If you've read Schism #3 and Generation Hope #10, you probably noticed the Mutant History Museum. Since the X-Men have moved to Utopia just off the coast of San Francisco, they have been trying to win over the public's opinion on them and mutants. The X-Men even have a public relations person that handles their appearances in the media.
Mutants have long been hated and feared. There has been some acceptance, especially after the X-Men has been seen saving the city and the world time and time again. In general, the world still has its share of mutant haters.
To try to combat the fear and hatred, a museum was opened in San Francisco, dedicated to the history of mutants. The idea is to help tone down the anti-mutant hysteria. It's a bold move and does have some possibilities. Besides the concerns of safety for the building itself, there are other concerns with the idea of a Mutant Museum. Should the X-Men and mutants actually have a museum dedicated to them?
The mutant haters are bound to want to destroy the building. If not that extreme, it'd be a safe bet that it would get vandalized in some way. Assuming that wouldn't be an issue, maybe they could set up some sort of anti-vandalism technology to protect it, there are other serious concerns that need to be taken into consideration.
First of all, what items should be included? Besides just giving the history of mutants, there are several artifacts on display. Photos and such are harmless but something like a Sentinel head sitting behind ropes doesn't seem too...secure. What kind of security do they have? We are talking about the X-Men, who have access to advanced technology. One would hope they would ensure any items they included would be safely secured. Yet, how many times has the Xavier Institute been attacked? Even the Danger Room gained sentience (as Danger) and attacked them.
Another area we saw was a room dedicated to alternate timelines. This could be a hard concept for people to grasp. Should the general public be aware that they exist? In the room, there is a hologram recording of Rachel Summers. She talks about being from the future where mutants were put in concentration camps and mutants were hunted by hound mutants. Would this knowledge give people the wrong ideas? Would people try to push for the camps and try to revive the Mutant Registration Act?
Another question is what information would be presented? Mutants have sometimes been involved or responsible for bad things. Will the time Magneto sunk the Russian submarine be documented? What about the times Wolverine has killed or caused the deaths of innocents?
Who gathers up the items in the museum? We've seen Warren Worthington gathered a few things for X-Force's Cavern-X base. The X-Men never seemed too concerned with cleaning up after any battles they were involved in. Has Warren or the other X-Men been keeping items in storage all these years?
What about the identity of mutants? Above we see busts of Bishop and Cable. Bishop or Cable aren't really in the position to grant permission for their likeness to be used. There's also a picture of Wolverine from the Days of Future Past time. That might have been more of an easter egg for us but did Rachel really give the okay to reveal to the world she was a mutant hound?
Finally, how much interest would there be in a mutant museum? The X-Men might be winning over some of the public but it seems unlikely that the average person would openly support them. Again, there's the danger of the museum getting attacked at any moment. Would parents be willing to take their children to a high risk location? Would visiting the museum make a public statement that you're a mutant supporter? People might even wonder if people visiting the museum are actually mutants themselves.
The idea of educating people about mutants is a great idea in trying to get them to overcome their fears. People fear what they don't know. The problem is, seeing what mutants are capable of, the amount of raw power they possess and the destruction that tends to follow them, that idea might backfire. If people see the results of mutant battles and the persecution they've faced, they might be more sympathetic or their fears may simply get amped up.
As for the future of the museum, we'll have to see if the museum is still around after the events of Schism...
