Doug Smith
05-13-2003, 06:27 PM
Warning: minor spoilers ahead if you haven't read "Uncanny X-Men" #423.
One of the things that's bothered me about Chuck Austen's run on "Uncanny X-Men" is this silly new power of Arcangel's to heal people. I don't like having a healer on a team on general principle. It eliminates (or at least greatly reduces) the possibility that our heroes could be killed in the line of duty, and provides the writer with a convenient "out" for any potentially mortal situations. It allows the writer to set up what appear to be dramatic situations, but really aren't:
"Oh no, Husk is dying! No wait, Warren healed her."
"Oh no, Juggernaut is dying! No wait, Warren healed him."
"Oh no, Jubilee is dead! No wait, Warren healed her."
"Oh no, Skin is dead! No wait...oops, well, win some lose some."
So, I don't like the healing ability.
BUT....
I started thinking about it, and maybe there is more to this than meets the eye?
Consider the following:
Jubilee and the other crucified mutants were dead. Not injured, not on their death bed. DEAD. You don't heal the dead. But you can resurrect the dead.
Consider this: Warren Worthington is codenamed Arcangel. He resembles an angel (his original codename). Even moreso now that his skin is no longer blue (and why did Austen do that? Could there have been a reason after all?). A beautiful blonde Adonis with feathered wings growing out of his back.
Consider this: Austen is setting up the Church of Humanity to be a major foe of the X-Men. Austen is peppering his writing with Biblical passages, images of crucifixions, and an overall feeling of heavy religious overtones. He's also addressing Kurt's role as a priest.
I think...and I may need to put the crack pipe down...but I think he is setting Warren up to become a messiah figure. Resurrecting the dead? Is that not a major giveaway? As if his angelic appearance wasn't enough.
I really think that Warren may end up becoming a Christ-like religious figure in the X-Men books.
Now, if that is what Austen is up to (and I may be giving him more credit than I should as a writer), here is the next question: would he have the guts to take this storyline to its logical conclusion? Would he be willing to actually have Warren sacrifice himself for the salvation of others, and thus become a holy martyr to mutants (and maybe humans as well?). Killing off an original X-Man is a major move if he does it...but I could actually see this leading to that at some point.
So, what do you all think? Am I out of my mind? Am I grasping at straws in an attempt to find some greater meaning to Austen's writing?
Discuss. Rant. Call me names.
One of the things that's bothered me about Chuck Austen's run on "Uncanny X-Men" is this silly new power of Arcangel's to heal people. I don't like having a healer on a team on general principle. It eliminates (or at least greatly reduces) the possibility that our heroes could be killed in the line of duty, and provides the writer with a convenient "out" for any potentially mortal situations. It allows the writer to set up what appear to be dramatic situations, but really aren't:
"Oh no, Husk is dying! No wait, Warren healed her."
"Oh no, Juggernaut is dying! No wait, Warren healed him."
"Oh no, Jubilee is dead! No wait, Warren healed her."
"Oh no, Skin is dead! No wait...oops, well, win some lose some."
So, I don't like the healing ability.
BUT....
I started thinking about it, and maybe there is more to this than meets the eye?
Consider the following:
Jubilee and the other crucified mutants were dead. Not injured, not on their death bed. DEAD. You don't heal the dead. But you can resurrect the dead.
Consider this: Warren Worthington is codenamed Arcangel. He resembles an angel (his original codename). Even moreso now that his skin is no longer blue (and why did Austen do that? Could there have been a reason after all?). A beautiful blonde Adonis with feathered wings growing out of his back.
Consider this: Austen is setting up the Church of Humanity to be a major foe of the X-Men. Austen is peppering his writing with Biblical passages, images of crucifixions, and an overall feeling of heavy religious overtones. He's also addressing Kurt's role as a priest.
I think...and I may need to put the crack pipe down...but I think he is setting Warren up to become a messiah figure. Resurrecting the dead? Is that not a major giveaway? As if his angelic appearance wasn't enough.
I really think that Warren may end up becoming a Christ-like religious figure in the X-Men books.
Now, if that is what Austen is up to (and I may be giving him more credit than I should as a writer), here is the next question: would he have the guts to take this storyline to its logical conclusion? Would he be willing to actually have Warren sacrifice himself for the salvation of others, and thus become a holy martyr to mutants (and maybe humans as well?). Killing off an original X-Man is a major move if he does it...but I could actually see this leading to that at some point.
So, what do you all think? Am I out of my mind? Am I grasping at straws in an attempt to find some greater meaning to Austen's writing?
Discuss. Rant. Call me names.