‘X-Men ’97’: scene with Magneto’s speech at the UN raises questions about prejudice, heroes and villains online | Series

‘X-Men ’97’ is the sensation of the moment among superhero and comic book fans. It is a late continuation, with a retro feel and visual language, of the classic Marvel mutants cartoon, launched almost 30 years ago.

But it’s not just nostalgia that pop culture lives on. What caught the most attention about the series – which has already made the first two episodes of its comeback available on Disney+ (in total, there will be ten, which will gradually enter streaming until May 15th) – is the contemporary tone of the script and of many scenes.

Everything is more current than ever, especially the political and social discussions in the plot, which deals with prejudice and inequality, as is typical of the X-Men.

The most discussed scene so far is the impactful speech by Magneto, arch-enemy of the X-Men, at the United Nations, in which he talks about the oppression he suffered during his career, primarily religious, at the hands of the Nazis, in his childhood. , “when the homes of my people were reduced to ashes because we dared to call God by another name.”

Afterwards, the character reveals the pain of being hunted by these same people, along with those who had hunted him, because he showed the first signs of his superhuman power – Magneto is capable of manipulating anything that contains metals with his mind. “I was a freak. I was born a mutant, I was abominable in the name of any God. There is a refrain in the sad song of the story: ‘Think different, love different, have a different sex or skin and you will be punished’,” says the mutant ( check below).

It was enough for internet users to make several parallels on social media and also think about who the good guys and bad guys are in ‘X-Men’ 97′. “Then you grow up and ask yourself: Is Magneto really that bad?” asked a user on X, formerly Twitter. “X-Men is, and will always be, the best possible portrayal of real life… It’s scary,” commented another.

“Magneto is a villain, just as Thanos is a villain. There is a good purpose in what he wants to do and a worthy motivation, but the way he does it is villainous. Does the mutant nation suffer? Obviously, but how many innocent humans who are not prejudiced does he kill in favor of your justice?”, another developed. “In my mind he was never a villain, I like him more than Charles”, pointed out another, referring to the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier, Professor X.

At the same time, other internet users recalled a scene from the X-Men cartoon in which Charles makes Magneto, his former ally and then enemy, relive memories of the Holocaust – which the character makes reference to at the beginning of the speech at the UN in the attraction. current.

“Is Magneto a villain? Yes. But what Professor “They are sides of the same coin. Magneto is a very ‘patriotic’ guy focused on mutant well-being, above all else. Regardless of the mutant. Xavier is very focused on high-capacity mutants, wanting his worldview prevail over that of others. Both are equal”, theorized another.

Anyway, the lines of who is the hero and who is the villain really become very blurred in complex fictional stories like X-Men, whether in the comics, in the old animated series, or in ‘X-Men ’97’.

Check out the official trailer for ‘X-Men ’97’ below.