Warning! Spoilers for Way of X #3 ahead!
When even the characters within a story are calling out the hyper-sexualized nature of their peers' outfits, which happens to be the case during the X-Men's Hellfire Gala, it probably means they're on the verge of being a tad too much. In Way of X #3 by Simon Spurrier and Bob Quinn, a fellow Krakoan mutant points out the almost fetishized nature of the X-Men A-listers' new costumes: calling out her peers and providing the avenue for Marvel to do the same.
The Hellfire Gala has been a whirlwind of an event for both the X-Men and the entire Marvel Comics franchise alike. One of the main attractions across all twelve titles that make up the event is the fashion. The artists behind the various issues collaborated to bring fans stellar, and somewhat outlandish, new looks for their favorite mutants at the diplomatic event. The one thing is, some of them are a bit more... risqué, and the less high-profile mutants are taking note. Unfortunately there have been some less-than-enthusiastic responses to some of the looks from fans, but now those critiques are being backed by actual in-story reservations.
It's obvious that big names like Emma Frost and Storm are pretty much the face of Krakoa to the rest of the world. Of course, there are tons of other popular and fan favorite mutants, but the X-Men, ex-X-Men, and other big wigs normally take the spotlight. Regardless, it's the little guys who are having to deal with the repercussions of their actions and decisions; little guys, for instance, like Stacy-X. While the rest of mutantkind is busy shaking hands and making nice with diplomats and human heroes in extravagantly revealing garb, people like her are busy cleaning up the messes their influence has brought. They're supposed to be role models for all of mutantkind, but instead, their devil-may-care attitude and affinity for excess has been sending the wrong message to their constituents.
The morning after the Hellfire Gala, Nightcrawler runs into Stacy-X as she's handing out contraceptives to couples, singles, and any hungover mutants in need after a night of drinks, extravagance, and enticing outfits. Nightcrawler questions her actions in regards to the first rule of Krakoa (to make more mutants), but she's quick to point out how unwanted pregnancies aren't going to help anybody. They already have an orphan problem brewing and the recklessness and lack of consequence on Krakoa, she claims, is a direct result of the role models that young mutants have to look up to: those same A-listers at the height of the Krakoan food chain who dress in borderline "fetish gear" and act like nothing can touch them.
So, although a lot of the fashion from the evening's events is absolutely stunning and extremely tailored to each mutant's powers, the outfits are still not without their flaws. It begs the question, what kind of messages are they sending to their people, especially the impressionable younger generation? Is this flagrant show of excess and the reservations some are having regarding it a nod towards bigger possible issues for the budding nation? If they've got a state lacking governance, stipulated infrastructure, and something to ground them, then what's going to keep their people from being held accountable? To the X-Men they may just be costumes, and extremely spectacular ones at that, but they could also be a sign of flaws in their way of life... as well as possible pitfalls to come in their new era.
https://ift.tt/363E5Au
June 30, 2021 at 11:28PM
