When Exactly Did The X-Men Become 'Too Progressive?'

So tell me, when exactly did the X-Men become progressive? Was it in 2024, with the addition of a single gender-nonconforming shapeshifter? Or in 2019 when the X-Men relocated to the body-positive island nation of Krakoa? Or was it in 2009 when Magneto’s origins in the concentration camps gave a more detailed account than most kids are taught in high school?
Or how about in 1992 when mutants were struck with a virus and the non-response mirrored the real-world AIDS epidemic? Or the 1982 God Saves, Man Kills graphic novel where the main villain was a televangelist preaching hate and Xavier needed to debate the mutants’ very existence? Or 1975’s Giant Sized X-Men when a multi-national crew from all walks of life became the focal point of the series?
Or has it been progressive from the very start when the team was written as an allegory for the two ends of the civil rights movement – even going so far as to name a character after Betty Friedan’s 1963 novel that sparked second-wave feminism?

[zzamora]

Stan Lee was quoted as saying the introduction of the X-Men in the 1960s was his statement in support of progressiveness. It took decades to introduce broader groups and recognizable minorities, but the message of society’s inclination towards hate and discrimination towards people who are different has remained constant.

[laubra]

Gotta say, I love the trope of a shapeshifter being genderfluid, because it just makes so much sense 💀

[nohero]

It was not an allegory for the civil rights movement. That story only came about later in Stan's life. You left out that the Brotherhood is actually named the Brotherhood of EVIL Mutants. And before Stan started telling the civil rights spin, he used to say that he made the X-Men to compete with DC's Doom Patrol. He pretty much copied DP and didn't have time to come up with origins for their powers, so he made them born with their powers.

[MrBlazemaster]

The X-Men didn't become too progressive, the audience just became more open with their bigotry and hate

[cecillbill]

Poly Jean, Scott, and Wolverine is a hard pass. Not because it's a poly pairing, but because it's a poly Jean, Scott and Wolverine pairing. Just keep that regular conflict in place.😂

[Sb_]

I think it’s when they accepted Apocalypse and Vulcan and gave them full amnesty despite being the greatest mass murderers to have ever existed simply because they belonged to the right ethnicity

[donnerblitzen]

It was when the wannabe “fans” started to claim they were “fans” but never actually wanted to be a part of the fanbase itself and only wanted to control it for their own interests while ostracizing others who didn’t fully support them in their agenda.

[RACNFANGIRL]

Xmen always has been progressive and I believe Xmen is allegory for LGBT and other group of people didn’t fit in!

Xmen shows that society can be wrong and standing up against someone don’t agree not using hatred back what Xavier and Xmen were for.

[richardquintero]

I don't care about the progressive stuff but rogue and Magneto in a relationship is gross

[DJPrimeAmvs]

It never got too progressive, society did and latched onto it more than ever.

[NovastarDoughnut]

Sorry to be really "ummm actually" here but a few things. Mystique wasn't made by Stan or Jack in the 60s and was made by Chris Claremont in the 70s. Also the original 60s team wasn't nessecarily a race metaphor for the black civil rights movement. (Not to deny the progressive politics of the XMen. It has for sure become a buch more radical progressive book over the years)

That is actually a very strong urban legend formed after the fact that "Professor X is MLK and Magneto is Malcom X" and if that is the case then you get the sense that Stan either didnt understand or really didnt like Malcom X.

It was a race metaphor but was through the lense of race that Stan and Jack understood and thus is more cogent as a metaphor for Jewish race and identity politics with Charles standing for assimilationism and Magneto for Zionism

[jarrettvasco]

How about when morph was watching wolverine take a shower lol or when he disguised himself as Gene and said I love you😂😂

[Anthony_Caliber]

I think a lot of people are missing the big picture.

It wasn’t that they became too progressive, or that the audience suddenly became homophobic and racist.

It’s that the progressive messages always worked within the writing itself. This is what made them so interesting in the first place. So that people outside these social issues could look in and get a different perspective and better understand these groups through the amazing writing. And underdeveloped groups and those who were victims of prejudice could have heroes they could relate to even further. To make the message work, the medium it was delivered in had to be perfected.

Now, the message is what anyone cares about. And in some ways, these messages are so poorly delivered they not only can hurt the writing, they can assassinate entire characters.

For example! Ice Man is a long standing X-Man. A hero, a fan favorite, and always was a lot of fun. But in recent years his homosexuality has been his only feature. A defining feature to the point he will make decisions that goes against his original character, and can even seem immoral. Like abandoning his boyfriend because he felt their relationship was in constant threat. That it was incredibly dangerous to be there, even if he loved ice man. But how the scene is written is that the boyfriend is written to be “wrong” and that Ice Man is somehow standing up for his…community?

Or let’s talk the numerous attempts to rebrand from X-Men to X-women, X-Mutants, or even X-Them.

People in these communities, people who face discrimination deserve better heroes, they deserve better stories. They don’t want to be constantly reminded of their struggle in all their media and entertainment. Or see their favorite heroes act so differently to the point they’re unrecognizable.

They want heroes who overcome tragedy and oppression. Heroes who fight for everyone, not just themselves. Heroes who are more than walking stereotypes, and can inspire those who relate to them.


This is what’s been missing. This is what so many people want from legendary heroes like the X-Men

[russellharrell]

God Loves, Man Kills should be on everyone’s reading list.

[finlayames]

Which series is the 2009 magneto origins you mentioned in?
Currently reading the main “modern” x men runs, starting at house of M and planning to work my way to the present. Currently in early 2009 and none of the runs in reading seem to be heading towards talking about Magneto and his origins (could be wrong though).

[GOODYGOODGOOD]

It was too progressive for far-right grifters/reactions when it was first conceived.

[jesusbeliever]

Personally, I don't really see morph as a non binary character
He just shapes shifts into male and female characters

[LordPotato]

X-men’s progressive identity tbh was honestly during giant size X-men tbh or at least when it became recognizable 😩💪🏻

[bingbongdingdong]

"The what island of what, now?"

[Joshua-jg]

I personally think it was when they recast the mutants and made that god awful remake with the fawn from chronicles of narnia as professor x