X-Men - Mutants and Self-Acceptance

The X-Men film series is based on Marvel Comics X-Men’s comic books first published in 1963. Its story was first made into a movie in 2000, but five other movies have been released since, with two sequels scheduled for 2014 and 2016.
The plot of the movies develop in a world in which some people are born with a special mutated gene, called “x-gene,” which gives them special powers and mutant abilities. Under increased anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, created a safe haven in his mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the benefit of humanity and prove that mutants can be heroes. He believed that humans and mutants could help each other and coexist in harmony. Magneto, however, saw humans as the enemy. His intentions were to establish the mutants as the overruling race and fight against human’s attempts to destroy or find a cure for their mutation. He created the Brotherhood of Mutants, for those who were devoted to the mutant superiority.

 

It is obvious and it has been thoroughly discussed through various outlets that, X-Men draws parallels between the oppression of mutants and that of marginalized groups. As X-Men writer Chris Claremont explained in 1982, “The X-Men are hated, feared, and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have..., intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry, and prejudice." The underlying themes have been reflective of social issues from the time that the story was first published and they are still today. These have included, over the years, racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, homosexuality and others. But beyond the primary scope of discussing the entirety of social oppression, X-Men subtly promotes self-acceptance as an important element of life.

Each mutant character suffers from some kind of differentiation - mental, physical, or behavioral. The stories focus on how each character copes, or fails to cope, with his or her uniqueness. Particularly in X-Men: First Class, mutants are for the first time assembling and exploring their individuality. We observe as each one of them deals with their process of self-acceptance. This is an issue that anyone can relate to in some point of their lives.

 

 Unlike conventional superheroes that acquire their powers through various means; the mutants of the Marvel universe are inherently born with their anomalies.  They were born from ordinary human parents and discovered their particularities as they aged. It is also noteworthy, that they were not part of any societal group in the common sense. The diversity of the X-Men school includes mutants of all races, nationalities, and economic backgrounds. Mutants could be heroes or villains, rich or poor, native or foreign, religious or not. The only thing that all mutants had in common was the fact that they were different. The series then celebrates, rather than demonize, differences - all differences!

The mutants had to choose their own path, of joining either the X-Men headed by Professor X or the Mutant Brotherhood led by Magneto. Independent of which groups mutants decided to join, just by being part of one of those they were choosing to engage on a journey of self-acceptance and exploration. This is a great message to promote to all generations, that the primary and most important step in one’s life is embracing the characteristics that make one unique.