Hellions #15: Don't Look Back Part III, Fire And Brimstone

[superboyprime]

"Reading X-Men comics for years and years, they were these super-powerful characters but their goal was to protect the humans who feared and hated them. What a noble goal. It's still simple heroism. But as soon as you take that and say, "Okay, well now they have a different goal, their goal is to make a society," then easy answers disappear. Good and evil disappear, and as a human reader you lose that safety net of knowing these characters have your best interests at heart. There's something dangerous about the entire enterprise that I love as a writer, that I would not have had the guts to do myself, but as soon as Jonathan did it, I knew I needed to get in there and play. I knew it would challenge me and my own preconceived notions." - Zeb Wells

Comments

[tinygaylaura]

The germans were really onto something with that Schadenfreude concept of theirs

Because watching the one thing Sinister wants more than anything burn up right in front of his eyes has me howling with laughter

[erikred]

Euphorically orgasmic Havok agrees with you there.

[lordultimus]

For all that I've criticized Hickman, I'm coming to dread his upcoming departure, since the above quote illustrates to me that the various writers have very different ideas about what Krakoa is like. We're headed into some serious "what does the SHRA entail again?" territory.

[nyadnar17]

Wait he's leaving?

When?

[aperturedreams]

As soon as the Inferno event ends. The first of four issues is out today.

[tinygaylaura]

I think it's more the case that Krakoa isn't all bad or a flawless paradise that can do no wrong. It's a nation made up of a lot of different personalities

And a lot of those personalities have been literal superheroes and supervillains in the past so that takes things up to eleven

[arilou_skiff]

I mean, I figure that was obvious already?

But also, that's kind of the trouble that comes with trying to form a nation, and deciding what said nation is going to be.

[lordultimus]

Problem is, most nations aren't metaphors for safe spaces.

[lordy_co]

But was it ever explicitely stated that Krakoa was meant to be a metaphor for safe spaces? I recall Leah Williams going that direction, and of course the fandom went all in, but was it ever something agreed by the entire X-Office?

[lordultimus]

That's actually my point - the writers room seems divided on what Krakoa is, and we're going to see increasingly different takes on it as time goes on.

[lordy_co]

Agreed, and I think it's a very reasonable concern to have.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

divided on what Krakoa is

Sounds like America.

Probably a lot of other nations, too.

[lordultimus]

I don't think many X-fans would take the comparison well, particularly since the sentiment that Krakoa is better than any human nation has been put forth multiple times in-universe.

[arilou_skiff]

I mean, it has been put forth in-universe. I'm not certain we are actually supposed to take that as granted (as opposed to what the characters believe)

[deh_tommy]

Considering that critics of Krakoa are all shown to be mistaken, bigots, evil or some combination thereof, as well as the countless examples of what our “heroes” get up to every issue or two in many of the books, yeah I think that’s safe to presume we’re supposed to be on their side.

[arilou_skiff]

I mean *looks at one obvious example*

[tinygaylaura]

I'd say Krakoa is certainly a safer space

[lordultimus]

There's a difference between a safer space and a "safe space", if that makes any sense.

[tinygaylaura]

That's fair

Krakoa certainly isn't without its problems and ways that it needs to improve

[deh_tommy]

But that’s not exactly a good “safe space”.

[icon_uk]

The names of all the stages of the Amino Fetus life cycle thing do sound like they're leftovers from the Th13teen Ghosts movies "Dark Zodiac"

[gnarll]

Pretty sure "Gor" means "nom" in Arrakki.

Tarn seems a respectably powerful telepath, but otherwise another Arakko mutant that does not live up to his billing. Although consistent, from what we've seen of the rest, a powerful telepath would be fearsome.

[tinygaylaura]

He's pretty dangerous I would say

He can rearrange living matter, turn off mutant powers and is an Omega level telepath

[broblawsky]

Tarn's main thing seems to be that he's a biokinetic. When Sinister got stranded in Arrako, he casually tore him apart (hence the scars). He just seems to prefer to let his minions do all the work.

[mastermahan]

Pretty sure "Gor" means "nom" in Arrakki.

Well, Tarn keeps talking about his perversions. Maybe Amino Fetus is a big fan of creepy sex slave pulp novels.

[tinygaylaura]

"Reading X-Men comics for years and years, they were these super-powerful characters but their goal was to protect the humans who feared and hated them. What a noble goal"

The writer and I will have to agree to disagree there because I always thought the X-men wasting their time protecting those who hated them was pretty ridiculous.

I wouldn't even chip a nail to protect someone who hated me or people like me in general

"Okay, well now they have a different goal, their goal is to make a society"

Yes, that is what I would call a noble goal

"Good and evil disappear, and as a human reader you lose that safety net of knowing these characters have your best interests at heart."

Well good and evil still exist as they always have done it's just that there are shades of grey as well. As there always have been its just now the comics thankfully don't pretend the only options are stupidly risking your life for ungrateful halfwits or being a cackling supervillain

And speaking as a reader I can honestly say I don't want the heroes in the X-books to have "My" best interests at heart, as in I don't want them to have humankinds best interests at heart. I want them to have mutantkinds best interests at heart

If humanity in the Marvel universe wanted mutantkind to care about it so badly maybe they should have built fewer bright purple genocide robots

[deh_tommy]

Well that’s ultimately a matter of philosophy, innit? There’s no true answer either way, but all I know is I’m more inclined to disagree with that view.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Gotta bear in mind that at one time, mutants were supposed to be considered humans, or an evolution thereof.

[silverhammerman]

It's nice to see Emma Frost telepathically drop in and demonstrate that despite all evidence to the contrary, the rest of the Quiet Council hasn't been completely asleep at the wheel re: Sinister's obvious duplicity.

That said, I will be at least a little disappointed if the Tarn/Sinister chimera is really destroyed here, I want to see that sucker in action. The chimeras were one of the many really cool HoX/PoX ideas which hasn't been meaningfully revisited since.

And finally getting payoff on Amino Fetus, it's nice to see Wells really paying all of this stuff off with the impending end of Hellions in #18. In many ways, it's the exact opposite of how it's felt with a lot of the Hickman stuff prior to Inferno presumably revisiting at least some thing.

[tinygaylaura]

I love that this whole time Sinister thought he had actually fooled them

He was so certain of his own cleverness he didn't even realise the leash was around his neck until it was time to apply the choke chain to correct this misbehaving dog

It certainly makes me respect the Quiet Council as a whole more, that they realise that if they intend to use a lunatic like Sinister as a useful servant, it's vital to have a system in place where they can swiftly deal with him should he forget his place

The great Amanda Waller would be proud

[donnblake]

Huzzah, a resounding victory!

Well, they screwed up so badly that the main guy they were fighting had to go take a break to prevent the universe from being destroyed, which is a little like a resounding victory.

[tinygaylaura]

It's the most resounding victory the team has achieved so far

[donnblake]

I mean, it didn't end with them all dying in an explosion, so that's a plus!

I mean, yes, they seem likely to all die in an explosion immediately afterwards, but that's a totally distinct confrontation!

[tinygaylaura]

In this case killing everyone in an explosion was the mission objective so it was a 100% sucessful result

[donnblake]

I do hope there's a plan to salvage Kwannon's kiddo, though.

[tinygaylaura]

I'd like to hope they hacked Sinister's computers and extracted her first

Kwannon seems pretty chipper in Inferno which takes place after this so hopefully that means her daughter was okay

[mjscheer]

Kwannon seems pretty chipper in Inferno which takes place after this so hopefully that means her daughter was okay
See, to me she seemed like she wanted to pick a fight with the White Queen... which dovetails very neatly from the scans above ("Emma says hello").

[tinygaylaura]

I think that scene was more a case of Psylocke and Magik both liking a good fight. Magik especially is always up for a good scrap these days. Even if Kwannon heard what Empath said here she likely wouldn't remember it due to the resurrection process

Tho she would know if her daughter was "dead" and likely wouldn't be in so good a mood about becoming one of Krakoa's captains

I could be wrong tho

[scorntx]

Clearly the Hellions subscribe to the "what matters is you took part" school of thought.

[iamrman]

Wow, and I gave the Black Order shit for being a bunch of edgelords.

[tinygaylaura]

In this case they are meant to be edgelords tho

They're the Cenobites as supervillains

[iamrman]

They will tear your soul apart!

[tinygaylaura]

I read all of Tarn the Uncaring's lines in Doug Bradley's voice

He definitely seems like the kind of dude who would say something like "Oh no tears. It's a waste of good suffering" to someone

[lego_joker]

Their goal was to protect the humans who feared and hated them

I still have to wonder why this is unique as an X-Men tagline when it's basically the driving force of half of Marvel's Big Heroes. Especially Spider-Man. (There's a reason that among older comic book fans, "Marvel civilian" was shorthand for a specific setting that basically made you incapable of caring whether the hero actually saved the day.)

[tinygaylaura]

That's another reason I'm glad mutantkind generally aren't wasting their time on humans anymore except when it benefits them as well. Because I hate most of humanity in the Marvel universe. The only ones I like are either wearing a costume or the friend/loved one/family of one in a costume. The rest? I say let Galactus eat 'em and get it over with.

[zachbeacon]

What?

[shadowpsykie]

Kwanon has a kid?