Thread by @ClaremontRun

While Claremont left the series before unravelling his full plans for Meggan, we do get a sort of AU glimpse of the elemental nature of her powers and their symbolic potential in the background of Excalibur 17, presenting her as life/sex/joy/harmony incarnate. #xmen 1/10

The issue presents the aftermath of the legendary “Warlord” issue of the Cross-Time Caper. It’s essentially a denoument for that story mixed with an interesting new story about Rachel’s pursuit of identity. Meggan is barely in it, but there’s a lot happening for her still. 2/10

Centring all of this, however, is a jubilant, planet-wide party and in a couple brief pages of that, Meggan comes to life – quite suddenly – as a jubilant, confident and powerful woman in complete control over every aspect of her environment (contrary to her usual portrayal) 3/10

The story presents her as a subtle conduit for the collective celebration, bringing people together as if she were the personification of the planet itself. “And wherever the mood was most joyous, there you’d find Meggan. Almost as if she was somehow their inspiration.” 4/10

Brian, who rarely has a kind word for Meggan, takes notice. “That was magnificent – as are you. I’ve never seen you more lovely.” She responds “I’m but a reflection of this world, my Lionheart. All its beauty and passion and life so long enchained….” 5/10

“…desperately yearning for release through me.” And with that she embraces Brian signalling the sexual connotation of the scene. This is, of course, greatly enhanced by the sexual atmosphere of the party itself, which borders on a PG-13 orgy scene. 6/10

In these elements: sex, life, cohesion, joy, song and dance, and cosmic exchange, Meggan is very much connecting to the Phoenix mythology that C had originally built around Jean Grey. Dancing around the fire in ecstatic joy, she becomes a sort of Wicca-inspired Earth Goddess 7/10

She even brings the dead back to life shortly thereafter by pairing with the Phoenix. She also speaks in Shakespearean dialect as she undertakes this mission, which is a bit jarring but signals an enhanced intellectual capacity and wisdom. 8/10

The overall suggestion is that Meggan finds on this planet what had eluded her on Earth: complete elemental harmony - allowing her to unite the people in joy and to even repel the evils around them, up to and including death itself. 9/10

It’s a provocative glimpse into what she could be to Earth 616 if whatever barriers that surrounded her there were somehow lifted, thus creating a bit of foreshadowing for the character – a sort of “chekhov’s gun” that adds a sense of anticipation to her character. 10/10