t's hard to be a feminist and want to be a man at the same time. But deep down, I've always identified with Wolverine from the The X-Men. It all started fifteen years ago, when I would curl up on the couch after school, watching the X-Men cartoon on TV (I never really got into the comic), holding my new tits and waiting for Wolverine to finally get it on with Jean Grey. I imagined myself saving the world every afternoon at 3:30 p.m. but still striking out with the ladies. I wanted to be the quiet manly-man, the loner who couldn't work with others but risked his life for them, the mutant who fought in cages and won.
Unfortunately, I was a nine-year-old girl, smaller than even the first graders, and a loner by necessity rather than choice. I drank chocolate soy milk and ate tofu sticks. I did get into fights, and usually won, but the girls were even less impressed than the principal.
That's why the X-Men were my friends, and Wolverine was my hero.
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Jean Grey made me psyched to be a mutant-loving woman again.
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No matter how much of a loser I was in real life, I could relate to them — and to Wolverine in particular — because they weren't perfect either. Sometimes Wolverine had trouble being a good guy. Often his comebacks were more bitter than witty. His inner turmoil and overwhelming sense of rejection was familiar to me. All I needed was an adamantium skeleton and a penis.
I've never been a big fan of impossible love stories, and I'm not sure that Jean Grey would have been the woman I'd crush on if I were Wolverine. I always thought her character was kind of lame, like most of the other girl superheroes. Her actions rarely drove the plot. As a scientist, Jean was a healer, not a fighter, and her mild mental powers kept her on the sidelines of the full-contact sports.
Besides, Professor X, the wheelchair-bound leader of the mutants, already had all the psychic powers the group needed, so Jean was superfluous. But Wolverine wanted her. So I wanted her, too.
When the X-Men came to the big screen in 2000, I was surprised by how well the cartoon translated to live action — and how well it lived up to my pre-pubescent fantasies. What made it so convincing was Hugh Jackman's impressive portrayal of Wolverine. (This was even more impressive considering his other, decidedly wussy roles.) No one can leave a room quite like Wolverine, but Jackman pulled it off seamlessly in X, with his broad shoulders and a perfect prowling slouch to match. And Famke Janssen's Jean Grey was, well, lame as ever: she hardly used her telekinetic powers and spent more time being rescued than she did rescuing. It was to be expected. And so, sitting in the theater those few summers ago, I was transformed into a nine-year-old, male-identifying superhero once again.
[Note: X2 ending discussed below.]
When I went to see the new sequel, X2, last week, my adolescent expectations were met — and exceeded. For the first time in memory, Jean Grey seemed worthy of Wolverine's attention. Throughout the flick, she gets her groove on, making red fireworks in her eyeballs, lifting jets with her mind, kicking butt. The two even share one of those "her-lips-are-saying-no-but-her-eyes-are-saying-yes" Hollywood kisses, complete with swoony music. I figured by X3 I'd finally get to see what I'd been waiting for all these years: some real fireworks between Jean and Wolverine.
And then they up and kill her. Apparently, Jean becomes a strong character and kisses Wolverine for one reason: so the filmmakers — like the creator of the original comic, Stan Lee — would never have to deal with the ramifications of an X-Woman with true sex appeal, brains and power since there's no one to take her place. Think about it. Rogue (Anna Paquin) can't have sex, because her touch is deadly. Storm (Halle Berry) probably could have sex, but in both the cartoon and the movie, she comes across as a sexless side character with little personality (despite Berry's talent, sexiness and current Hollywood status). The only woman left is Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), who's blue. Tellingly, after Wolverine and Jean's only kiss, Mystique shape-shifts into Jean and tries to get it on with Wolverine, who figures out the ruse before the deal is closed. Mystique isn't powerful or sexy herself; she's only as powerful and sexy as the people she pretends to be. This is exactly why I always identified with the boy superheroes: because the girl characters are always dead, whether sexually or otherwise.
Apparently, in a future installment of the series, Jean comes back from the dead, rising from the ashes as a new character: Phoenix. If X-3 follows the plot of the original comics, Phoenix will be the most powerful of all superheroes, regardless of gender. But she won't be Jean Grey. She'll be an almost demonic energy with an unquenchable thirst for power posing as Jean (who may not be dead, just incapacitated — which is basically the same thing). Why must Jean become something else — not a woman, a human or even a mutant — to come into power that rivals the boys'?
In X2 Jean Grey made me psyched to be a mutant-loving woman again. Unfortunately, her untimely demise ruined any chance the X-Men had — if only for a little while — of reaching out to all the little girls who only want to be somebody. n°
[Editor's note: Clarifications were added to this article after its original posting.]
Commentarium (86 Comments)
To get a complete idea of Jean Grey, Ms. Walker may have some fun delving into the comic book's version of the character. Comic book fans know that Jean Grey is coming back as Phoenix, one of the most powerful characters in comicdom--and much sexier and in control then her previous "Marvel Girl" incarnation.
But Jean will return, I'm sure of it. Sure of it, I tell you! Why else would they have shown that "Loch Ness Energy" thing in the flooded valley at the end of the film?
Dude, don't worry. In X3, Jean Gray's gonna return as the Phoenix, who was single-handedly one of THE most badass characters in X-men history. ;)
You've probably heard this already, but go back and read the Dark Phoenix saga from the comic-books. Jean'll be back in X-3 and kicking more ass than you can shake a stick at.
The Pheonix story happened not just in the comics, but in the five-episode arc of the animated series as well...see here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004Y56F/
The fact that they had Jean's eyes burning with fiery pheonix-energy in a bunch of scenes, combined with the pheonix-shaped outline underneath the water at the very end, is pretty much a dead giveaway the Jean will rise from her ashes (or in this case, from her watery grave) in the next movie.
OK, I'm the third person to tell you this but any X-men fan should know that Jean Grey comes back as Phoenix. Don't worry, Wolverine will get another shot at her.
I found your article touching, because in high school my group of friends and I were all totally engrossed with the Xmen, and my first girlfriend, like you, wanted to be Wolverine (I wanted to be Professor X).
Ken (who is secretagent7 on nerve.com)
i dug this essay. I never thought that someone could be so into Wolverine. I have a thing for the bad mutants like Sabertooth. But I guess out of them all, I dig Wolverine. Cool essay.
Nooooooo! I got so excited to read about someone with a similar semi-guilty X-Men love, but show some knowledge, or at least some insight-by-reasearch--Jean's not dead, for one, as any diehard immediately knew. She will resurrect as the Phoenix and perhaps she and Wolverine will make out again; who knows. And don't discount the Rogue-Wolverine sexual tension from X1. I still get shivers when I think of it... oh my.
Well,Jean isn't dead. They are going to bring her back. From what I remember also is Storm & Wolverine date after he gets over his thing for Jean.
Leila,
Sigh. You saw he cartoon but evidently missed the comic book. Jean Grey is not dead dead, she will be reborn. She will come back as Pheonix a very powerful, some say god-like being. Ultimately she will be corrupted by her powers, becoming Dark-Pheonix. I will not ruin how it all ends, but suffice to say Wolverine will play a huge role in that story.
There is a lot of X-Men stories out there and the cartoon was but a pale reflection of the comic book. Don't dispair, there is more to come...
Don't worry. Its my understanding that Jean Grey is not exactly dead. Thus the mysterious comment by Xavier at the end...the glow in the water, etc. So your nine year old Jean/Wolfie fantasy may yet come to life. Have faith.
I really appreciated your bit on X-2, but I wanted to put your fears to rest, Jean Grey comes back as Pheonix, and if you liked the powers she displayed this time around, wait until her reincarnation. It's going to be a whole new type of crazy. Keep up the good work
Have faith. (Like the unusual-looking but acrobatic, sexy Kurt Wagner.)
Jean Grey is still alive. Or somewhat. She's Phoenix. And Phoenix is practicaly indistructable. And much more powerful than Professor X. That's why you saw the flames in her eyes. And that's why you saw her show ten-fold of the power she showed in the first live action X-Men movie.
Do not despair, Jean Grey will be back for X3! It isn't covered in the cartoon, but the movies are faithfully following Jean's story arc from the comic. The following is not a X3 spoiler, it's just a known comic fact - Jean is the vessel for the cosmic "Phoenix Force", which will resurrect her, more powerful than ever. That's why you saw the fire in her eyes and why an image of the phoenix was visible beneath Alkali Lake during the last shot of X2.
"And then they up and kill her."
Thanks. Where should I send the twelve dollars?
A) Not to sound like some geek, but someone whose basic knowledge of the X-Men is based on the cartoon should probably spare themselves the embarassment and keep their musing to herself.
And B) if I hadn't seen the movie already, I'd be PISSED right now. I know the whole story from the comics, but anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet just had the ending ruined.
Though you may have heard this from other, more adamant fans than I, I did want to say, however cryptically, that hope is not lost for X3 - I firmly believe that with the plot clues and hooks given at the end of X2, Jean Grey will be back, and more powerful than any other mutant on the planet... for reference, check out the "Phoenix" saga in the Uncanny X-Men back issues.
Not to be a spoiler, but Jean Grey will be back for X3. She's becoming Phoenix, the most powerful of all creatures.
Jean Grey doesn't die. Jean Grey comes back as the Phoenix, so Wolverine will have plenty of chances in X3 to it on. I'm surprised you didn't know this. Some X-Men fanatic you are! (OK, so I'm a total dork. I was twelve years old at one point. What can you do?)
Thanks for the spoiler, jerky!
Than obviously, you don't know the storyline they are starting that us former comicbook-reading geeks know about. Don't discount Jean yet; Marvel has only permenantly killed one character ever, and that character died to cancer.
I assure you she'll be back in the sequel... but not without a very different reason to not get it on with Wolverine..
I haven't seen X2 yet, and I would have preferred not knowing that Jean dies.
If you are going to give away key plot twists like that, it is good manners to warn the rest of us.
Jean Grey is not dead! That was the beginning of what in the comic is called the Phoenix cronicles, she transforms into the amazingly powerful Phoenix. The fire flying through the water at the end in the shape of a phoenix symbol was proof that she was not dead. She will be much more powerful in the next movie, which will probably focus on her.
Couldn't you guys put a spoiler warning at the beginning of this? How infantile. Thanks for giving away a major plot point.
Jean Grey's not dead, they just set it up for the Dark Phoenix saga... Something that any X-men fan should already know.
I enjoyed your article greatly... but you should not Fret... as if you remember (I believe in both cartoon and comic) Jean Grey returns as the Phoenix, which I'm pretty sure was their intention with the red swirls in her eyes. While I'm quite certain the Phoenix itself is not Jean (and protects the body of Jean) it will be great to see a very powerful women character com back in what will hopefully be an astonishing X3.
Good story, but don't fear. Jean Grey is coming back in X3, remember the ending where Professor X looks out the window suddenly and relief comes over his face? And then in the last clip you see a shot of Alkali Lake, and the image of a phoenix emerging from the water.
In the comic books (from what I understand), Jean Grey becomes Phoenix. So she'll be back to kick ass and inspire you to want to be a mutant woman again :)
Hello? she's coming back. Have you ever read the comic book? Jean G is the Phoenix, as in rising form the ashes. Is it clicking yet? That wierd afterglow under the water after the dam busts?
Let me get this straight, you really empathized with Wolverine as a pre-pub and never thought to spend 75 cents on a comic book? Maybe that's why you're piece comes across so flat. Stick to poetry, don't write about X men.
Sorry to be such a geek, but being one who followed the X-men in other permutations, you may or may not know that the movie hints at her ressurection. In the comics Jean "dies" but comes back as the uber-powerful (read, ability to snuff out planets) Phoenix. In the ending of X2 the bird shape soaring under the Alkali Lake waves, along with the cryptic smile the Prof. sports as he looks out the window, is supposed to tell us that she is in fact not dead. Hope this revitalizes you hope.
Relax, If you remember the X-Men story, Jean Grey dies only to re reborn as a much strong, kick-ass, full of fire, sensual woman known as "Phoenix". It's when this happens that the real heat between Jean and Wolverine, (not to mention Cyclops) gets turned up to higher settings.
She'll be back.
Well, here I go geeking out again. X2 is really good, better than the first, and the female characters were handled better, too. I have an inside track on what's coming, though, because I know the original source material~ the comic books, not the wussed out cartoon. Jean's faltering control over her powers and self sacrifice are precursors to her becoming one of the most powerful characters in the universe.
One of the most interesting things about X-Men as a comic book is that one woman or another has consistantly been the most powerful member of the team for decades, whether Storm, Jean, or Rogue. Thier characters are also much stronger in the comics and often propel plot, and their romantic lives have a lot more interest and shading than the movie or cartoon could ever portray. I recommend the author pick up some of the comics, either classic reprints or the ongoing title "New X-Men"... they'll give her everything she's looking for in fantasy fulfilment.
I think Jean Gray will return in X3. In the old fashioned comic books she becomes even more powerful with the "phoenix force", which is like a fiery psychic energy that makes her finally a real kick ass ninja, as opposed to a sideline psychic. If you notice her final moments on screen as she is using her psychic force, she looks almost as if she has the start of flames around her body, thats almost definitely the "phoenix force" and she will return, ala a phoenix, in the next film ready to do more impressive feats than before...
may we all kick ass like wolverine; and still enjoy our soy milk!
As someone who's read the X-Men for 29 years, I'll tell you right now---Jean Grey comes back from the dead, bigger and badder than anyone can believe. I mean, you're right about the rest. But, don't lose hope. She turns into someone who can blow out the sun.
Jean Gray will be back in the X3. she transforms into Pheniox! :)
I read part of the screenplay. Hope this raises your sprits!
Josh
Remember at the end, she was talking about reincarnation? If you watched the cartoon or read the comic, you'd realize that Jean Grey is coming back as Phoenix, then Dark Phoenix and finally as Jean Grey again. They have to have a sexy X-gal. She's it. However, I dig Rogue and her cool stripe! Just gotta use condoms with her, that's all. ;-)
In response to the X2 article, the directors are following the Phoenix story line where Jean Grey dies and then is reborn as a super powerful cosmic being: Phoenix. She will be back to kick some more butt in the next film. In fact the next one will most likley be all about Phoenix. It's in the comic, and they did the Phoenix story in an altered form on the cartoon show as well.
Autumn
[warning: exceeds limits of conventional geek-meter]
OK, the good news is: my hunch is that Jean isn't actually dead. Note the voice-over at the end...it's Jean's voice! Q: How could anyone survive that deluge of water? A: It's a comic book, remember? (Classic line from covers and splash pages of every Marvel title at one time or another: "It can't be! I saw you die!")
OK, the bad news is: betcha dollars to doughnuts that Singer and company are setting up the Dark Phoenix storyline from the 1980s. Note how Jean's powers grow stronger during the course of X2. In X3, she'll be back, and her powers will grow stronger than ever (she becomes Phoenix), but eventually they grow to the point that they corrupt her. And, oh yes, she dies.
I imagined that if I ever gave feedback to something on Nerve, it would be one some ultra-cool topic which demonstrated how sophisticated I am. Nope! I must geekily enlighten you about the X-Men universe.
The movies and the TV show have the same source: the comic books. The movies seem to be attempting to portray the major plot points from the past 30 years, and they're doing okay at it. Probably the biggest plot point ever was when Jean Gray died, and became reincarnated as PHOENIX, the most powerful mutant ever known. Your fantasies will, I am glad to say, be realised: Phoenix and Wolverine get it on in a big way. There are many twists and turns, such as Phoenix turning evil, and lots of other exciting stuff.
This was why Jean Gray dies at the end of the movie. Think about it- that love triangle is way too interesting a dynamic to remove, when further sequels are obviously planned. Her death will (I suspect, but I'm guessing) be the pivotal event which shapes the plot in the next movie, and possibly others after that. In that sense, Jean Gray is the x-men version of Gandalf.
Take heart, Jean isn't dead... we'll be seeing her again in X3... as Phoenix. Everything her character went through in this film was setting us up for the next stage of her story arc.
Too bad you only watched the cartoon. If you read the comic books you would realize that the end of X-2 was just the set up for the Phoenix Saga, where Jean Grey rises from the ashes as probably the most powerful of the X-men. She's not really dead at all, and you can see the Phoenix shape in her eyes and in the water at the end of the movie.
Jean Grey will mostlike return as a toned down version of the Pheonix character. The fiery eys and her enhanced abilities line up pretty well with the animated series and the comic books. In those story lines Jean becomes the Pheonix, a force that can and does destroy solar systems on a whim. She kicks bigger, meaner super heroes from across the galaxy both physically and at a distance. So perhaps there is hope for her character in your eyes.
Letting my lillte Geek show,
Matt.
maybe someone already told you this, but jean grey didn't really die - she turned into the phoenix - that was that bird-like image in the water at the end. if you ask a comic book geek he or she will tell you - jean grey transforms into the phoenix and rises from the ashes...
Ah Leila (Kirsten's boyfriend here).. what little you know from only following X-Men on the tubey tv.. the true ending for Jean Grey is known well by those geeks and dorks who flipped through the pages of the comics themselves - who waited terribly impatiently every week for those paper bag wrapped wonders to come in the mail for our male soap opera fix. Dead? hmmm...
Umm,
There's a little Jean history you've probably never heard. Keep watching.
If you still have that 9 year old child's love of the characters and the stories of the X-Men, try reading Ultimate X-Men, a comic currently coming out written by Mark Millar. You do not have to be fluent in the 40 year history of thousands of X-Men comics, since the Ultimate series is separate from the old Marvel Universe. And Millar is brilliant, one of the handful of writers who is capable of creating superhero stories that are not bound by the usual confines of the genre. I'm a big comic book geek, but I'm also a scientist, writer and a woman and when I returned to superhero comics out of nostalgia, I was thrilled to realize how much more they offer than just a simple masked-hero-saves-the-girl-and-destroys-the-bad- guy-story.
X3 is probably going to surprise you, then -- that Jean voiceover with the flaming bird-shaped outline under the water at the end of the film was a sign that she's going to be at least as badass next time around. You might not be disappointed after all. (I'm surprised you thought Mystique was only sexy as other people, though! She was plenty powerful, taking out dozens of soldiers all by herself, bright enough to figure out a way to help Magneto escape, and adorably catty. My love, though, is for Nightcrawler.)
We don't need anyone else explaining Jean's pseudo-death, but I want to comment on something else: I like Mystique. She does indeed kick ass (many times, including Wolverine's in X1), and the espionage-type stuff she pulls off is even more impressive. And she's sexy as hell when she's blue--only partially because she chooses not to blend in when she has the chance. So I tip my hat to Mystique.
I'm probably not the first geek to post this, but fret not for Jean is not dead, not in the least. At the ned of X2, when the camera is zooming over the lake, pay attention to a shape coming out of the water and then take a walk to your nearest comic store and look up X-Men Essentials, particulalry the Phoenix saga. The ending of X2 was a hint at things to come. Also, if you want to indulge there is Weapon X, not the Barry Windsor-Smith story of how Wolverince came to be, but the Age og Apocalypse Weapon X which takes place in the future where Logan and Jean are in fact together, though to be honest I prefer the sexual tension.
You were an X-men fan and you never heard about the Phoenix saga?
Ok not to ruin the suppries or anything, but Jean is comin back. Although a bit revamped. If you were as big of a looser as I was in school you migh know that she becomes the Phoenix. Thats the fire in the eyes and shit. Trust me see will be deserving of big W's love after that. And fuckin cyclopse, whata fag. I do have to mention that Wolv would never have cried for the woman. Check out the issue were he getts stood up at the altar. Oh and ther is a 4 part mini series for him made in the mid 80's (how I got thru HS) I think Frank Miller did the art, its fuckin killer. Anyhow there ya go form one looser to another
Uhmm, not to nitpick, buuuutt...
There was no X-men cartoon 15 years ago. There were a couple of cameo appearences in the Spider Man cartoon, and then a series started in '92-'97, mainly on saturday mornings.
And, now that my geekdom has been fully exposed, might as well go all the way and explain that it is very likely that the Jean Grey character will re-emerge in the movies. In the comics she dies, but is 'reborn' with the power of an alien superbeing called, appropriately, The Phoenix. If they follow the comic storyline it should be quite good.
Holy shit, I've never seen this many people send feedback to a piece. Comic book geeks of the world unite, eh? Great peices can go almost without notice, but an "i told you so" is just too irresistible to pass up, apparently.
Sorry to -- well not disapoint you but Jean Grey doesn;t die. She c omes back as the Pbhoenix ( dark phoenix?) That was the shape in the water. In x-3 she'll be back. And there will an x-3. So yay?
what a great review! she should write more often.
OKAY, i think the writer gets the point that Jean will be back in X3. jesus fucking christ you people are elitists.
Arghhhhhhhhhhhh. She's not dead! It's the phoenix saga! Auggh!
This read more like an "I hate Jean Grey, she's such a pansy." than a "Wolverine rocks my socks off, I totally want to be him". What's up with that?
Well, thank y'all for proving that the Nerve crowd hasn't got the idea of reading feedback to make sure your post isn't redundant. We eagerly await the return of the bad ass phoenix.
My real contention (well, one of them) is that of Mystique's appeal and power. I'm in full agreeance (note the suave pop culture reference) with the tail swinging nightcrawler. She's hotter than Iraq in March, powerful and pretty damn certain of what it is she wants. Aside from being able to take on any form, she kicked all sorts of butt in her own image and does it with more style than any character besides Wolverine. Check it lady, she's a hottie and a half. Wolvie'll probably get with her in the next one
And my other contention, not really with the writer as with the creators of the series. Why was Rogue robbed of all her charm and atitude for the movies. That goes double for Cyclops but who cares about him anyway. She's such a badass in the comic and the cartoon. The guy she's crazy about, Gambit, is a hell of a lot cooler than high school ice man here. What were they thinking?
Fans of the X-men: Discuss and your fellow geek can be found under scotchandgold (shameless I know, its the only way to live).
[Note: This article was clarified after its initial posting. The second-to-last paragraph was added and comic creator Stan Lee was mentioned in reference to "the filmmakers'" decision not to create a sexually assertive female character.]
OK, now that the lynching is over, lets put things in perspective. Yes I agree with the author about the roles women played in X2. (as a stand alone movie) However, its hard to swallow that you have read any X-Men and not have seen the hint about the start of the phoniex saga. A story line completely about one strong woman, and her internal battle with emotions, power and ethics. Sorry, the author spoke before doing the research. (any research)
so was it just me, or was there a kid on the plane whose whole damn super power thingy was the ability to freeze WATER? am i the only one that was sitting there with some voice screaming in my head "made her a damn iceberg or something!!". he didn't do jack to save Jean while she was saving everyone else. hello?? if the story was going to follow the whole phoenix line, then he should've been unconscious or bleeding profusely or at least terribly distracted with his frosty kiss super-girlfriend. am i the only one?
I'm sure you've been flooded by now, but Jean was killed off in the comic and brought back as Phoenix - one of the most powerful characters in the known universe (ability to eat suns and snack on planets kind of thing). If you notice at the end, there's an image of a phoenix in the water as Famke Jansen is speaking the last lines of the movie.
So, she gets more powerful, can't handle it too well, dies and gets reborn with super new powers. Don't feel too left out. And besides, in the comic as well, Storm kicks Scott out as leader of the X-Men cuz he's too whiney.
This article reads as one big selfish whine to me.
Not that a big selfish whine isn't occaisionally important, but I didn't care to hear this one. I'm glad to know that there are others who identified, however. Now perhaps you will all feel better since you've vented.
Oh! and Jean Grey...blah blah...Phoenix *obligatory*
Oh, and on the issue of Iceman not freezing the dam,
Iceman (a)still only has sophomoric use of his powers at this point and (b)could really only have created a wall of ice, or frozen what was directly at hand. To truly stop the onslaught of water, he would have had to have frozen the entire RIVER that fed the Dam. Iceman is cool, but not THAT cool (pardon the pun)
Was the writer aware that, except for Professor X, the most powerful member of the group is Storm? One of the girls she complains about can't do much? She is right though, Halle Berry is a terrible choice to play the role; she doesn't have the charisma, the wisdom, or the strength the character did in the books.
The "improvement" in the second to last paragraph only makes it worse.
Way to shallow an analysis or understanding to make such broad statements about the supposed sexism of Stan Lee. Comics are not high art, they are made to appeal to 10-18 year old boys, so most female characters are given impossible bodies and scanty costumes. Even given that, however, Stan Lee's Marvel comics have produced numerous multifaceted female characters with brains, power, and as much sexuality (beyond the way they are all drawn) as the stringent comic codes he labored under would allow.
The statement that "Jean becomes a strong character and kisses Wolverine for one reason: so the filmmakers — like the creator of the original comic, Stan Lee — would never have to deal with the ramifications of an X-Woman with true sex appeal, brains and power since there's no one to take her place" comes off as self-serving and basically a load of crap. And the shoddy paragraph tacked on to the end only further exposes the author's complete lack of depth or understanding.
OH come on! That last bit you guys added was complete bovine excrement. "Oh, well there's a helluva lot more to the story than I cared to look into, so I guess I'll just make a shallow snap judgment and twist it to meet my already shoddy thesis"
Weak.
Ahh, your article is definitely flawed as a journalistic attempt at proving a lack of respect for females in the movie or the comic series. Rogue, despite her inability to have sex in the cartoon or comic, is one of the most attractive characters because of her complete self possession and awareness. She definitely has been robbed of that for the movie but she may gain it yet in any of the sequels that are sure to come. Mystique, as I have argued before and I'm sure many agree is easily the most exciting woman in the movie up till now. I saw th first movie today and you should be reminded that she kicked Wolverine's ass in her own form. Her reply to Nightcrawler's question about why she didn't stay permanently in disguise -"because I shouldn't have to" - is a reply that befits not just mutants but women about assuming any roles or homosexuals about declaring their sexuality. I do agree with the part about Storm though. She may be insanely powerful but she is frigid you can feel it through the screen.
But lets not deny you your opinion or your fantasy, I feel your personal pain about the character and her death.
Maybe this feedback surge is over, but I just went to her website that is highlighted in her bio at the end of the piece. Go to the sex link and there's the same essay except with her testimony at the end, in her own words, in response to all of this response.
I know, I know tons of people have written to you about the plot points you missed in X2, but they're comic geeks, that's what they do. Watch this, Batman could kick the collective asses of the X-men. I'm sure there will be great strife and woe in the town of geekdom about that. I could care less that you don't know about the Phoenix saga (however I do wonder how you missed it watching it on syndication being they only ran it a thousand times). My main concern is you think that there are no positive story driving women in x-men. First things first unfortunately both movies have only one fleshed out character wolverine. Everyone else has been toned down. Secondly I'm sure if Stan Lee read this he would be extraordinarily hurt. X-men is almost singular in it's closer to fair treatment of women with power. If you want to point the feminist finger at something try a superman story, not X-men which have Storm, mystic, Psylocke, Jean Grey/marvel girl/phoenix, Callisto, rogue, and many more. These females, side characters as you called them, kicked butt filled plots with intrigue outsmarted the men around them and oft times outshine their male co-stars. And just to nit-pick at every point in that movie when things got out of hand it was the women that were able to put things together (rogue stopped Pyro, Storm saved Prof x, Mystic broke into the dam, and Jean saved every body).
To the person who said that comics are geared towards 10-18-year-old boys I know plenty of adults, men and women included, who would be offended that trivialized the art. There are a wide range of comics and the people that create them pour body and soul into them -Gosh try being a little sensitive.
Just a boy all for girl power as long as it's in spandex
Sorry major typo it should be
To the person who said that comics are geared towards 10-18-year-old boys I know plenty of adults, men and women included, who would be offended that [you] trivialized the art. There are a wide range of comics and the people that create them pour body and soul into them -Gosh try being a little sensitive.
Just a boy all for girl power as long as it's in spandex
Why the fuck does everything have to be about gender?
Wow. Good article. I never read the comics. I love the movies. I am an 18 year old guy, who just truly enjoyed reading that article. Thank you for that.
Try4Zen@comcast.net
Nice writing. Some good points.
My view. Fuck both the geeks and the gender comment police. I would purely love to see an sexually assertive superheroine - it woud turn me on and I think many others, and not just for the obvious reasons. Zt least it would be a more belivebale role model than the whole Brittany Alguierawhatsit Kylie thing.
I found the article to be extremely biased. The author argued that the female characters in "X2" do not make effective role models as they are all flawed... (eg--Mystique is only powerful because she acquires the powers of those she imitates, therefore she herself isn't actually empowered.) I say that's a load of BULLSHIT! All of the male characters are also flawed. Professior Xavier cannot walk and the Wolverine doesn't actually have any powers other than being able to quickly heal (man-made endoskeletons aren't intrinsic biological powers and don't count)--don't Mystique's characteristics make her a more powerful character than that? When applying standards to examine a data set, one has to apply equal standards to _all_ data, not just a particular set of interest. The author wouldn't be able to pass a first year sociology class with any of her arguments! Besides, the author finally argues that no female characters exist who are both sexually successful and powerful... when did we get to see Wolverine get it on? He's portrayed as the ultimate loner-bachelor who can't even get off on his own as he'd probably cut off his genitals with his claws! OUCH!
But Jean Gray isn't dead, she's morphed into Phoenix from the looks of it (the firey thing from the cartoons). I'll agree the females are weaker in the movie (Rouge did a lot more butt kicking in the comics). But somehow, like you, I love it still :)
i read the comic book Xmen and if you can get into it now, you may really like it. it's so much better than the cartoon. The Jean Grey/Phoenix saga is remarkable and very well written and so exciting. I always felt like the women in the comic book were strong and tough and kept the men and the group together. Storm goes through some amazing changes from "untouchable goddess" to punk leather-clad kick-ass heroine; she's strong even after she loses her powers.
And Jean Grey does become Phoenix, but it's a bit more complicated. The Phoenix power replicates her - not just her physical body, but her humanity and personality as well - and then gives her the power. So Jean becomes incredibly powerful but it's her self that's able to fight the powerful Phoenix force inside her. So she ultimate proves to be stronger than the Phoenix. The whole story arc was a testament to her strength and love and humanity.
wow, i sound like a total X-Men junkie, yikes, even after all these years. i just wanted you to know that the original comic books had strong women in them and that the movies are taking intricate detailed powerful stories and characters and trying to make them into a 2 hour action-packed movie. it's tough. i like the movies, but there's much more to the x-men. If you have the time, read the old X-Men written by Chris Clarement - the Phoenix saga onwards is brilliant.
great article, take care, rb
You'd be less bitter about not-so-bad-ass mutant chix if you read the comics. The heroines have all the spine they need to keep up those barbie doll tits, and then some. Grrrl scout's honor.
Ok, you all have sold me on the comic books! I'm heading out tonight in search of a good collection that includes the Phoenix saga. Let the ass-kicking begin...
GREAT PIECE! Really well thought out--thank you for this! I can certainly relate to the desire for powerful female role models. Reading some of the other "feedback", I think some readers missed the point of your essay. This is not a piece necessarily about the historical story line of the X-men comics; it seems more of grown woman's remembrances of how a modern fairy-tale affected her as a child. No one should criticize how the cartoon made that young girl feel--what it made her hope and think. Those things belong to the author alone. So back off X-men buffs! And thank you for sharing such a vulnerable & thought-provoking recollection. You have a powerful voice for the feminine yourself!
Jean Grey didn't die they only thought she was gone. So she will be back for all the girls in X3.
I dig LR's comment: great piece. I love your conscise, personal and above-all vulnerable article. I guess that writing from a strongly personal perspective will always carry the risk of people wanting to add their irrelevant two cents, or of not understanding that there's a place, and a valued place, in the world for subjective writing.
I enjoyed your writing, thank you for posting it.
hey sweetheart, Jean's not dead she turned into "THE PHONEINX"
read the comic, bub.
Please go back then, if the movies disapointed, and read those classic comic books from the late seventies and early eighties. You'll find that strength in the female characters you have been searching for. You may not appreciate the sometimes corny dialogue (especially funny when read aloud), but the plots were complex, and the characters fleshed out. Storm had personality and sexuality for the whole team, and became the leader of the group for a long time with no powers to call her own. (she'd been stripped of them for a time.) Rogue was a tease and routinely saved the team's collective ass, and that character that could walk through walls in the movies was quietly the strongest and most introspective of the whole group.
I'm not a comic book reader now, and haven't been for years and years, but I grew up wanting to be Wolverine myself, but the girls I looked for were strong, dangerous, and sexy like the X-Women.
Hi all. I have been a fan of XMEN since the mid 70's, and was TOTALLY CONFUSED by Juggernaut. In his first appearance, he had grabbed the ruby, and was transformed. Several years later, he dug back into the cave, got the ruby, boxed it up, and gave it to Black Tom Cassidy, and HE changed into a Juggernaut as well! Of course, it took power from Cain, so he took the ruby back, absorbed all the power again, then THREW THE RUBY INTO SPACE! It turned out that several years after THAT occured, Galactus and Nova came to earth to get Excalibur for help (forgot details of THAT situation) and knocked the crystal to earth. A young man found it, and instead of gaining powers like Cain's, he was able to control wax figures, and used THEM to try to steal Captain America's shield for a show and tell!! And YET (!!) when Xavier took out Cain in the Onslaught Saga, THE RUBY HAD BEEN IN HIS CHEST SINCE HE TOUCHED IT IN KOREA!!
UHM? ERR?? WHA??? HUH???? BUT????? Can ANYONE give a decent explanation for this???????
Personally, the SEXIEST drawing of Storm I can remember, was when the XMEN were in the Savage Land, (mid 80;s, i think) thinking the other part of the team was dead, Storm was soaking in a hot pool in her swimsuit, and Sauroun (sp???) snuck up behind her to absorb some energy, and overloaded on her's!
Now you say something