X-Men Legacy 249 Review: Bad Seeds Gone Good
"Aftermath Part 2"
This issue is somewhat misnamed. Aftermath Part 1 focused on the immediate fallout of AoX, but this issue focused my attention more on how these character have matured since they were first introduced. A more appropriate title would be "Where Bad Seeds Turn Good".
Gambit is wiser, calmer, and more in control of himself. He's doing things for others when he has nothing to gain for it.
Legion is asking for his father's help, instead of wanting nothing to do with him or coming up with some grand scheme to win his father's love. I'm reminded of the last episode of Classic Who, where the Ace the combative teenage Companion had to learn that asking for help when you're in over your head is not a sign of weakness but of strength and maturity.
Frenzy wants to be respected and is willing to knuckle down and do what it takes to get that, even if it means being a part of a group of people she's fought for years and who have no reason at all to trust her. She's now taking the position that Rogue first held when she joined the X-Men of the "Impulsive Bad Seed Trying to Turn Good." I hope Rogue points that out to her, and I hope it helps free Rogue up to go on and do something else with her life.
And it says a lot of good things about Scott that he's willing to give Frenzy a slot on the team. It also says he's desperate of course, but he still could have said "no".
Magneto, while still the socially awkward, emotionally stunted, overly intellectual, self-centered jackass he's always been, is at least trying to put someone else's needs ahead of his own. This is a big step forward. One of the reasons I like the way Magneto has been handled lately is because I remember being a socially awkward, emotionally stunted, overly intellectual, self-centered jackass and how very, very hard those first steps were. I know some fans want him to triple his self-awareness and emotional intelligence overnight and suddenly show a nuanced understanding of interpersonal relationships and of his own past, but his sincere, stumbling attempts to express his emotions are far more realistic. His roundabout, overly grandiose way of saying, "If he ever hurts you I'll murderize him!" had me laughing, shaking my head, and going "Dawww!"
In hindsight, it's probably better he didn't have a paternal relationship with his daughters in their teens.
The Marvel Psych Ward report indicates an awareness on the part of the writers that what trips him up in his sincere attempts at reform is his under-developed coping skills for dealing with his trigger issues. It would be absolutely fascinating if they finally did some work on that subject.
(Side note: August Hirt's Wiki entry. Splicing in that bit of genuine history so deftly was a nice touch.)
Rogue takes the chance to act on a crush she's carried for over 20 years. Good for her. I usually dislike casual sex, but there's nothing casual about a spark she's carried for over 2/3rds of her existence. The poor woman needs a chance to get it out of her system and see if it goes away or turns into something else.
As part of the "Bad Seed Gone Good" theme, I was struck by far she's come since she joined the X-Men. As a teenager she wore her heart on her sleeve and everyone in the closest five counties knew everything about her romantic interests. That's no longer the case. The adult woman we see in Legacy and who was profiled in the Marvel Psych Ward report is reserved and doesn't project her emotions indiscriminately, especially not her romantic emotions. She's no longer going to put on a show for the whole world when she's got a crush on someone.
Not all her fans are in favor of that change, a situation which looks all too familiar to me. We saw this a few years ago in the Shatterstar fandom when he came back as a mature man capable of thinking things through before opening his mouth instead of the insecure hothead he'd started out as. Some fans got all huffy and left at that point because he was no longer acting like an angry adolescent with no social skills and a chip on his shoulder.
Personally, I prefer both characters as adults. Perpetual adolescence is a curse I would wish on no one I actually liked.
The fear has also been expressed that Magneto will dominate Rogue. Ever since her powers first showed up Rogue has had to dominate powerful personalities that were leasing space between her eyeballs. I can't imagine her caving in to one that's as far away as the end of her nose.
And then there's those who complain about the age difference. The idea of Rogue of all people being a poster child for an inter-generational romance taboo is ROFLMAO territory, since her own mothers were over a generation apart in their ages and looked it. She's the last person to have a problem with that.
Now is this going to last? I'm not going to lie, I wish they would make it work out. I adore weddings where both families are united in thinking, "How the HELL did our relative find anyone to love them, let alone a person like THAT? Everyone knows they're the family oddball who's supposed to be a lonely bachelor for the rest of their life! It's doomed, I say DOOOOOMED! I give it six months, tops." They bring back fond memories of my own wedding 23 years ago. And in Rogue and Magneto's case the guest list would be Crack Heaven. (Hmmm, on second thought eloping might be a good idea.)
But it's more likely this is just clearing the decks so Rogue can have a relationship with someone else free from any lingering crush on Magneto. Carey's devoted years to getting rid of Rogue's baggage:
Working out her problems with her powers -- check.
Working out her feelings about her mother Mystique -- check.
Saying goodbye to her other mother Destiny -- check.
Someone else taking her place on the team as the Bad Seed Turned Good so she can't go back to that role -- check.
Counseling troubled teens in the same position she used to be in -- check.
Stepping away from her overly convoluted past relationship with Gambit without bitterness on either part -- check.
Working out her crush on Magneto -- check.
At this rate by the end of the year, Rogue finally ought to be free of all the baggage she's accumulated over the years and ready to move on with her life as an adult. I would say it's about time but it's actually shameful how few comic book characters get that opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Carey.