History and Evolution – First Class 101!
Posted by mysteriomaximus
Were you snubbed out of the little cliques, shunned by the pubescent popular? For most, high school was a slew of hormonal horrors. Let’s face fact, who hasn’t felt like a mutant a few times? When you’re a comic consuming kid with hair suddenly sprouting up in places that would makes the Beast blush, the socially savvy become your adolescent antagonists. Though teenage years may feel like some otherworldly transmutation, we unfortunately don’t reap the benefits of genetically advanced super-abilities. I’m sure an optic blast to some bully balls sure would have come in handy. However, therein lies the proverbial formula for one of the most beloved comic book franchises of all-time – fantasy with a hefty helping of empathy. Welcome to Charles Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters. Move over Hogwarts, class is in session.
Hulk agrees, you're no hardcore antihero with kitten whiskers on your mask.
The merry band of mutant misfits, the X-men, first burst onto the scene in 1963 with a roster that’s almost unrecognizable today. Poll who was part of the first superhero institute grads and you’ll regularly be answered the clawed canuck, Wolverine. He may now be the poster “bub” for the series and probably second only to the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for the face of Marvel itself, but it’s a misconception that he had anything to do with the original class. In reality, Logan didn’t debut until about a little over a decade after the initial X-team creation and it wasn’t even in his claim to fame. He first scratched the page (along with the jolly green giant) in the Incredible Hulk #181. He’s the best there is at what he does, but what he does is attention whore himself out in every Marvel title there is – from day one!
The real X-Men: First Class
...and two eyes made out of coal.
The actual original lineup consisted of premature lesser-known incarnations of some staple roles. We’re treated to an actually likable Scott Summers Cyclops, directly opposed to his current status as biggest…um…one-eyed monster of a personality in comics. We see the male-coveted Jean Grey here codenamed Marvel Girl, pre-goddess Phoenix. There’s hairless pubescent Hank McCoy’s then more jock than brains Beast. Baby of the group, Bobby “more like Frosty the Snowman than Iceman” Drake, was always a personal favorite. Finally we have the winged Warren Worthington the Third before his end is nigh Archangel cometh.
He's actually just ordering a pizza.
My, how things have changed through the years! Under this troupe the series enjoyed an adequately successful early peak but took a heavily disinterested downturn in popularity. It became all but canceled, and was eventually demoted to mere reprints of prior Silver Ages stories for years. As they seemingly headed toward the Dodo’s path of extinction, it looked like homo-superior wasn’t the fittest after all…
It's like Saved By The Bell: The New Class...but way cooler!
…that is until 1975’s giant-sized second and primarily far more recognizable team of evolved Xavier’s adoptees emerged, ironically paralleling our genetically greater cast of characters fictional cellular growth. It was arguably here that Cerebro found their muse. The X-Men…were growing up! Giant-Sized X-Men #1 is undeniably as watermark significant (possibly more so) as the actual first issue. The book, with writer Chris Claremont on a 16-year ride at the helm, climbed from the gutter and went on to become one of the most well-known flagship comic books ever made. Throughout the oncoming years the archives have exponentially expanded to include hundreds more adored and celebrated (not to mention convoluted and crowded) children of the atom as their future lay now limitlessly barreling ahead.
"Marvel's mutants multiplied like super-powered rabbits"
Bryan Singer reveals his mutant power - the ability to make bank!
That future was film. The year 2000 saw us embarking on a journey not just within the new millennial real-world but also upon the big screen. Advancements in the computer technology of movie special effects were making the previously unachievable all the more reachable. Some debate that the original Blade was the forefather of the contemporary comic book movie revitalization. However, until the original X-Men hit theaters, it truly wasn’t guaranteed that gone were the days of limited low-budget TV grade Marvel comic movies.
Infinitely cooler than thwip!
"RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE! ITS NOT THE EXACT SAME COMIC ORIGINS!? #!@$%@ MOVIE! RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!"
After two sequels and a spin-off of questionable quality, X-Men: First Class was early on dismissed by a large group of fans. Should we pay to see yet another lackluster flick bound to shred the scraps left of the depth Singer once offered? The proposed premise derived out of the failed Magneto: Origins, enraging some life-long fans by altering source material. In fact, they felt so disrespected that it spawned a First Class boycott. Clearly that worked out well. Albeit it does admittedly butcher comic book continuity, but such departures are certainly nothing new to this franchise or cinematic comic adaptations in general. Since when is this just that outrageous? If you’re going to boycott anything…why didn’t you pick the Halle Berry Catwoman? Let me personally apologize for even bringing that up.
With the exception of the well-known Beast being the only comic-accurate member of the first class featured here, we’re treated to an array of what on paper sounded altogether like bottom-of-the-barrel B-Graders:
Oh my!...definitely blueberries.
We have the poor man’s Cyclops in his comic sibling, the hula-hoop hero Havok. The younger but still just as stunning Mystique (eventual villainess) is a featured heroine, making fanboys everywhere question the brilliance of the slew of so-called genius men that reject her. Enough with this civil rights parable, finally we could’ve discovered if she tastes like blueberries, the quandary that really matters! Darwin’s included, but can he adapt to make us give a damn? Finally Banshee, always the redheaded stepchild of the team, has to be the most insulting hodgepodge of politically incorrect Irish race jokes you’ll ever find. From smoking a pipe, owning a castle literally filled with leprechauns, and punctuating every sentence with “lad” or “lass,” he may as well make his enemies kiss the Blarney Stone while shoving a shillelagh up their arse. We apparently have the “Luck of the Irish” because thankfully they didn’t listen to the anal-retentive fans and follow the comics here.
Does this mean Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are with the Brotherhood?
Out of all this mediocrity, the writers managed to pull out a pot of gold! Somehow they managed this ragtag bunch of mostly minor characters and adapted them (by thankfully removing the Guinness-drinking stereotypes) to be accessible. The script is so excellent that they discovered a way to make Banshee awesome. That speaks (more like sonic screams) volumes!
Young Magneto at Auschwitz.
Yet at its core, the narrative for once isn’t with the team itself but with the founders. The driving motive of the story is the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, otherwise known as Magneto. Opening with the concentration camp flashback scene from the original X-Men movie, it’s expanded to more thoroughly explain what we inevitably predicted. Orphaned Lensherr, years later now harnessing his abilities through vendetta-stoked aggression, is hunting down Nazi war-criminals, specifically the escaped Third Reich scientist and now Hellfire Club leader Sebastian Shaw. This established a deep understanding for what later becomes the main series adversary, and produces the epiphany that he might not be a villain at all. Is Magneto right?
...and it even makes fries!
Chuck back in his tail-chasing days.
Along his travels, Erik circumstantially meets Charles Xavier, then working with future love interest Moria MacTaggert and the CIA. Only knowing a life of mostly solitude, it takes the compassion of Xavier to convince Erik to partner up with them through their shared goals. Defeating Shaw and simultaneously discovering more of mutantkind spark their bond. With the Beast-invented Cerebro (otherwise known to me as Proto-Epcot) they decide that it is best to recruit as a duo. There begins the roots of what ultimately becomes one of the most unique rivalries in fictional history, a mutual respect later metaphorically symbolized in a passive game of chess.
Bromance headed for break-up.
Seeds of destiny planted.
Throughout the film you notice a more exponentially growing clash of ideologies, as the embittered Erik argues for what he deems is entitled mutant supremacy against the more idealistic Xavier. The sincerity in their friendship is noticeable despite their conflicting beliefs through the film-stealing chemistry between actors James McAvoy and utterly magnetic Michael Fassbender. Veteran actors Stewart and McKellen would be proud. This becomes quite apparent when Xavier reads the most intimate childhood memories of the mind of Magneto, granting him the realization that he does not require rage to fully facilitate his godly gift. Unknown to Charles, the ultimate irony is that through his tutelage he defines the greatest threat mankind will ever know which, in turn, mirrors the birth of the saintly leader, Professor X, to counteract him. Neither one existing without the other.
All the while, like a baddie straight out of a 007 picture, Shaw and shimmering Emma Frost aim to plunge the world into nuclear war, explaining that such a holocaust would promote mutation worldwide and raise homo-superior to dominance. The foundation for the epic climax of the film is the actual Cuban Missile Crisis (and also loosely but nonetheless recognizably includes a homage to Magneto’s attack on Cape Citadel in X-Men #1.) Why wasn’t this ever included in the textbooks? After the eye-candy action of Shaw’s lackeys battling the X-recruits, the gut retching moment we’ve all been waiting for comes. As the joint forces of the military turn their weapons upon our protagonists, preparing to fire, Magneto sees (never clearer!) the impossibility of harmony. What follows is single-handedly my utmost favorite moment in any of the films. In fact, sacrilegious it may seem to some, without spoiling the fun, I believe the mainstream Marvel (616 universe) should officially be rewritten to accommodate Magneto and Xavier’s final moments as comrades here. I heard weeping at my showing – it’s that powerful.
X-Men: First Class may vary from the source material in numerous ways, but ultimately no more or less than the prior installments. It does have a few mistakes that leave you wondering if the writers are intentionally forgetting that Last Stand and Origin happened. Of course, that’s something not many would complain about. Entering with the thought of it being an alternate reality tale, the character’s personalities themselves do remain ever faithful to their comic counterparts. That is what matters the most. That’s not to say plot also doesn’t derive from a mixture of story arcs over the years.
Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn was anchored by the continuity established by Bryan Singer, who apparently (and finally) returned his talent as credited co-writer. Suddenly the strength of the story, the surprisingly heartfelt character moments, and over-all intellect all make sense. The film is a solid underdog hit, going from inciting nerd mobs to suddenly evoking the sincerity of the original two films. I think it’s safe to say you can put your pitchforks away. After two movies blatantly without, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Bryan Singer’s X-men return to the screen.
The place between rage and serenity.
Still fighting the good fight.
Now after hundreds of issues, a celebrated cartoon series, countless merchandise items, and five films, the 60’s backdrop of First Class actually emphasized the era in which the comics were first published nearly 50 years ago. What else could better highlight the adaptability of the enduring mutant and the unending seduction of fantasy? We’re all mutants in our own uniquely exclusive ways. We are defined by our character quirks, our soul driven talents our super-abilities, all unified in our striving to have them understood and accepted in a violently diverse but altogether beautiful world. The longevity of the series stems out of the emotional appeal of brotherhood: the innate ability to sympathize with a young man forced to suffer alone through Nazi genocide, the feeling your core identifies with when another is mocked and chastised for being who they really are, the individual connection you have toward someone too afraid to unmask their facade. What is offered is the invigorating reminder of not being alone, kinship, and the profound value of tolerance, themes that are far from fictional. For all their most glorious supernatural qualities, that is truly the greatest power the X-Men possess: The resonant ability to inspire. It’s here to stay. Welcome to generation X.
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