Thread by @ClaremontRun

If read in the context of the queer metaphor of X-Men (what scholar Ramzi Fawaz calls “queer mutanity”) UXM’s repeated exploration of parental estrangement and possible reconciliation can hold a particularly poignant resonance. #xmen 1/6

Character arcs built around reconciliation w parents are extensive in the Claremont run and feature prominently in the stories of major characters such as Cyclops, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Rachel. 2/6

These arcs consistently explore themes of familial estrangement and the emotional fallout that results, whilst building tension toward a possible reconciliation and even sometimes resolving with an actual reconciliation and the catharsis it can produce. 3/6

This all depends on the quality of the parent, of course, and the extent to which they deserve forgiveness: Jean > Corsair > Mystique >Sabretooth (depending on your perspective, of course – mileage may vary). 4/6

These narratives also foreground the concept of found family in X-Men (a key aspect of Fawaz’s exploration of queer mutanity) with Xavier, or the school, or one of the senior X-Men quite often fulfilling a substitute parental role for an estranged mutant. 5/6

The point is that Claremont is building narrative tension and character development out of a longing for parental reconciliation that may have universal symbolic resonance (who doesn’t crave their parents love and approval?) but with specific value to the queer metaphor. 6/6