Alright, I should warn you: today's feature is going to be a confession of just how much I love comics; or at least when comics are done right. Sometimes you read a comic book that really makes you fall in love with a character; and lately, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN has been doing that for me.
Of all of the current New Mutants in Marvel's X-Men universe, the one that seems to be the most unique and interesting (to me) has to be Broo. Following WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN's latest three-part story arc, "Mutatis Mutandis," I fell in love with Broo's character. Not only is he one of the sweetest and most compassionate of the Young Mutants, he's also incredibly conflicted -- and I think that's what makes him so interesting.
If you think it sounds tough to live as a mutant, just imagine having to live as a mutant and an alien whose race is known reproduce by implanting their eggs in other organisms. Oh, and they sometimes eat people, too. Historically, the X-Men know what it's like to feel ostracized by society which is why their solution to discrimination has been to isolate themselves (Utopia, Professor X's school). Yet, not many of the X-characters have to deal with the feeling of being left out and ostracized within their own community. That is except for Broo. There's no question that it might be somewhat difficult to trust a Broodling when the Brood have long been the sworn enemy of the X-Men. So clearly, our poor young Broo has got it rough.
However, it is not only the other X-Men who give Broo a hard time; Broo's own kind weren't very nice to him either. When Broo was first introduced by Christos Gage in ASTONISHING X-MEN #40, he was discovered by Beast and a small team of X-Men after having been abandoned by his own race and left to die. Broo, like the X-Men, is a mutant. He is the logical evolution of their alien race. Unlike other Broodling, Broo is highly intelligent and he has a trait that no other Brood have: compassion. While Broo is tender, docile and sweet; his relatives are, well, parasites who live to kill and eat other organisms. This makes him the only one of his kind. Yet, that's what makes him so unique.
When he was first introduced, Broo did not have much of a personality and we did not know that much about him. However, Marvel writer Jason Aaron has managed to really dig deep into Broo's character, making him stand out among the many other Young Mutants in a handful of issues. Broo is quirky, compassionate and intellectual; but his intelligence is often his hinderance. He might very well be the smartest young mutant in the room, but he doesn't have all that much common sense. He doesn't always know when Quentin Quire is making him the brunt of his jokes. Yet it's these qualities that are what make him so endearing.
In the latest three part story arc, "Mutatis Mutandis," Kitty Pryde has been infected by Brood. The only way to save Kitty is to kill the Brood that are hatching inside of her. In this arc we see Broo really torn by his compassion; he wants Kitty to be saved but it pains him to see his own kind exterminated by a team of X-Men. To him, these Broodlings are his family. There's a real conflict there, and it's sweet to see that his compassion is strong that even though he was abandoned and left to die by his own kind, he still feels compelled to save them. It will certainly be interesting to see how Broo evolves and whether he will maintain the level of compassion and kindness he currently has, or whether he will turn to the dark side; something we saw in WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #7 (above).
Clearly, I don't like Broo for his dashing good looks; although I really do have that's something that Idie can eventually overlook...Enough about me and my love for Broo, though; which of the Young Mutants are some of your favorites and why? What is it about a character that makes you feel drawn to them?
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