visionary, but British actor Sir Ian McKellen in the role of another icon that rose to prominence in the turbulent 1960s: Eric Magnus Lehnsherr, better known as Magneto. The first of these luminaries may have been flesh and blood while the other exists only as ink within Marvel Comics X-Men Universe, but that didn't matter: because in that brief moment I had been vindicated.
Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), left, and Magneto (Ian McKellen), right, in X-Men movie. In this scene McKellen utters the famous Malcolm X quote.
Let me rewind so you can better get my point….
When I first ran along the pages of the X-Men comic world as a kid, I was hooked. It was a fascinating story filled with characters with names like Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler. These were heroes with powers that boggled the mind: the ability to heal from any wound and brandish claws made of the strongest metal on Earth; control the weather to create cyclones or maelstroms with but a thought; or equipped with a body that could not only perform amazing acrobatic feats but teleport and reappear again with a quick smell of brimstone and a BAMF! These characters went off on adventures to far off worlds filled with Kree, Sh'iar or the terrifying Brood, battled prehistoric beasts in hidden jungle realms and even tangled with demon lord sorcerers in nether realms called Limbo.
From left to right, just a few characters of the X-Universe: Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Gambit.
But what set this story apart for me from so many other comic titles that sat upon shelves and racks was the theme it espoused.
The main characters (both heroes and villains) in the X-Universe belong to a group called mutants, humans born with a special "x" factor in their genes that gives them varied powers. These mutants are oppressed and hated by the majority, who fear them. They suffer acts of brutal violence, people don't want mutants in schools with their children, nor do they want them to have any type of equality. There are hate groups claiming to be for normal human rights that think mutants should be rounded up. In the 1980s mutants are enslaved in the mythical nation Genosha, which not only practiced mutant-apartheid but quite intentionally lay off the coast of South Africa. Like something from a modern day AIDS conspiracy theory, a terrible engineered disease strikes down many of them. There's even a derogatory word for mutants, "mutie." And of course those who sympathize with mutants are labeled "mutie lovers." Like some ultimate COINTELPRO operation, even the US government conspires against them, not above carrying out unethical medical experiments on this hapless and persecuted minority.
A familiar hateful slogan from history refitted for comic book fantasy.
It doesn't take a rocket-scientist to see the parallels (all rocket-scientists out there however, keep up the good work).
As I thumbed through the pages of my X-Men comic book at a young age I would casually switch mutant for black, "mutie" for [place your racially charged expletive here] and gene for race. I was well aware that the subjugation of mutants was symbolic of various forms of intolerance, bigotry and persecution beyond the black plight. Yet it wasn't very hard to notice that it was the black plight that was initially used as the backdrop of the story. If the struggle against the dominant society wasn't enough to convince me of this fact, reading of the inner-struggle of this oppressed group confirmed matters.
Most mutants keep their powers hidden, hoping to assimilate into society and thus "pass." Others hate what they are and seek ways to change the way they were born. A few even think they are cursed. But most interesting in the X-Universe are the two major factions who vie for power among the mutant masses and react in similar, yet widely divergent ways to the hatred meted out to them by the larger human society.
One group of mutants (the X-Men) are led by Professor Charles Xavier, a wheel chair bound psychic with a peaceful demeanor who hopes for a better world where little mutant girls and little human boys will one day hold hands. The other group is led by Magneto, a powerful and fiery minded mutant with the ability to control magnetism. A survivor of Nazi persecution, Magneto pushes for mutant liberation: preaching mutant pride and declaring that his people should fight on their feet rather than live on their knees. Professor Xavier hopes a destructive gene war will never happen, and appeals to humanity's brotherhood. His one-time friend and ally Magneto however is more cynical, believing the gene war is inevitable and that mutant violence in the name of self-defense is not violence at all---but a struggle for freedom.
For years I had been telling many that Professor Xavier, the white leader of the X-Men, was a symbolism for the philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Like the Civil Rights icon, Xavier worked feverishly for better relations between humans and mutants, holding out for what was often referred to in the comics as a "dream." And Magneto, the equally white, impassioned master of magnetism who is more interested in mutant freedom than integration, was in my mind none other than an allegory for Malcolm X. I was usually met with scoffs and disbelief, with most telling me I was taking things too seriously. It was just a comic book they would say. True enough, I would concede to the doubters, the mutant dilemma symbolized many an oppressed minority group and was not singly focused on blacks. But I argued that the many interconnecting factors in the comic pointed to a Civil Rights vs Black Power ideological clash as its main symbolism, namely through Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
One of many ideological battles through the years between Magneto and Professor Xavier's X-Men
Personal confirmation had come for me years ago in a Wizard magazine article. Therein it confirmed that comic book creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had indeed come up with the X-Men concept while following the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of 1960s that unfolded daily on their television screens. In fact right before the release of the first X-Men movie, an Entertainment magazine article stated that the director for the motion picture version of the comic did not come onto the project until the X-Men was pitched to him as a classic battle between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
For my hardheaded friend however it would take Magneto's final words to convince them of my theories. So when I was in that dark theater watching the first X-Men movie and saw acceptance slowly settle onto his face, I couldn't help but smile with a smug "told ya' so."
But with confirmation also came disturbance.
When I first came to the realization that the comic book I was reading was not as vague as once thought, and was indeed borrowing greatly from elements of a specific real life struggle, I had to reexamine everything no longer from the perspective of just another comic book fanatic---but from that of the oppressed group in question, black folks. And I came to some interesting realizations.
Firstly, while the X-Men comic touts itself as a story with the theme of countering bigotry and intolerance---that's a bit of a misnomer. What the story really discusses, in the main, is how an oppressed group reacts to that bigotry and hatred. And it is a theme, using the black struggle as a central backdrop, borne entirely from white minds. Herein lies the critique.
To my knowledge neither Stan Lee nor Jack Kirby (creators of the X-Men and literal demigods of the comic world; may I not be smote for my sacrilege) conducted any large polling of black people when designing the X-Men. Neither spoke with Dr. King or Malcolm X to ask their take on things. I have no idea if the two delved into long and complex research on the variance of black political thought, but I seriously doubt it. Rather what we had were two white men who decided to tackle the oft-neglected problems of racism in America through the pages of fiction and symbolism (being certain in the racially charged 1960s to even use all white characters). And though it was a noble, well-intentioned deed, an idea hatched by two white men thinking themselves equipped and empathic enough to speak on the black struggle was bound to have inherent flaws.
What we get from the X-Men therefore is not really an understanding and accurate analysis of the black struggle, the multi-faceted ways black people have dealt with persecution, the overall problems of race and racism, or the goals and philosophies of Dr. King and Malcolm X. Rather the X-Men speak volumes more precisely on white perceptions of race, white ideas of racism and white views on the historical and political black reactions to such oppression. And even though these are liberal perspectives from two individuals who themselves know something of persecution (Stanley Lee was born Stanley Lieber and artist Jack Kirby was born Jacob Kurtzberg -- two men of Jewish heritage who were forced to take on monikers simply to work professionally), the ideas espoused still tend to fall way short of the mark.
In this white created world that hates and fears mutants, the two factions that arise among mutant kind are forever locked in a war---with each other. It is a classical white view on the turbulent 1950s and 60s. Furthermore Lee and Kirby created not only an opposition of political views among this oppressed minority but a clear white statement of who was right and who was wrong, in effect casting moral judgment on real life black politics and how blacks react to oppression.
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XMen First Class is amazing. But Sabastian Shaw being killed by Magento? It's not in the Marvel Comics.
"Magneto ousted longtime Hellfire Club co-chair Sebastian Shaw in order to establish himself as the head of the Hellfire Club as the Grey King. During this confrontation he revealed his real purpose of raising an army for the coming war between humans and mutants" - See: New Mutants #73 (March 1989).
"Magneto ousted longtime Hellfire Club co-chair Sebastian Shaw in order to establish himself as the head of the Hellfire Club as the Grey King. During this confrontation he revealed his real purpose of raising an army for the coming war between humans and mutants" - See: New Mutants #73 (March 1989).
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