I originally intended this topic to be "The Destruction of The Family Unit", but after some thought it wasn't really "eye catching".
I want to open a dialogue about the utter decimation of and utter blasphemous neglect and betrayal of the core principles and themes of the X-Men family of comics. These past years have seen Marvel remove the core, the heart of what made the X-Men such a dynamic, genuine and tragic group of characters to read. Now this is the thoughts of one man, but hear me out, take what I have to say and share with me opinion on what I perceive to be a complete stripping of the essence of the X-Men.
As the first mainstream comic series that I read, the X-Men had a profound effect on the way I viewed comic books. I'm reading this story about a mutant group adopting some strange man from Canada not only to assist in the rescue of members lost on a monstrous Island but to offer piece of mind to this wild man. I'm reading this story and I am having real emotional reactions to the events that come to pass, most of which are very tragic as X-Men comics are. Dominating any personal animosity this patchwork of weird strangers may have or had, was a bond that would allow them to exist in an increasingly hostile world and forge the foundation for their future. The X-Men are not, or at least were not, a superhero team. They were a group of mutants adopted into a family that was bound by an immeasurable love that has seen them through the worst of crisis. They were a family that fought for their very prolonged existence, a family that hurt when one of their own was lost whether it was the from the X-Men or the Brotherhood of Mutants, the death of a mutant always resonated and as a reader I could feel it because unlike the Avengers, unlike the Fantastic Four or the Defenders, the X-Men don't necessarily exist for the betterment or protection of human kind. The X-Men first and foremost exist for each other, mutant defending mutant, band together as the outside world conspires feverishly to their destruction .Their combat prowess and unmatched teamwork are manifestations of their love for each other, a metaphor of the deep bonds that bind all mutants in their struggle to keep each other sage and prosper.
The story arcs of the X-Men comics read more like tragic family dramas, and its easy to overlook the insanely amazing superpowers and the epic battles and become utterly gripped with the fear of uncertainty as Scott and Jean's relationship deteriorates. You know as the reader that this is no mere lovers quarrel, as the two most prominent and most respected mutants who's relationship was the symbol for stability and ultimately hope for the mutant kind separating has far more devastating consequences to the morale of the mutant community, as well as creating devastating weak points politically speaking for the mutant agenda of survival. When you the read grit your teeth as Cyclops and Wolverine went head to head. Two brothers, going toe to toe showing their strength, but each willing to die to save the other. This is what the X-Men are, they are a FAMILY. They disagree, they fight, but they stick together, not just for survival, but because they are mutants, and they know they are all they have and they fight to the bitter end for one another.
Here comes the issue, beginning with Chasm it seems that Marvel has become absolutely intent on destroying this family. The events that followed in Avengers vs. X-Men are absolutely unforgivable. In just a few issues Marvel took a family of mutants and turned them against each other in the face of their own survival. They turned the mutant population against Cyclops the mutant who's love for his people saw them through the decimation of the Scarlet Witch, brought them to Utopia and led them to Victory against Vampires, the Dark Avengers and saved them from being wiped out by sentinals from the future. The mutant that they have looked to for guidance for decades, the mutant that has countless times put his people before himself has now been abandoned by the very mutants he risked his life and sanity for time and time again because of his immense love for them. And for what? Because Ironman said so? So they can become Avengers? Are you kidding me? This is what it takes to turn a people that have stood down extinction together, that have lost dozens of comrades in the line a duty? What about those deaths? What about Night crawlers sacrifice? My god I am 28 years old and I cried when Kurt risked it all for Hope, because I understood why. I knew he was doing more than dying to protect hope, he was dying to protect the future of his family, and I felt it. I remembered when ol' Elf first joined the X-Men Family and his bond with Colossus and his sacrifice hurt that much more. Yet Marvel saw it fit for Hope to completely ignore that the X-Men and all mutants risked their existence to keep her alive and just ignore the unconditional love they gave her and turn on her own people just because the Avengers said to? Now the X-Men are scattered with many joining the Avengers and others forming their own teams!!!!!!!!!! The greatest FAMILY in Marvel has been destroyed, your thoughts?
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