Connect the X: X-Men

[atoningunifex]

This is the thread where you the reader get to assign motivation to an author.

Each of the X-Books has a set team. Often these teams have little more than “I asked for my favorite characters and got them” or “These were the characters I was left with and I’m trying to make it work” as motivation.

But one of the joys of reading is that the reader can freely disregard the intentions and motivations of the author and decide on their own reasoning behind things.

So here’s the game:

We’re going to take a current X-Team. In this case, the team in X-Men: Havok, Polaris, Iceman, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine. What I’m interested in is what you feel ties these characters together? What is the motivating force behind these character choices?

I’ll start: Milligan obviously chose his team very carefully. They all have one thing in common: they are all reluctant X-Men.

Havok and Polaris never intended to be superheroes. They intended to finish their schooling and lead quiet lives. Unfortunately life isn’t always fair and they ended up firmly entrenched in the role of superhero.

Iceman has awlays been the mutant who could “pass”. His power did have phyiscal side-effects, but only when he chose. He spent quite a bit of time away from the X-Men- at one point even quitting heroics entirely to be an accountant. But circumstances drew him back in. And changes in his mutation have made it impossible for him to “pass” now.

Rogue’s powers are a curse. She only joined the X-men in hopes of learning to control the powers that set her aside from humanity. While she has matured greatly over the years and has become an important part of the X-Men, she still longs for normalcy. Given a choice she’d abandon her powers to lead a quiet, normal life.

Gambit and Wolverine are the outsiders. Both are fiercely individualistic and don’t deal well with being expected to follow a strict rule. Both are uncomfortable with being “heroes”. But both have found an unexpected level of comfort and family as members of the X-Men.

Milligan chose these characters in order to highlight the way that mutation in the Marvel Universe can warp one’s life and lead one to unexpected situations.

Now you come up with a motivation for Milligan’s team. Or an underlying theme. After a week or so we can pick another team and do the same to them.

[Beast]

We’re going to take a current X-Team. In this case, the team in X-Men: Havok, Polaris, Iceman, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine.

I’ll start: Milligan obviously chose his team very carefully. They all have one thing in common: they are all reluctant X-Men.

Technically, Milligan didn't choose the team at all. They were leftovers from Chuck Austen's run. :D

[atoningunifex]

Technically, Milligan didn't choose the team at all. They were leftovers from Chuck Austen's run. :D

Each of the X-Books has a set team. Often these teams have little more than “I asked for my favorite characters and got them” or “These were the characters I was left with and I’m trying to make it work” as motivation.

But one of the joys of reading is that the reader can freely disregard the intentions and motivations of the author and decide on their own reasoning behind things.

The point was to look beyond that.

[Beast]

The point was to look beyond that.

Well, you can't look beyond it and then say that "Obviously Milligan chose his team very carefully". Because it's obvious that he didn't choose his team at all. :D

[Doom Hammer]

Technically, Milligan didn't choose the team at all. They were leftovers from Chuck Austen's run. :D

Yes, indeedy.

But honestly, atoning, A for effort. Good job connecting the team of leftovers. (I honestly don't know if Peter Milligan has done that in his mind yet)!

Now, if that is what binds them, the question is, is a team driven by reluctancy able to function? Or more importantly, is is able to entertain? All that angst and regret...what picks this team up? What's the thing that allows them to move forward and to thrive?

*cough* Emma Frost *cough*

[atoningunifex]

Okay, since I wasn't clear enough for Beast-

IT'S PRETEND. YOU PRETEND THAT MILLIGAN HAD A MOTIVATION AND THEN YOU PRETEND THAT YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS AND THEN YOU WRITE IT DOWN.

[Beast]

You were more than clear enough. I'm just debating an aspect of your idea. If you're going to play hypotheticals, you may as well ask what sort of team/which characters you'd like each writer to tackle and why. :)

[atoningunifex]

You were more than clear enough. I'm just debating an aspect of your idea. If you're going to play hypotheticals, you may as well ask what sort of team/which characters you'd like each writer to tackle and why. :)

Why would I do that? We do that on a semi-regular basis. We're chock full of threads like that.

What I was hoping was that maybe people could take existing concepts and think about them differently- try and search for more than just what's given in the plot or an interview. You know, one does with literature.

[Corey Dreher]

But I do agree with Atoning, those mutant are best fit together becuase none of them excpet for maybe Iceman and Havok wanted to be X-men. I think that they would clash, the XSE team and the X-men team. Becuase XSE are mutants who want to be mutants and they love helping each other. Astonishing X-men, their team isn't the greatest but it works. In the first arc all they do is fight each other, everyone on the team has a problem with each other, I mean when they need to they are a great team, but really they are just mutants who have to do a misson and they don't really care how they do it.

[Huzzah!]

We’re going to take a current X-Team. In this case, the team in X-Men: Havok, Polaris, Iceman, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine. What I’m interested in is what you feel ties these characters together? What is the motivating force behind these character choices?

Its totally sexual tension. take iceman. Wants to bone "supposedly" Rogue and Polaris. Sure they are actually beards but hey. He's been faking it this long.

Then you have rogue, who wants to sleep with gambit. And has history with iceman. Throw a hairy canadian into the mix and its total dynasty.

Havok wants polaris, but polaris wants Bobby's ice sculpture.

This is all leading up to a giant 4 part orgy mini

[Deus ex Chris]

Why would I do that? We do that on a semi-regular basis. We're chock full of threads like that.

I think the thread idea is interesting and different, so don't sweat it. You know some posters around here just live to correct others.

Anyway, I agree with your observation of "reluctance" and go further, by saying they're also the team that doesn't quite measure up.

Havok is often in his brother's shadow. He sometimes feels and is often seen as inadequate, in comparison to Scott.

Polaris doesn't quite measure up in a couple of ways. She lacks the dedication of X-Men like Storm, Jean, and Cyclops. She's also mentally unstable and prone to mind-control.

Iceman doesn't measure up in that he can't or won't fulfill his own potential. He's potentially one of the most powerful X-Men, and yet he has often come across as one of the most ineffectual.

Rogue's got a past which sometimes comes back to haunt her, but the thing that puts her in this category is her inability to control her powers and her occassional temptation to get rid of said powers.

Wolverine doesn't measure up in that he can't be an idealist like Charles or his prize pupils, Storm, Cyclops, and Jean. He's the one who does the killing so the other don't have to.

Gambit doesn't measure up because of past mistakes--one in particular.

It should be noted that for most of these characters the "not measuring up" I find to be their own views of themselves. Sometimes, other X-Men may feel this way about them, especially Gambit and Wolverine.

[tangentman]

If these X-Men are the "outcasts" or "heroes without a purpose", then perhaps they could initially begin by operating as the "Cleaners" for disastrous mutant incidents? Example: A mutant serial killer preying on "normal" human victims. The media backlash could set back the mutant rights efforts even more than Magneto's ruining of NY. Adjectiveless X-Men must find the killer, eliminate him/her (or an exotic mutant variation on gender) before authorities and reporters learn the truth, and clean up any evidence of their involvement.

Another commonality of this group is that most of them have killed or had people die on their watch. I suggest more an exploration of what it is like to be the X-team that handles the nasty and undesirable jobs; what it's like to be perceived as the "loose cannons" of the X-Men; the impact of the "clean-up" jobs on their souls. Moral conflicts abounding, maybe even a bigger schism than the one which happened b/w Charles and Storm a few years back? Maybe the notion of Charles Xavier having a moment of hypocrisy and the team being asked to cover up for him?

[cable guy]

That sounds like X-Force to me.

[mattbib]

Anyway, I agree with your observation of "reluctance" and go further, by saying they're also the team that doesn't quite measure up.

That's kind of my feeling on the group. That they're continually having to prove themselves.

Havok, that he can measure up to Scott.
Polaris, that she can hold her own: without Alex, with her mental issues, and with the revelation that she's their greatest enemy's daughter.
Iceman, that' he's not just the class clown, that he's worthy of being associated with the other original X-Men.
Rogue, that she can continually get past the taboo of having been the team's enemy, and having nearly murdered one of their allies.
Gambit, that he's deserving of their trust.
Wolverine, that, after all this time, that he's neither a relic nor the berserker many still thinks he is.

[Azure]

Let's play this again! Let's start with X-Force.

Why did Craig Kyle and Chris Yost choose their team, really? Did they choose a case of characters who were almost all typically seen as being loners - Warpath, Caliban, X-23, Wolverine etc? What was the reasoning behind the reasoning for the team?

Anyone who mentions claws/knives/slashing will get shouted at by Atoningunifex.