Warning: Spoilers for NYX #5Regardless of their creators' original intent, theX-Menhave always been a team that promotes the importance of civil rights and social equality. When Chris Claremont became the franchise’s focal writer in the 1980s, the X-Men became an analogy for the United States’ tumultuous civil rights issues. However, after two decades of moving away from Claremont’s vision, the X-Men are finally returning to their most important themes.
Following theFall of X, writers like Jed MacKay, Gail Simone, and especially Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing havereturned the X-Men to smaller-scale series, allowing for more intimate stories- like inNYX#5 by Kelly, Lanzing, Francesco Mortarino, Elisabetta D’Amico, Raúl Angulo, and Joe Sabino, which features a clash between humans and mutants at a protest.
Intentional or not, the X-Men have always beena socio-progressive franchisethat promotes fighting for the rights of the oppressed while advocating for cohesive unity among all people. In an especially divisive time, such as the modern American and international social climate, stories likeKelly and Lanzing’sNYXseriesdo exactly what Claremont envisioned the X-Men to be capable of.
X-Men Finally Returns to Its Central Metaphorical Tenets about Social Justice
Chris Claremont’s Social Commentary Was the Obvious Next Step for the X-Men
Contrary to popular belief, co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby never intended for the X-Men, specifically Charles Xavier and Magneto, to be symbolic stand-ins for civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. However, kids that grew up in this era,seeing the X-Men reflect the issues of the real world, took these unintentional comparisons to heart.Eventually, those kids grew up to write comics themselves, definingan entire generation of X-Mencomics that are now known as the “Claremont Era.” Unfortunately, come the emergence of the 2000s, Claremont’s dream for the franchise faded away.
Intentional or not, the X-Men’s core tenets have always focused on social progressivism and equal rights. The X-Men, like many other early Marvel titles, were meant to inspire young readers to grow up to become just as noble and heroic as their favorite comic-book characters. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Marvel’s comics showedidealized representations of heroesthat were needed at the time. Captain America, for example, reflected the best parts of America’s ideals throughout and following World War II.
Marvel’s stories at the time were meant to feel realistic and relatable, inspiring readers to better connect with the characters and their personal struggles.
Steve Rogers didn’t necessarily represent the average American but rather what creators Joe Simon and Kirby believed the average American should stand for. By the ’80s, Marvel Comics as a whole attempted to morepoignantly address real-world issues.Characters likeCloak and Daggerfocused on the spread of organized drug crime, coinciding with the Reagan Presidency’s “War on Drugs.” Comics began having their heroes reflect the average person and the average person’s experience. Marvel’s stories at the time weremeant to feel realistic and relatable, inspiring readers to better connect with the characters and their personal struggles.
Marvel’s Early 2000s Comics Took Away from Claremont’s Dream
The X-Men Ditched Social Justice for Edgy Spectacle
During this time period,Claremont’s X-Menfully committed to this style of storytelling. Writers like Claremont, who grew up seeing the X-Men champion ideals of social equality and equity, defined their era of comics as one that taught readers the significance of real-world problems and served to inspire those readers to make the changes that their favorite heroes fought for. However, come the 2000s, popularity primarily shifted towardthe Ultimate X-Men. Spearheaded by writers like Mark Millar,Ultimate X-Men, alongside the rest of the Ultimate line of comics,ditched straightforward social commentary for “edgy” revamped characterizations.
“Instruments Of A Greater Plot”: Chris Claremont Perfectly Illustrated the Difference Between Eras of X-Men Storytelling
In an interview, Chris Claremont explained the distinction between his character-driven approach to X-storytelling, and Marvel’s focus on crossovers.
By the 2000s, social commentary had become a consistent and open thematic point for the franchise. However, the X-Men experienced a stylistic shift that focused on large superheroicspectacles instead of Claremont’s strong social commentary. This shift would remain the case until the end of the Ultimate Universe. After 2015’sSecret Warsevent, popular attention returned to the Earth-616 X-Men, but the literary impact of the 2000s remained. By the emergence ofthe Krakoa Erain 2019, the X-Men continued to embrace grandiose spectacle over the clear social commentary that was made popular in the ’80s and ’90s.
Modern X-Men Series LikeNYXReturn the Franchise to its Defining Themes
Marvel Comics Have Always Been Meant to Inspire Real-World Heroes
The Claremont Eradefined the X-Menas a fantastical yet realistic representation of modern social issues that readers could both relate to and be inspired by. Series likeNYXshow readers that they don’t need superpowers to make the change they want to see in the world. As Ms. Marvel promotes in the series’ newest issue, powers don’t make heroes - actions do. Frankly, it’s about time that theX-Mento return to their thematic roots, and now is a better time than any for today’s writers to once again realize the progressive dream that writers like Claremont had for the franchise.
