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Someone else has noticed the parallel between two speeches made by Jean and Magneto. I'm reposting them as they tie in with the whole yin and yang/in and out idea of NXM:
Jean NXM123:
"Sixteen million of our people died in Genosha. That's sixteen million possible cures for cancer or AIDS gone. Sixteen million potential Shakespheares, Einsteins, Kurt Cobains, lost forever. But right here, at the Xavier Institute, we have twelve year old autistic savants who can talk to atoms in their own language. Here, we still believe in the future. We're not training mutant terrorists, but mutant artists and scientists. We're giving the world mutant musicians, mutant politicians, mutant doctors and athletes. Our telepaths can voyage into the human mind and free people of ancient, destructive behavior patterns. Humans and
mutants are branches of the same evolutionary tree. Our roots are planted in the same soil, we breathe the same air and the very idea that we should fight is absurd; it's like one finger fighting another. We're tired of hiding and running. We've endured the worst the world can offer and survived. All of us, humans and mutants, have to spend the rest of our lives in the future. Let's get together and make it a nice place to live."
Magneto NXM147:
"Sixteen million mutants were exterminated in Genosha. Sixteenmillion potential warriors, leaders, scientists! Murdered by Man. Unable to fly, unable to burrow or crawl without the aid of machine monsters, the human germ threatens all life. With it's cringing fear of everything it cannot understand, with it's greed for oil to power the machines it needs to survive, the human disease has consumed the world! Unchecked! I am Magneto. I do not issue demands here today. Nothing the humans do can change what is to happen. Nature itself has triggered an extinction sequence in the human genome... Humankind is dying! As the agents of evolution, we mutants must deliver the mercy stroke. Xavier and his X-Men wanted us to build bridges between man and mutant! But we can fly and swim and leap! We have no need for bridges! We have no need for human laws or human opinions. Or human beings."
This issue set ups the inevitable collission of these philosophies in NXM150 - the 'dissinfection' of mutantkind's 'toxic levels of aggression' - i.e. kick - mentioned by the Shi'ar.
The one thing that initially bothered me about Planet X was how Magneto, after spending months at the mansion watching Xavier slowly lose his grip on the new generation of mutants and setting up his coup, could so quickly begin to lose control. But the continued presence of that Xorn mask suggests that Magneto has failed to realise that he needs a pacifist side. He needs Charles, or to embrace his Xorn persona, because without that balance chaos and bloodshed ensues.
In the same way, Esme failed to realise she needed Sophie (and the other Cuckoos). Without them she has become what she esposes to hate - the new White Queen (at her machiavellian worst). This will surely be her downfall.
This idea has greatest significance - in terms of this story at least - with regards to the relationship between Jean and the Phoenix. The implication of this issue - and the Murder arc - is that Jean's humanity tempers the raw power of the Phoenix - without her compassion it will be as merciless as the Shi'ar warned. The question we're left with at the end of the issue poses is whether there will be anything left of Jean when the Phoenix is reborn, or will it replace her? |
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