Pull 1 Pull 2 Sam Pull are hated, feared, and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are
Ms. Ekrofergustitz mutants. So what we have..., intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry, and
Language Arts 8 prejudice." In the comics, the X-men and others like them, were often victims of mob violence
31 January 2017 perpetrated by the hate group, “Friends of Humanity.” This is similar to the violence carried out
Art Imitating Life against minorities by the Ku Klux Klan. There is no doubt that both groups struggled against
“Your humans slaughter each other because of the color of your skin, or your faith or hateful humans. your politics, or for no reason at all. Too many of you hate as easily as you draw breath” Equally important are the characters and people involved. The leader and founder of the
-Magneto (Stan Lee). Even though this quote comes from a fictional universe, it can still apply X-Men is Professor Charles Xavier, a telepath who believes in nonviolence. His character is to our world. Stan Lee, the creator of comics like Spiderman and The Avengers, invented an very similar to Martin Luther King, Jr. Xavier’s students even referred to their missions as allegory about discrimination with The X-Men. This comic series was published in 1963 when “Xavier’s Dream,” possibly referencing MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Moreover, Xavier’s the United States was in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. It is difficult to ignore the antagonist Magneto, who can control magnetic fields and uses a different approach to dealing similarities between the conflicts the X-men experienced and the discrimination endured by with hateful humans, is comparable to the militant civil rights leader, Malcolm X. In the first
African Americans during the 1950s and 60s. Although not an exact replica, The X-Men X-men movie (2000), during a conversation with Professor X, Magneto tells Xavier that he will storylines allude to the American Civil Rights Movement by drawing parallels between events, control violence against mutants “by any means necessary,” a direct quote initially spoken by characters, and themes. Malcolm X regarding his reaction to racist whites (Singer). Both Xavier and MLK believed in
Even though major conflicts in The X-Men center on humans with super mutant powers, nonviolent resistance, and Magneto and Malcolm X are associated with radical activism. we can still relate to their struggles during important events in the Marvel Universe. For Although the Marvel characters aren’t exact duplicates of the civil rights leaders, the similarities instance, the X-men were legally discriminated against because of their mutant powers. During are striking. the debate at the beginning of the first X-Men film, the fictional character Senator Kelly, an Finally, discussing a similar theme both The X-Men and the American Civil Rights
“anti-mutant” politician, argues, “Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if Movement share is essential. The theme, “It is important to stand up against prejudice and they want their children to be in school with mutants” (Singer). This is similar to Southern discrimination,” is apparent in both universes. First, in The X-Men, the team helps other mutants resistance to desegregating schools when the Supreme Court made a ruling in favor of avoid persecution during its missions. In the pilot of the original animated series, Night of the desegregation in the Br own v. the Board of Education in 1954. By focusing on the separation Sentinels, the X-Men are tasked to destroy the registration files of documented people with between both groups, Lee created a comparison between his universe and racial segregation in mutant abilities. Required by the Mutant Registration Act, these files were documented so that the 1950s and 1960s. In 1982, writer for The X-Men, Chris Claremont, explained, "The X-Men corrupt people could track down and eliminate mutants. By destroying the files, the X-Men were
Pull 3 Pull 4 saving innocent lives from violence stemming from prejudice and discrimination. Additionally, 1964-malcolm-x-s-speech-founding-rally-organization-afro-american-unity/> [Accessed during the American Civil Rights Movement, there were hundreds of notable protests that arose 10 January 2017]. during the 1960s. One such memorable protest was the 1963 Children’s March in Birmingham,
Alabama. Thousands of African American school children deserted schools at 11:00 a.m,
“touching off a week of mass demonstrations and rioting that shocked the nation. Police tried to stop them. Yet, the children prevailed” (Mighty Times). This resistance to discrimination ultimately led to the desegregation of Birmingham. Both examples show how protest has power hatred and bigotry.
Given these points, it is easy to see how The X-Men series is similar to the American
Civil Rights Movement. The X-men represent African Americans in several different ways, from character types and leaders, to the stand against discrimination. Ultimately, both groups struggled due to hate, fear, and prejudice occuring in their worlds. It was the dream of both
Martin Luther King Jr. and Professor Xavier for the world to live in peace, and maybe one day that can be achieved. “Any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.” -Professor X
Works Cited
Demby, G., 2014. NPR Choice Page. [online] npr.org. Available at:
hero-race-and-identity-in-comics>. “Mighty Times: The Children’s March.” Zinn Education Project, Hudson & Hudson, 2005, zinnedproject.org/materials/the-childrens-march/. Singer, Bryan, director. X-Men . 20th Century Fox, 2000. X, M., 1964. (1964) Malcolm X’S Speech At The Founding Rally Of The Organization Of Afro-American Unity. [online] Blackpast.org. Available at: