Jean Grey Appreciation III

[ariwl1]

Basically what I want for Jean is to be a post-feminist heroine, if such a thing exists. She's confident and self-assured and doesn't quite get why being a woman would be a problem, since it has certainly never held her back, at least in-universe. She's sexy, of course, but doesn't feel the need to flaunt it because once again, she has absolutely nothing to prove. So break out the mom jeans, because she still looks better in those than whatever crazy outfits the rest of the X-Women put together. And she's not afraid to show some vulnerability, because she's almost aware of how perfect she is and consciously tries to present a different image.

Essentially I want Jean to have the mother of all superiority complexes, and for the books to critique just how much trouble that kind of attitude can get you in. After all, we don't live in a post-feminist world, and women in the MU face all kinds of terrible problems that Jean would never understand. Again, look at Emma as the opposing archetype, someone who has a huge chip on her shoulder and has everything in the world to prove. And in Jean she sees someone who has effortlessly accomplished everything she has spent a lifetime trying to become, and despises her for it.

I could see Jean acting post-feminist as honestly even though gender issues in comics are debated in the real world on a semi-regular basis I can't recall any time it's been seriously portrayed in comics in the last decade or so unless it was in a series designed specifically to do that (like Y the Last Man). Granted my knowledge is very limited, but to me most mainstream superhero books have the characters acting like gender it isn't an issue. It's the writers and artists that create the controversy with how the characters are portrayed.

As for the superiority complex, I'm not sure I'd go that far. I could see her being rather naive being raised in white upper-middle class in very liberal upstate New York, but I don't think that would evolve into a full on superiority complex. The Jean vs. Emma thing was interesting though. Towards the end of Morrison's run is when Emma started to really resent Jean, where before she was kind of indifferent to her, although I imagine Emma got a little kick out if intervening in "little Miss Perfect's" not so perfect marriage.

But once Jean was gone Emma ruled the roost and she's slowly become not quite as interesting to me as a result. But one thing I always found fascinating was that even with Jean long gone Emma still really resented her. Why would she bother? Emma got to live, she got Scott, and she rose to be queen bee of mutantkind. For all sense and purposes she "won" right? Maybe, but I think there was still that nagging thing in Emma's mind that even though her standing rose considerably in the years following Jean's death, but Emma still has something of grudge against her for two reasons I think.

1) Because of the mind invasion Jean did and all the Phoenix stuff which is understandable
2) Because Emma knows that as great as she may herself may be, Jean still outclassed it her in practically every conceivable way.

Jean essentially became the Galahad to Emma's Lancelot, and there seems to be an underlying fear with Emma that one day Jean will come back and take everything away from her again. The fear god in Fear Itself knew how to exploit this:



This is why I really want teen Jean to meet Emma. Jean will have no history with Emma and thus a clean slate with her, but Emma will have all that running around in her head. She's bound to feel SOMETHING.

[PwrdOff]

Maybe superiority complex is not the right term to use. What I was trying to get at was that Jean should be so assured of her own superiority that she doesn't feel the need to always present herself in the best light. This is where the post-feminist angle comes in, since most "strong female characters" are always trying to prove, if not explicitly, that they are capable and independent and aren't defined by their relationships or what have you. On the other hand, Jean seems to take all of these as given already, and seems to think that it's more important to show that she too can be weak and vulnerable. Unfortunately for her, nobody else really has the same view on the matter, and she ends up making herself look much worse than she intended. Besides making her a nice contrast to the generic insecure emo superhero, this would also effectively retcon away a lot of her weakest character moments.

[ariwl1]

Now that makes more sense to me. Truly self-confident and self-actualized people often do one of two things to the people around them simply by existing: they either make others feel better about themselves and inspire more confidence like a lot of great leaders do, but they also have a tendency to make others feel nervous and resentful because they feel inferior to the person. Which one happens correlates with how insecure the person is and their tendency to despise people they perceive as having it better then they do or being put better put-together. I can see Jean being one of these confident people who inspires that around her, as a mature adult at least. Maybe not so much as a kid.

People like this also will readily admit when they're wrong about something, but won't dwell on it long and go emotastic. So if that's what you're going for I can see young Jean growing into this type of character.

[PwrdOff]

Time to put my spin on everybody's favorite Jean scene...



Yeah, moments like this were few and far between in the 90s, but I think this probably best illustrates her true nature. So what Scott and the rest of the X-Men think they're seeing is petite, frail Jean confronting her worst fear face to face and in the process letting loose some of her fiery inner spirit. But is that what's actually happening? Hell no! Jean looks just about as calm, cool, and collected as ever, and she's certainly not afraid of Sabretooth, he's just an annoyance that needs to be put down. While a lot of characters put up a strong face and betray their inner weakness in private, here Jean demonstrates that she's quite the opposite.

[ariwl1]

I'd agree with that assessment. This issue showed several characters and their reactions to Sabertooth being there. Jubilee was having nightmares over it, and Creed was trying to unnerve Rogue into who Gambit really was.

Jean wasn't really scared if remember right. She was pissed. Pissed at Xavier for what she saw as violating their home by allowing Creed to stay there. She called several senior X-Men away from the mansion to discuss it without Charles listening in but they didn't reach any sort of conclusion. Next Jean confronted Charles directly about it. Scott was there for moral support but she did all the talking it seemed. Charles argued it was necessary, comparing rehabilitating Creed to inviting Logan into the X-Men, and Jean saying the two situations weren't at all the same. Still no resolution.

Finally to make her stand she goes to Creed to give him his treatment and she's nervous beforehand; not because of him, but because of what she could do to him. This was brought up a couple times in the 90s that her greatest worry was just how strong she actually was. She said as much to Seamus Mellencamp before she launched him halfway across France.



"Seamus Mellencamp is your worst nightmare, babe."
Jean: "You might believe that. But I've already LIVED my worst nightmare...MORE than ONCE. Would you like me to SHARE it with you? In my worst nightmare...I'm JUST myself. Not the PHOENIX. Not MADELYNE PRYOR. Not even MARVEL GIRL. I'm JUST Jean Grey...one of the most POWERFUL PSI'S on the PLANET. The frightening thing is, in my dream, I'm not afraid to LOSE MYSELF in my mutant ability. I CUT LOOSE. Completely. THAT'S my worst nightmare. SEE?"

[Phoenix Egg]

Powrd Off, people say Jean has no personality because she doesn't do the fake feminism of walking around half-naked or bitching at people for no reason.

Her personality is a sweet girl who can be a bit temperamental. And yes, she's a little miss perfect.

Just don't give her reason to get to that crazy point or she'll mind-rape you.

[ariwl1]

Powrd Off, people say Jean has no personality because she doesn't do the fake feminism of walking around half-naked or bitching at people for no reason.

Her personality is a sweet girl who can be a bit temperamental. And yes, she's a little miss perfect.

There's is a panel in one comic book that I wish I could find. It's some What If or alternate reality story that was played for silliness I think. Xavier comes to the Grey household to recruit a young Jean for the first time. Her parents say she's in the backyard where she's shown sitting on the grass, laughing it up while surrounded by a swirl of butterflies and some song birds, essentially saying Jean was the Disney Princess of the X-Men.

[creaky]

There's is a panel in one comic book that I wish I could find. It's some What If or alternate reality story that was played for silliness I think. Xavier comes to the Grey household to recruit a young Jean for the first time. Her parents say she's in the backyard where she's shown sitting on the grass, laughing it up while surrounded by a swirl of butterflies and some song birds, essentially saying Jean was the Disney Princess of the X-Men.

Children of the Atom by Joe Casey and Steve Rude.

[celestialbodies]

Time to put my spin on everybody's favorite Jean scene...



Yeah, moments like this were few and far between in the 90s, but I think this probably best illustrates her true nature. So what Scott and the rest of the X-Men think they're seeing is petite, frail Jean confronting her worst fear face to face and in the process letting loose some of her fiery inner spirit. But is that what's actually happening? Hell no! Jean looks just about as calm, cool, and collected as ever, and she's certainly not afraid of Sabretooth, he's just an annoyance that needs to be put down. While a lot of characters put up a strong face and betray their inner weakness in private, here Jean demonstrates that she's quite the opposite.

I understand this and completely agree, upon her return I'd like to see a Morrison Era but more assured Jean Grey. I want her fully realized and unafraid because this time she won't have the burden of a marriage holding her back. I've always believed that someone of Jean's morals and powerset could do anything craft any path and I think that should be the characters new direction. Let go of the fears and regrets and move on, a good way to do that would be to turn Jean Grey into this generation's Prof. X its a role I imagine she's always been perfect for except with a differently molded vision.

Powrd Off, people say Jean has no personality because she doesn't do the fake feminism of walking around half-naked or bitching at people for no reason.

Her personality is a sweet girl who can be a bit temperamental. And yes, she's a little miss perfect.

Just don't give her reason to get to that crazy point or she'll mind-rape you.

This. I think Jean gets a lot of flank, because to a lot of people being nice is boring, they find it not very realistic and they believe its ingenue and I'd agree if it was forced or unbelievable. Readers argue about her kindness as if its a fault but I challenge anyone to outright dislike or hate someone whose compassionate and supportive to you. I'm trying to understand the other side but I can't think of a single relationship Jean has that she hadn't earned or seemed forced as opposed to many of the other more "interesting" X-men who have relationships and interactions that are oddly not organic.

[ariwl1]

Children of the Atom by Joe Casey and Steve Rude.

And voila. Thanks.

[PwrdOff]

There's is a panel in one comic book that I wish I could find. It's some What If or alternate reality story that was played for silliness I think. Xavier comes to the Grey household to recruit a young Jean for the first time. Her parents say she's in the backyard where she's shown sitting on the grass, laughing it up while surrounded by a swirl of butterflies and some song birds, essentially saying Jean was the Disney Princess of the X-Men.

Bah, I don't want Jean to be some outdated stereotype. Those princesses might not all be complete doormats, but do any of them really have any goals in life beyond settling down with some douchebag sleep creep? I suppose Jean doesn't really know what she wants out of life either, but this should be part of her journey. With her powers she should be able to see the big picture better than most, and her outlook should go beyond her personal life, the fate of mutants, or even life on the planet in general.

That really is the problem I have with Cyclops and his current reign as mutant emperor. His entire ideology spawns from his own self-doubts, and everything he does is compensating for that. All of the other X-Men have this same problem to some degree as well, their view of the world is always self-centered and focused on some specific element of their past that continues to drive all of their actions. Jean's journey, on the other hand, has never been a personal one, and this kind of broader perspective is exactly what the X-Men need right now.

[lancer]

The Chaos Engine Trilogy is definitely canon--the events of the story were listed under the Marvel Handbook entries for both Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube. I think some of the other novels might be canon, but I'm not 100% certain.

The entry mentions the title Chaos Engine? Interesting. Well, the Red Skull has been involved in a bunch of cosmic cube related stories. The story that introduced it was a TALES OF SUSPENSE story with the Red Skull. The cube in those novels was a defective cube, though.

[ariwl1]

Bah, I don't want Jean to be some outdated stereotype. Those princesses might not all be complete doormats, but do any of them really have any goals in life beyond settling down with some douchebag sleep creep? I suppose Jean doesn't really know what she wants out of life either, but this should be part of her journey. With her powers she should be able to see the big picture better than most, and her outlook should go beyond her personal life, the fate of mutants, or even life on the planet in general.

That really is the problem I have with Cyclops and his current reign as mutant emperor. His entire ideology spawns from his own self-doubts, and everything he does is compensating for that. All of the other X-Men have this same problem to some degree as well, their view of the world is always self-centered and focused on some specific element of their past that continues to drive all of their actions. Jean's journey, on the other hand, has never been a personal one, and this kind of broader perspective is exactly what the X-Men need right now.

Yeah, most of Jean's history aside from Phoenix was how she related to other characters. Scott and "the dream" were her biggest influences because if you took away the Phoenix stuff then her life had no problems.

I can think of one instance where she did something wholly for her though. During the Seagle/Kelly run where she and Scott were recovering in Alaska, Jean dawned the green Phoenix uniform to go with her codename. Scott wasn't pleased about that based on the outfit's history and it sparked a big argument between them.

And Jean's point was that she was tired of living the shadows of a bunch of specters who weren't her. She was tired of having people remember a bunch of women who looked like her but weren't technically her, who all eventually went crazy, and looked at Jean warily like she could do the same. She was tired of suppressing her abilities and being afraid to explore them for fear it would upset the others. And even though she hadn't been any of the other women who went mad with power, she still got stuck with all their memories. So she decided to claim it all. She took the name Phoenix. She took the green outfit. And then basically said "I'm going to own all of this and prove that I'm not a nightmare woman like all my imitators."

It's a pretty solid moment when you think about it.

[PwrdOff]

Yeah, most of Jean's history aside from Phoenix was how she related to other characters. Scott and "the dream" were her biggest influences because if you took away the Phoenix stuff then her life had no problems.

I can think of one instance where she did something wholly for her though. During the Seagle/Kelly run where she and Scott were recovering in Alaska, Jean dawned the green Phoenix uniform to go with her codename. Scott wasn't pleased about that based on the outfit's history and it sparked a big argument between them.

And Jean's point was that she was tired of living the shadows of a bunch of specters who weren't her. She was tired of having people remember a bunch of women who looked like her but weren't technically her, who all eventually went crazy, and looked at Jean warily like she could do the same. She was tired of suppressing her abilities and being afraid to explore them for fear it would upset the others. And even though she hadn't been any of the other women who went mad with power, she still got stuck with all their memories. So she decided to claim it all. She took the name Phoenix. She took the green outfit. And then basically said "I'm going to own all of this and prove that I'm not a nightmare woman like all my imitators."

It's a pretty solid moment when you think about it.

I kind of want to see something like that in Bendis' series. Just a scene where all the X-Men gather around and tell Jean about all the terrible things that await her in the future and she just dismisses them with a disinterested meh. But who am I kidding?

[Kerukun878]

And yes, she's a little miss perfect.

No... she's not. I'm pretty sure that you only like Jean for her power - specifically the Phoenix - and don't see the actual character at all. Jean is in no way as one dimensional as this.