the X-men...
Apr. 22nd, 2017 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatIn response to the meme:
the character I least understand
interactions I enjoyed the most
the character who scares me the most
the character who is mostly like me
hottest looking character
one thing I dislike about my fave character
one thing I like about my hated character
a quote or scene that haunts me
a death that left me indifferent
a character I wish died but didn’t
my ship that never sailed
Londonkds requested The X-men. (I can't figure out how to do the user icon thing in DW.)
1. The Character I Least Understand -- that's hard. Hmmm. I think probably Peter aka Colossus -- the character never quite worked for me. He was poorly developed and after a while outdated. A response to the cold war with Russia by the writers. Close second Angel aka Warren Worthington. Knowing a lot of Russians, I find Peter to be a bit...off.
2. Interactions I Enjoyed the Most - Cyclops and Wolverine, their bro-romance was fun. Also Cyclops and Beast, Emma Frost and Jean Grey. Magneto and Xavier. Magneto and Cyclops. Cable and Xavier and Cable and Cyclops. Storm and Jean, although they got sappy at times. I loved the banter. Really liked it when two character who were sort of oil and water, or of opposing views faced off. And the X-men did that very well. There's a great by-play between Beast, who constantly jokes, and all too serious Scott Summers, whose managed to grab dead-pan humor by the tail.
3. the character who scares me the most -- Legion aka David Haller. Freaking scary character in the comics. He has a 100 different personalities, and can bend reality to his will. Also fond Scarlet Witch scary for the same reasons.
4. the character who is mostly like me Probably Kitty Pryde aka shadowcat. Although she's a lot smarter. But she's also the one with the least dysfunction. The other one I identify the most with may be Scott Summers, who is an introvert and a bit of an empath. He shuts himself off from folks but is a brilliant strategist. I totally get that. That character always made sense to me on a certain level. And he has a younger brother that he struggles being close to.
5. hottest looking character Depends on the artist, sometimes it was Cyclops, sometimes Alex, sometimes Magneto, sometimes Wolverine, sometimes Gambit. Actually probably Gambit -- he was the most consistent and had the most flattering costume. Cyclops and Magneto have the least flattering, neither showed any skin.
6. one thing I dislike about my fav character -- Cyclops, lets face he can be a bit of a jerk or insanely dense when it comes to women, and inflexible. He also has a tendency to blow up, then run off when things get emotionally chaotic. Apocalyptic events? No problem. Emotional issues? Problem.
Women...insecure, much? He just doesn't deal with the touchy-feely stuff well. Strong stoic type -- highly irritating. Like Ms. Pryde, I want to smack him upside the head. Repeatedly. No wonder he has a thing for telepaths...if they can read his mind, he doesn't have to talk.
7.one thing I like about my hated character -- now I have to figure out if I have a hated character in that series, not really. Least favorite? Okay Peter, Colossus. I like how loyal he is to whatever it is he believes in or loves.
8. a quote or scene that haunts me -- there are so many. But I am somewhat haunted by the Cyclops dilemma...he's facing the extinction of his people and he has no clue how to go on. Do we become the enemy? No. Then years later, he changes his mind. And when faced with the consequences, and looking at his younger self --- who has traveled through time to confront him, he finds he no longer has the answers. It takes the entire theme of the entire series and twists it on its head. It would be a bit like the protegee of Martin Luther King embracing the philosophy of Malcome X, only to discover it doesn't work either...and being faced with his younger, idealistic self, asking him why he went down the rabbit hole.
I found that haunting. I think because it shines a clear picture on what is going on now. We are faced with similar questions. And choices.
There's another scene in Schism, where Wolverine is telling Cyclops to hold back, not go that road, not jump into the Heart of Darkness, and it's so odd, because once upon a time it was the exact opposite. (It doesn't work as well there...but it's that conversation...which is an echo of Magneto and Xavier's, and it works better years later, when Magneto has this same conversation with Cyclops in Uncanny, and it is Magneto saying if you go down this road, you become the monster everyone worries about, you half to be careful not to become the monster you are fighting, you of all people used to know that. And I was the very monster that you fought.)
It's that scene between Magneto and Cyclops in the 2015 Uncanny X-men comics that blew me away. And it doesn't quite hold the same power, if you haven't followed the entire series. We have a man who became a monster, a deadly villain fighting evil with evil, telling a fallen hero that he is in deadly danger of going down the same road, that it isn't too late to fall back. He can still be redeemed.
I think it was good foreshadowing for what is happening now. We, the US and Britain and Europe are in danger of becoming the monsters that we are fighting. By fighting bombs with bombs, violence with violence...fear with fear...we risk falling down the rabbit hole.
9. a death that left me indifferent
Charles Xavier. He died one too many times. It was hard to believe he was finally dead. That's the problem with comics they have a tendency to kill characters off, bring them back, kill them, bring them back...
Also, I found him to be arrogant and highly annoying in Avengers vs. X-men. Seriously, he thinks he can go up against the Cyclops Phoenix and talk it down, and stop it? Look how well that worked with Jean Grey? And she hadn't been merged with Apocalpyse at one point or was not a telepath and going insane. Stupid. I just wanted to smack him.
10. a character I wish died but didn’t Hmmm...I was tired of Colossus and wish he stayed dead. I don't understand why Whedon felt the need to bring him back.
11.my ship that never sailed
Shadowcat and Pete Wisdom...although that ship sort of sailed, because they were together then broke up, which actually happens with all ships in the X-men.
Hmm...one that never got off the ground?
I can't really think of any. I don't tend to ship outside of canon. I think it's years of reading comics and watching serials...you learn not to invest that much and which ones the writers like, more or less as self-preservation.
Beast and Agent Brand...although they sort of sailed too.
the character I least understand
interactions I enjoyed the most
the character who scares me the most
the character who is mostly like me
hottest looking character
one thing I dislike about my fave character
one thing I like about my hated character
a quote or scene that haunts me
a death that left me indifferent
a character I wish died but didn’t
my ship that never sailed
Londonkds requested The X-men. (I can't figure out how to do the user icon thing in DW.)
1. The Character I Least Understand -- that's hard. Hmmm. I think probably Peter aka Colossus -- the character never quite worked for me. He was poorly developed and after a while outdated. A response to the cold war with Russia by the writers. Close second Angel aka Warren Worthington. Knowing a lot of Russians, I find Peter to be a bit...off.
2. Interactions I Enjoyed the Most - Cyclops and Wolverine, their bro-romance was fun. Also Cyclops and Beast, Emma Frost and Jean Grey. Magneto and Xavier. Magneto and Cyclops. Cable and Xavier and Cable and Cyclops. Storm and Jean, although they got sappy at times. I loved the banter. Really liked it when two character who were sort of oil and water, or of opposing views faced off. And the X-men did that very well. There's a great by-play between Beast, who constantly jokes, and all too serious Scott Summers, whose managed to grab dead-pan humor by the tail.
3. the character who scares me the most -- Legion aka David Haller. Freaking scary character in the comics. He has a 100 different personalities, and can bend reality to his will. Also fond Scarlet Witch scary for the same reasons.
4. the character who is mostly like me Probably Kitty Pryde aka shadowcat. Although she's a lot smarter. But she's also the one with the least dysfunction. The other one I identify the most with may be Scott Summers, who is an introvert and a bit of an empath. He shuts himself off from folks but is a brilliant strategist. I totally get that. That character always made sense to me on a certain level. And he has a younger brother that he struggles being close to.
5. hottest looking character Depends on the artist, sometimes it was Cyclops, sometimes Alex, sometimes Magneto, sometimes Wolverine, sometimes Gambit. Actually probably Gambit -- he was the most consistent and had the most flattering costume. Cyclops and Magneto have the least flattering, neither showed any skin.
6. one thing I dislike about my fav character -- Cyclops, lets face he can be a bit of a jerk or insanely dense when it comes to women, and inflexible. He also has a tendency to blow up, then run off when things get emotionally chaotic. Apocalyptic events? No problem. Emotional issues? Problem.
Women...insecure, much? He just doesn't deal with the touchy-feely stuff well. Strong stoic type -- highly irritating. Like Ms. Pryde, I want to smack him upside the head. Repeatedly. No wonder he has a thing for telepaths...if they can read his mind, he doesn't have to talk.
7.one thing I like about my hated character -- now I have to figure out if I have a hated character in that series, not really. Least favorite? Okay Peter, Colossus. I like how loyal he is to whatever it is he believes in or loves.
8. a quote or scene that haunts me -- there are so many. But I am somewhat haunted by the Cyclops dilemma...he's facing the extinction of his people and he has no clue how to go on. Do we become the enemy? No. Then years later, he changes his mind. And when faced with the consequences, and looking at his younger self --- who has traveled through time to confront him, he finds he no longer has the answers. It takes the entire theme of the entire series and twists it on its head. It would be a bit like the protegee of Martin Luther King embracing the philosophy of Malcome X, only to discover it doesn't work either...and being faced with his younger, idealistic self, asking him why he went down the rabbit hole.
I found that haunting. I think because it shines a clear picture on what is going on now. We are faced with similar questions. And choices.
There's another scene in Schism, where Wolverine is telling Cyclops to hold back, not go that road, not jump into the Heart of Darkness, and it's so odd, because once upon a time it was the exact opposite. (It doesn't work as well there...but it's that conversation...which is an echo of Magneto and Xavier's, and it works better years later, when Magneto has this same conversation with Cyclops in Uncanny, and it is Magneto saying if you go down this road, you become the monster everyone worries about, you half to be careful not to become the monster you are fighting, you of all people used to know that. And I was the very monster that you fought.)
It's that scene between Magneto and Cyclops in the 2015 Uncanny X-men comics that blew me away. And it doesn't quite hold the same power, if you haven't followed the entire series. We have a man who became a monster, a deadly villain fighting evil with evil, telling a fallen hero that he is in deadly danger of going down the same road, that it isn't too late to fall back. He can still be redeemed.
I think it was good foreshadowing for what is happening now. We, the US and Britain and Europe are in danger of becoming the monsters that we are fighting. By fighting bombs with bombs, violence with violence...fear with fear...we risk falling down the rabbit hole.
9. a death that left me indifferent
Charles Xavier. He died one too many times. It was hard to believe he was finally dead. That's the problem with comics they have a tendency to kill characters off, bring them back, kill them, bring them back...
Also, I found him to be arrogant and highly annoying in Avengers vs. X-men. Seriously, he thinks he can go up against the Cyclops Phoenix and talk it down, and stop it? Look how well that worked with Jean Grey? And she hadn't been merged with Apocalpyse at one point or was not a telepath and going insane. Stupid. I just wanted to smack him.
10. a character I wish died but didn’t Hmmm...I was tired of Colossus and wish he stayed dead. I don't understand why Whedon felt the need to bring him back.
11.my ship that never sailed
Shadowcat and Pete Wisdom...although that ship sort of sailed, because they were together then broke up, which actually happens with all ships in the X-men.
Hmm...one that never got off the ground?
I can't really think of any. I don't tend to ship outside of canon. I think it's years of reading comics and watching serials...you learn not to invest that much and which ones the writers like, more or less as self-preservation.
Beast and Agent Brand...although they sort of sailed too.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 01:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 01:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-23 11:24 pm (UTC)The female characters got little to no development during the post Whedon/Morrison period. (Well outside of Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde and Agent Brand). And I rather liked Agent Brand.