X-men vs. Marvel

[Aulleas123]

I have always been bothered by this as well, however lots of characters in the Marvel universe are hated even though they're not mutants but instead due to lots of reasons related to their actions or perceptions.

Spiderman is a great example, he is portrayed to be divisive of a character in that much of the populace is OK with him and others despise him for his treatment from Jameson, who doesn't like superheroes in general.

Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor are all respected because they look pretty, same with Ms. Marvel and even She-Hulk. However, when it comes to the Hulk (who is a monster), Hawkeye (who was a former criminal), Black Widow (who is a spy, sometimes for the good guys and sometimes for the bad), and Venom (who is also a monster), these guys are not as respected as their better looking or better reputed counterparts.

The "Mutants are allegory for the outsider" is very true, but it's not the whole of it. There are plenty of mutants who can hide their mutant identity and many who cannot. Nightcrawler was despised by the public because he was a monster whereas Scott Summers was given the Medal of Honor. However, many instances of the X-Men relate to personal relationships. Nightcrawler is an excellent example of this, being a gregarious and friendly individual, he made lots of personal friends with normal humans, such as priests and magicians (ok, so they're not that normal...). The X-Men lesson is based on conquering prejudice with knowledge, empathy, kindness, and that extra effort to make a personal relationship between the normal and abnormal people in our society; not through fighting every bigot or showing off how great you are over others.

X-Men doesn't always fit in Marvel because there is so much out-of-the-norm in that universe, but they work to tell a story. To be honest, it may be one of the most consistent and meaningful stories in mainstream comics today.

 

[Remus]

They did AvX. There was a whole series based around the one-on-ones, like Colossus/Juggernaut (yes he had the gem's power for a time) vs Red Hulk, Gambit vs Cap, Magneto vs Iron Man. The Phoenix came, Scott forced peace and prosperity upon the world, which was promptly rejected, and he killed Xavier. At the end, Wanda's spell was undone and the flaming parrot reignited the x-gene that has been muted since M day. It was a big crossover event that opened the eyes of the more celebrated heroes. Cap brought a bunch of mutants under the Avengers banner so that they can sit in the same spotlight Cap's had for years. This is the problem with mutants - they don't have a good publicist. Cyclops even hired one and it didn't entirely work out because his island nation was viewed as a national security risk. This is the difference between mutants and the other hero teams - rather than being celebrities whose powers are just an added benefit to their fame, they are feared due to those same powers. It doesn't help when for some, their powers amount to taking the forms of various animals, like say a shark or a giant fly, complete with acid vomit, or having a blazing furnace where their lower jaw and chest should be. Few mutants are brilliant scientists and fewer still are pretty. Just ask Broo.

 

[CascadingVictory]

Actually, there is a fair deal of persecution for a lot of the others in the Marvel Universe. That persecution is just usually framed differently or it is less constant; although in some cases it is even greater.

The Hulk is more widely persecuted than any of the mutant groups - government tracking him down, misunderstanding citizens being afraid of him, groups that think he is responsible for the devastation created by other gamma powered individuals, and the Illuminati kicking him off the damn planet. Spider man during the saga of the six arms was widely seen as a freak. The Thing originally received poor reactions from the public, though this abated fairly quickly. The Inhumans and Atlanteans had difficulty gaining acceptance as well as they were similarly viewed as having acquired powers through mutation. There are probably more examples I could scrounge up, but these are what come to mind first. The Marvel Universe has a lot of persecution, but with the X-men it is very much framed as the prime threat to a continued existence. I think that framing makes it seem a lot more intense and consistent than it seems for other characters and groups, but I would venture to say it can be found in many places and in some cases it may be found to a greater degree than as seen with the X-men.

 

[Verlander]

It was kinda covered in the Civil War series. Needless to say, the Avengers are marketed as heroes, while all mutants are vilified. The X Men fight persecution and smaller battles than the Avengers, so aren't features as an independent or notable force in the media.

To give it a modern day, real world equivalent, how often do you hear about Islamic heroes in the west? You'd better believe they exist, but they rarely get coverage. Same sort of thing (only in comics a hero isn't someone that saves a child, it's someone that saves a city).

 

[Michael Hirst]

I've had the same idea before. The obvious answer is that the Marvel universe was not originally conceived as one massive entity. The comics tended to stick to themselves and only feature outside characters to sell more issues on cameo appeal rather than to forge a greater universe.

In the times since the universe has moved on and often enough in crossovers the writers do attempt to address the issue, especially in Avengers vs X Men and Civil War, among others. It's generally regarded that groups like the Avengers are endorsed by the government and only contain the elite of the superhero community who know a good degree of responsibility. The mutants on the other hand could be ANYONE good or bad, they're wild cards in the whole world. Sure there are other types of hero who also act as wild cards but a lot of them are persecuted as well, most obvious example being Spiderman who has been the target of J Jonah Jameson for countless years and labelled as a menace.

Hulk is a huge issue in a lot of stories, as far as his powers go he's right up at the top for any of the earthborn superheroes. Much worse than Spiderman there are many who believe that allowing the Hulk to live is dangerous to the entire world whenever he loses control since it's very difficult to stop him.

I still think much like you though the X Men don't fit in entirely with the other events going on in the Marvel universe. That said I love the X Men and consider some of their cast to be the best characters Marvel has ever created, namely Magneto.

 

[Vausch]

The Marvel universe civilians are dumb twats. That's pretty much the gist of it. They kinda have this notion that if you GET powers, you're fine. If you're BORN with them, then somehow that makes you inherently evil or worth scorning. X-Men in particular because theirs are caused by genetics (not that that doesn't apply to aliens too, but they're often not liked either). It's why the X-Men are allegories for homophobia and racism. Remember "Have you tried NOT being a mutant?"

I've actually been wanting to see what would happen if all the Marvel and DC heroes switched universes. Just the hilarity of people like Superman being attacked for being an alien while Magneto (he kinda counts due to his very complicated history) losing his very reason for existing because most civilians in the DCU just don't care.

They actually did do that kind. The Avengers/JLA comic crossover event. They switched worlds and The Avengers were worshipped as heroes while say someone like The Flash was chased around a city. It is a good story that personally I think every single DC/Marvel should make it a mandatory edition to their library....that and the fact that Superman uses Cap's shield and Thor's hammer for just a moment.

I must read this. What was the arc called?

 

[KazeAizen]

The Marvel universe civilians are dumb twats. That's pretty much the gist of it. They kinda have this notion that if you GET powers, you're fine. If you're BORN with them, then somehow that makes you inherently evil or worth scorning. X-Men in particular because theirs are caused by genetics (not that that doesn't apply to aliens too, but they're often not liked either). It's why the X-Men are allegories for homophobia and racism. Remember "Have you tried NOT being a mutant?"

I've actually been wanting to see what would happen if all the Marvel and DC heroes switched universes. Just the hilarity of people like Superman being attacked for being an alien while Magneto (he kinda counts due to his very complicated history) losing his very reason for existing because most civilians in the DCU just don't care.

They actually did do that kind. The Avengers/JLA comic crossover event. They switched worlds and The Avengers were worshipped as heroes while say someone like The Flash was chased around a city. It is a good story that personally I think every single DC/Marvel should make it a mandatory edition to their library....that and the fact that Superman uses Cap's shield and Thor's hammer for just a moment.

I must read this. What was the arc called?

Its not an arc. Its literally just title JLA/Avengers. Or for two issues Avengers/JLA. The main villain is Krona. I don't think its particularly hard to find. A quick google or amazon search should do the trick.

 

[shootthebandit]

Wasnt spiderman wanted by the police

The hulk was pretty badly persecuted too

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

I would say the reason why the X-men are hated is because they represent a change in humanity. People are scared and nervous that they will be wiped out as mutants evolve and become dominate.

 

[Spiridion]

If I had to guess, I'd say it's likely because mutants have a relatively large population and are seen as their own "species." They have the potential to overtake/overthrow humanity as the dominant species on the planet, whereas people like Spiderman, the Hulk, Captain America, Fantastic Four etc. are individuals or very small groups. There's not really a threat of them organizing on a large scale because they're each the product of unique circumstances so there's little for them to organize over. Additionally, they gained their powers through various experiments/accidents but were otherwise human beforehand, so they could be viewed as having a greater attachment to the species, I suppose.