Something happened to me this past week that has never happened before. A cartoon made me emotional. I’m not much a crier and I would be lying if I said my eyes were full of tears, but these were emotions that were akin to tears for me. You feel it in your gut and in your heartbeat. The world stops for a moment. You can’t move and you can’t speak because of what just impacted you.
Before I fully get into my emotions, let me give you the full picture of what the X-Men mean to me. I’m a 90’s kid. I grew up loving my Saturday Morning Cartoons and I had my Top Four that I looked forward to every week: Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, The Power Rangers (not a cartoon but still fits the bill), and X-Men. Fox42 was the local channel for all the best cartoons on Saturday mornings. It was really a phenomenon that society has lost with streaming. We couldn’t binge watch our shows, we had to wait a week after a cliffhanger ending that said “To be continued”, and the toy commercials….Oh man, the toy commercials were so freaking awesome.
The X-Men had the most epic opening of all the shows, the coolest heroes in the Marvel universe, and themes that are relevant to all generations. In the early 2000s, we got our first live action X-Men movies and they really do not get enough credit for paving the way the current empire that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So when Disney announced that they were bringing back the old X-Men animation series in the form of X-Men ‘97, I was ecstatic. Not only does the show have nostalgia that I want to drink like coffee, it’s actually really good! The action is breathtaking and the stories are hitting all of the right notes. X-Men ‘97 has become appointment viewing for my son and I. I am able to share a piece of my childhood with him as we watch the new show alongside episodes of the original series. He is falling in love with this group of heroes that are dear to my heart and is also hopefully learning some valuable lessons along the way.
Why This Matters
After watching Episode 5, titled Remember It, I turned to a recap of one of my new favorite podcasts. The Midnight Boys of The Ringer-Verse Pod reviewed the show and one of the hosts said two things that stuck with me. First, “This matters. The X-Men matter.” His second comment was something that I have felt for a very long time. The X-Men are way more interesting than the Avengers. While the Avengers are like work colleagues, the X-Men are an actual family. To me, the Avengers are so generic. It’s like going to Starbucks. Yeah, a basic vanilla latte is good every once and awhile but give me that local spice. Give me the neighborhood coffee shop. The X-Men have that local coffee shop character. As I type this paragraph, I’m realizing that only a few of my readers are Omega-Level Geeks like me and most of you probably don’t get the X-Men. Hopefully I haven’t lost you, but I’ll try to explain underneath the podcast link below (Full explicit warning on the podcast. Linking to give credit, but it’s definitely not for sensitive ears)….
“Could it be that a culture starved of optimistic images of its own future has turned to the primary source in search of utopian role models? Could the super hero in his cape and skintight suit be the best current representation of something we all might become, if we allow ourselves to feel worthy of a tomorrow where our best qualities are strong enough to overcome the destructive impulses that seek to undo the human project?” This quote comes from comic book writer Grant Morrison in his book Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants , and a Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. Morrison is well-known as one of the best modern comic book writers and he wrote this phenomenal book about the history of comics.
I love his quote as it describes why fictional heroes matter and I think the X-Men are the truest embodiment of it. They are mutants trying to protect a humanity that hates them. Yeah, they have cool powers but it goes deeper than that. They are flawed individuals, not because of their mutations or powers, but because they are people. They overcome that to represent the best of us. They are what we can be if we resist the destructive impulses that tear our world apart. They just want to be accepted and to find safe harbors like the rest of humanity.
The Episode
There are a lot of layers to the X-Men and to this episode in particular so I’ll try to summarize it succinctly. Spoiler Warning here, but I do recommend firing up Disney+ and giving the show 30 minutes of your time….
Magneto, Rogue, and Gambit are traveling to the mutant nation of Genosha for its official recognition of sovereignty by the United Nations. Think about this for a second. We have a group of people who are historically persecuted for being different. They have finally found their safe harbor and the United Nations is about to recognize them as an official country. Genosha is full of joy and celebration. People are showcasing their powers, dancing in the street, and feeling safe to proudly express who they truly are. Fireworks are going off and people are waving signs that say “Thank you, X-men” and “Magneto is right!” (because he is).
Sadly, the unthinkable happens. The country is attacked. Innocent mutants are killed. The celebration is turned to pain. My heart is coming back to that Grant Morrison quote. You can’t say the X-Men matter without acknowledging our shared humanity. No child, whether they are Palestinian, Israeli, Ukrainian, Sudanese, Syrian, or Karen deserves to live in a war zone. Those children come to mind when Genosha is attacked. No person should have to live in hiding because of their ethnicity, religion, disabilities, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We are reminded of historical and far too recent violent atrocities of bigotry when the show’s celebrations turn to tragedy. This is why the X-Men matter. Because they are a reflection of our shared humanity. They battle the ugly stuff that so many people have to face today.
So this attack comes, but we have heroes. Our X-Men are fighting for those in need. I could say so much about Magneto. He survived the Holocaust as a child and this is the root for so much of his character’s motivations. He is driven by his love for mutants and his desire to protect them. He may traditionally be a villain, but on this day he’s a hero. He exclaims, “We shall not live our days wondering if we could have saved more.”
And then Gambit….our beloved Gambit sacrifices his life to save not just the nation, but also Rogue, the woman he loves. The atrocities are plain for the world to see, but dammit those kids on Genosha had heroes that stepped up for them.
Wow you made me want to actually watch X-Men 97. Who knew there could be so much packed into a comic book series. You also made me wonder where today’s heroes are??? I wish they would step forward.
My goodness, you are an excellent writer, Josh! This is another powerful article written with so much passion and conviction! I have not seen the X-Men ‘97 yet but I do remember the original series and really enjoyed watching it! I love all the X-Men movies as well. I don’t quite agree with you about the Avengers. They are a bit more like co-workers, especially in the beginning, but there are some great stories there about character development and growth and sacrificing oneself to save humanity. They also were flawed individuals who truly became heroes. It is really awesome and special that you are able to share these great shows with your son! I agree with you that no child should have to live in a war torn country or have to live in fear and hiding. But I do not believe the answer lies in humanity. Quite frankly, we have made a terrible mess of things! I believe that “man at his best state is altogether vanity.” And yet we are so loved and so precious to our Creator, our Savior, our Deliverer! God alone has all the answers, and IS THE ANSWER, for every single one of us!