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By Adrian Pascua, Timothy Guy, and Stacy Lee
By Adrian Pascua, Timothy Guy, and Stacy Lee
With the recent release of “X-men Origins: Wolverine,” the spotlight is once again on the merry mutants of the Marvel comics universe.
“X-men” is one of the ultimate comic book franchises of all time.
It credits a variety of different stories, four movies, three animated series and so much merchandise that Ebay would be jealous.
Despite being around for over 45 years, the “X-men” phenomenon has been in every major country on Earth.
The “X-men” is a story about a team of mutant superheroes, which was created in 1963 by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
Like many other movies based on comics, such as the “Hulk” or “Iron Man,” “X-men” is published by Marvel Comics.
It may appear to be just another series where people with super powers go around stomping out the bad guys, but that is far from the truth.
“X-men” has many underlying themes that relate to our society.
A few themes which run throughout the series are tolerance, difference and peace.
If you think that the heroes of “X-men” just fight other super human villians, it flips the script and makes us the bad guys, people that are just afraid of what’s “different” by having mutant powers.
There is a constant struggle between humans and mutants.
This conflict has been compared to what many minority groups have experienced over the years, and even to a lesser extent the feeling of being an outsider, which a lot of people can relate to.
Another major theme within the series is diversity.
Many characters come from a variety of nationalities.
In fact, many characters were introduced in the 1970s that were from different countries with different philosophical and cultural beliefs.
Storm, with her weather controlling abilities, came from Africa and Sunfire, who can project fire, hailed from Japan. Some characters that were introduced during this time even had war experience from their own countries.
Whether or not fans are aware of the underlying themes is unclear.
What is clear is that there are many reasons why fans still like “X-men” 45 years later.
It appears this series is still popular since it allows people to relate to individual characters.
Most of the characters are extremely likeable. Even though some are rough-around-the-edges, like Wolverine with his gruff exterior (and razor sharp claws) or Emma Frost who is a reformed villain.
Another reason why “X-men” remains popular is because it’s a potential escape mechanism.
It’s a fantasy world where mutant superheroes exist, where people with actual powers make change happen. Other people that enjoy the series believe that it makes people ask questions about life and whether or not there could be mutants in existence.
“My favorite part of ‘X-men’ is that they took the supernatural and found a way to make it real,” said Katie Nelson, a fan of the series.
“People enjoy seeing things that they hope aren’t real, but they aren’t too sure about it,” Nelson said. “It makes you question life and if ‘mutants’ are real.”
The series has gone through many stages, changing from comic books to animated series and finally movies.
What’s next? A “Magneto” prequel film is in the works as well as a sequel to “Wolverine.”
The “X-men” phenomenon will continue to future generations as long as the values and morals relayed throughout the comics continue to relate to the times.
Additional reporting by Stacy Lee
