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Edited by Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM
For Doctor Strange, there's always the classic Doctor Strange: The Oath
. It's a mini-series, so it's self-contained and it's really well written and drawn. (The writer is Brian K. Vaughan, who also did Runaways and Saga.) There's also Strange: The Doctor Is Out
, which is another mini-series, this time by Mark Waid and Emma Rios, which is great, but also takes place at a time when Strange wasn't the Sorcerer Supreme.
do Sentinels really have to be mutant only? You could rework them to some MegaCorp's marketing scheme to make general anti-super killing machines. That can also function as regular killing machines. Have them start some conflict to better advertise their murder bots, throw in some Tony Stark grudge, try to avoid as many Ultron comparisons as possible and you're set.
DAMN YOU ULTRON YOU STOLE THE MURDERBOT GIG FROM EVERYONE I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF
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I tend to think of Sentinels as closer to something like ED-209. Cold machines that represent wild, unchecked automation in fields that really should be overseen by humans, as even slight errors in programming can lead to catastrophic system errors. That's not necesarily in the same field as Ultron. He's more about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence
Edited by GNinja on Dec 2nd 2019 at 3:09:12 PM
Kaze ni Nare!DAMN YOU ULTRON YOU STOLE THE MURDERBOT GIG FROM EVERYONE I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF
Like many things concerning bigotry towards mutants, if you take away the part where they hate mutants, you lose the main point of them as a plot device.
A common point of contention with the X-Men as a franchise is that it seems silly for the public to hate and fear Cyclops but be totally fine with Captain Marvel. Like, Like, if Carol shoots lasers, it's okay, but if Scott shoots lasers, he's a dangerous menace to society. Double-standard, much?
But that double standard is the point. A popular defense of anti-mutant bigotry (because everything has to have its defenders, I guess) is that they're legit dangerous in a way that real-world minorities are not. They aren't just black or gay or whatever, they can shoot lasers. And, in a vacuum, maybe that's fair. Sort of. Could be debated.
But in a superhero world populated by millions of people shooting lasers all the time, that defense moves from "debatable" to "completely indefensible". When lasers are okay unless they're mutant lasers, we're right back to mutants being just like everyone else but unfairly maligned just 'cause they exist.
This is why, contrary to popular belief, mutants work better in a shared superhero universe than they do in a vacuum. In a vacuum, they're victims of bigotry because superpowers. In a shared universe, they're victims of superpower bigotry. The metaphor works when people can say, "We love you Captain Marvel!" and "Get out of here, mutie!" in the same breath.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
I mean, that exact problem is why I'm not a fan of the x men as a metaphor for minorities. Many mutants legitimately do have powers that are dangerous to both themselves and other people if not controlled or harnessed properly (that was part of the reason why Xavier opened his school). Gay people, black people, etc are not any different or capable of different, more dangerous things than anyone else.
No metaphor is perfect obviously but this one is just bad, in my opinion.
Edited by Draghinazzo on Dec 2nd 2019 at 11:37:01 AM
Yeah, but many non-mutants have powers that are dangerous to themselves and others too. In a superhero universe, it's the equivalent of rolling a d20 for everyone in the world, giving them all random guns if they roll above a 13, and then being racist against anyone who specifically has a Glock.
That people aren't racist against other supers isn't a bug. It's a feature of the metaphor. If Spider-Man saves Bob from a burning building, he's grateful, but if Storm does it, he slaps her in the face and call her a racial epithet. That's racism.
It's a superhero metaphor for a superhero world.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Dec 2nd 2019 at 8:40:48 AM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Spider-Man might be a bad example since because of the Bugle there are times when the citizens hate him just as much.
Forever liveblogging the AvengersI'm not saying mutant prejudice is justified in-universe, nor did I really bring up the fact that people arent prejudiced towards other superpowered people since that's not relevant to what I was talking about. I'm just saying I think the X-Men are not a good metaphor ( or at least a heavily flawed one) for minority struggles.
Edited by Draghinazzo on Dec 2nd 2019 at 11:48:31 AM
I think it's because the deepest fear mutants inspire is a lot more existential in nature. "Acceptable" supers are, on the whole, abberations. They can be taken and quantified as exceptions that further prove the rule. It doesn't matter that we aren't superhuman ourselves because those that are are merely deviations from normality. They don't represent a fundamental shift in the natural order. So you can appreciate them the same way you can appreciate a miracle.
Mutants as a concept do conjure that kind of imagery. The whole "next stage in human evolution stuff", whether it's literally true or not, threatens that security that we "normal" humans will always be the default on this planet. All of a sudden this entirely new demographic could REPLACE us.
Edited by GNinja on Dec 2nd 2019 at 4:20:30 PM
Kaze ni Nare!And then Avengers Forever revealed a Bad Future where superhumans are the template for the future and take over space.
Checkmate, marvel citizenry.
Forever liveblogging the Avengers
If they knew that, they'd just start hunting normal superhumans.
Hell, the Sentinels themselves figured that out when they first came online, and that's why we got Days of Future Past.
But in a superhero world populated by millions of people shooting lasers all the time, that defense moves from "debatable" to "completely indefensible". When lasers are okay unless they're mutant lasers, we're right back to mutants being just like everyone else but unfairly maligned just 'cause they exist.
...huh. Never thought of that. It being that stupid in universe does reflect real life pretty well.
One Strip! One Strip!Another issue with mutant prejudice is how humans seem to have no issue being able to tell the difference between mutants and other non-mutant superhumans. Hercules was born with his powers but as far as I am aware no one has ever mistaken him for a mutant.
People believe the Norse God of Thunder is running around, but he’s an alien. The same excuse could probably be used for Hercules once he shows up in an LA drunk tank.
Have I mentioned I want to see Hercules in something? He’s probably a supporting character, maybe a buddy team with Cho, but there’s a lot of fun to be had.
Edited by Beatman1 on Dec 2nd 2019 at 11:45:57 AM
I remember the first issue of The Initiative, a Civil War follow-up comic, had a military character commenting on the Mutant Decimation.
He said something to the effect of, "With mutants gone, we're back to aliens, sorcerers, and good old-fashioned lab accidents just the way God intended."
There's always been a religious component to anti-mutant bigotry. Being a mutant is somehow considered in and of itself a sin against God, which has parallels to the real-world treatment of LGBT people. Anti-mutant extremists frequently use Christian imagery.
In fact, William Stryker from X-2 is actually a Reverend in the comics.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Dec 2nd 2019 at 9:54:00 AM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub."Mutants go home!" "We ARE home"
from the Floating Hands videos springs to mind.
Edited by Bocaj on Dec 2nd 2019 at 11:54:39 AM
Forever liveblogging the AvengersWhile I see what you mean, isn't the difference between Carol and Scott that she can control her lasers while he has to wear his glasses so that he doesn't vaporise anything and anyone he looks at?
Edited by jouXIII on Dec 2nd 2019 at 7:01:01 PM
I assure you, I'm perfectly trustable personScott's Power Incontinence is a product of brain damage, not his mutation. Carol's had problems with her powers from time to time too.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Dec 2nd 2019 at 10:06:41 AM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.That's a disability independent of his mutant-ness. He bonked his head bad.
The same comparison could be made with Havok who doesn't have Scott's laser punch incontinence.
Edited by Bocaj on Dec 2nd 2019 at 12:06:09 PM
Forever liveblogging the AvengersIn a sense, Scott's actually a double-helping of minority because he's a disabled mutant. He manages his disability well, though.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

The death of magic arc is really good
That whole run, honestly
Forever liveblogging the Avengers