Why Dark Phoenix Isn’t As Bad As You Think
Disclaimer: Will contain spoilers for the majority of recent Marvel Films, all Marvel Content is not my own. This is a critique of Marvel Cinema and pop culture themes around it. Reader Warning, this article will contain themes such as mental illness, self harm, and other adult scenarios. If these trigger you, please read later.
Dark Phoenix was considered the greatest failure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What was supposed to be a deeper, more classic version of Captain Marvel and glorious end to the X-Men Series, wound up to be a major let down for movie critics. Nevertheless, there was still a pocketful of Marvel fans who adored Dark Phoenix and appreciated it’s deviant story plot. The problem with Dark Phoenix isn’t it’s plot or casting, but rather the core themes it tries to address and the audiences reactions to such attempts. To put it bluntly; film goers and Marvel fans wanted a powerful, uplifting story about feminism and instead got an analytical movie about mental illness. What a debbie downer.
While this article was originally going to serve as a compare and contrast critique of Captain Marvel and Dark Phoenix, after looking at other recent Marvel films that also experiment with this approach- I decided to make this more about mental illness representation in superhero films, and why we hate it.
So to kick things off into high gear, let’s first dive into what Dark Phoenix is actually about. News flash, it’s not about the high emotional appeals we get in Captain Marvel or the #GirlPower scene we get in Avengers: Endgame. In the beginning of Dark Phoenix, we get a flashback of Jean Grey’s traumatic car accident, where she unintentionally causes her Mom to lose conscientiousness on the road. The rest of the scene shows audiences how Charles Xavier first met Jean and welcomed her into his school for mutants. While most viewers thought this to be Jean’s core weakness and only thing to overcome in order to ‘unleash the power within’- they are sorely mistaken. Throughout the film, it’s painfully illustrated how Jean Grey has a lot of self-confidence issues, social anxiety, and hidden fears that cause her to be reserved. Evidence of this is found when she returns to Earth after a high-risk space mission and tends to avoid the cameras. Additionally, after being infused with a solar flare, Cyclops notices how Jean has changed dramatically- not in terms of power, but rather, her new found extrovert behavior. The social anxiety and fear ridden little girl is gone, and replaced with a smiling, proud, young woman.
Furthermore, Storm confirms this change when she looks over at Jean during the campfire party and smiles warmly, telling Cyclops that for a girl who just consumed inter-galactic solar flares- she’s doing amazing.
These scenes are key to understanding the inner nature of Jean Grey and the story Dark Phoenix is trying to tell. Nowhere is Jean concerned about her past nor her family, yet we see her at two distinct points. One, where she’s timid and shy. The other, where she’s proud and content. While the movie may try to tell you that the change is due to Jean’s new powers, it’s actually due to what Jean had just done- She saved people. In the scene where Jean gains her new powers, she also pulls off a near impossible stunt of saving a space crew and the X-men. When she returns to Earth, she’s welcomed as a hero- something she’s never known before. Jean Grey’s new persona is actually her overcoming her social anxiety and depression, she’s starting to realize that she’s not the monster she’s always feared herself to be. Alas, like in reality, not one event can cure one’s mental illness. So of course, Jean Grey loses control and takes an emotional dive. During this dive, a period of mental instability and unimaginable depression, Jean Grey desperately searches for her father, only to find a hidden truth about her past.
During this scene, Jean undergoes a fit of rage, confusion, and pain, where she accidentally kills Raven and nearly destroys a town. After realizing her actions, Jean flies away in grief. Jean’s mental breakdown is an allegory for real life trauma and mentally ill people. When people (especially adolescents) become self-aware about the severity of their condition, whether it be after a failed medication or explosive event, they spiral down into a pit where they lack any control. Jean’s scene with her father and the X-men paint this reality into the film world. In later scenes we meet an alien creature disguised as a mysterious blonde woman, who tries to manipulate Jean into using her power for her own agenda. Charles’ later on intervenes and apologizes to Jean, promising her his love and undying dedication. It’s in this pivotal moment that Jean snaps out of her haze and begins to question herself. Again, this is another reality that mentally ill people struggle with everyday. A lot of mentally ill people are really successful and respected figures- take for example famous actor Jim Carrey and pop-star Demi Lovato. Yet they struggle with an internal loneliness and self-hatred that makes them susceptible to manipulation by others. In their minds, they’ll do anything for anyone who can offer them a sliver of acceptance. I know from my own personal experiences with depression how easy it is to fall drone to another person’s wishes.
Nevertheless, despite how controversial this message is, Dark Phoenix addresses it skillfully. Showing how not only people get consumed by such tactics, but also how they can break free from them. I know the whole ‘we are family’ message gets a bit redundant for Marvel films but in Dark Phoenix it’s essential, because in real life family is key to conquering mental illness. Whether your family be by blood or water, a strong support system of people who genuinely care is vital to helping a loved one overcome their inner demons. The one aspect of Dark Phoenix that I cherished the most, was the relationship between Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. In my high school speech and debate family, I’ve found a Charles Xavier figure in my life who’s been there for me in both my lightest and darkest moments. The portrayal of such a strong mentorship relationship over a romantic one in Dark Phoenix really hits home the message that you don’t need a significant other to find peace- just an other, will do.
And that’s the true story behind Dark Phoenix. It’s the story of a scared little girl who struggles with mental illness and fights to overcome it. In the ending, Jean’s speech about evolving into a fiery phoenix is a deep allegory about life beyond death. When she sacrifices herself, she’s actually giving up her life because she’s finally aware of her inner self and has grown to accept it. To be clear, the ending does not glorify suicide, but rather it gives a tribute to suicide victims. Jean’s message tells suicide victims and their loved ones that they live on beyond their physical selves, that their stories are powerful and memories will inspire others long after their gone. The fiery phoenix of Jean’s evolved form is a sign of new life, for both currently struggling individuals and those that have passed. Matthew Lickona, a Rotten Tomatoes top critic, claimed, “ It didn’t have to end this way…It didn’t have to end with so little emotion, so little meaning — with a sad little speech about evolving, for Phoenix’s sake.”
What critics like Mr. Lickona don’t understand, is that the mentally ill don’t need a big, glorious finish to establish a true victory. In reality, staying alive and living life to the fullest is the victory. For Jean Grey, her victory is finally accepting herself-not beating the villian with a million fireworks. However, it is this misunderstanding and a couple other reasons why so many film watchers hate Dark Phoenix- it doesn’t address the topic they were hoping for.
Let’s run down the first reason viewers like to bash Dark Phoenix; it doesn’t portray feminism, Captain Marvel styled feminism to be exact. Since Marvel reigned in massive success with Captain Marvel and DC doing likewise with Wonderwoman, the superhero cinematic producers are in a new age of portraying females as strong, cut throat, bad asses. While girl power is a welcome change to the male dominated genre, at times it feels as though producers are forcing it in places that could otherwise house more thought provoking narratives. Let me explain. The path to hell is pathed with good intentions, and drowning out the role of women to another restrictive set of standards doesn’t promote female representation, but rather extremely hinders it.
For example, Captain Marvel was given a very dominant personality with a slender, athletic frame. She has her flaws, such as her stubborn and brash attitude. These flaws are not bad, they’re actually the most important ingredients for wholesome character development. On the other hand, when Marvel had the prime opportunity, in Avengers: Endgame, to expose such flaws and give our heroin a redemptive arc, they just…had her disappear for the majority of the film and swoop in at the last moment with the same cocky demeanor. The message of this move was clear: Strong Women like Captain Marvel don’t need to apologize for their behavioral flaws, because women like her are perfect.
This is a critical error on Marvel’s part. Inadvertently, their portrayal of Captain Marvel narrows the scope of what is considered to be strong and respectable female personas. This is negative for two core reasons. First, it limits women to one personality type. Second, when compared to Jean Grey’s persona, it tells girls who are mentally ill that they are weak. Again, this is not to bash Captain Marvel into oblivion, the character was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Nevertheless, one sore thumb I have with the character and her recent story arc is how she is portrayed without flaw, something that can be unhealthy in the long term. Fans need to start focusing on Marvel’s diversity, this can be accomplished by more female centered movies being made. Marvel is already taking this step with a new Black Widow movie, but it is only one of a small handful.
When viewers get an up close view of a female led superhero film, it provides new perspectives for audiences. Going back on the Black Widow example, for at least 5 Marvel films, we’ve seen the intricate development of Scarlet Johanson’s character from a cold blooded introvert to a warm hearted protector, willing to sacrifice out of love for her friend in her final moments. Another example of a strong female who deserves a film of her own is Scarlet Witch, an inquisitive, dedicated magic wielder. Even a film about Pepper Potts facing off some mafia baddies after Tony Stark’s death would be worthwhile, because she shows another dimension of personality for female superheroes. While Captain Marvel was hyped up a lot by the Russo Brothers, it’s imperative that they remember to leave room for other ladies. And no, a giant #Girlpower fight scene montage akin to the #Princesspower rescue scene in Wreck it Ralph 2 doesn’t count. Sorry Disney, you really did try.
Which leads me to the second reason why people hated Dark Phoenix with a burning passion- it talked about mental illness. To clarify, this is not to say people despise the mentally ill, rather they are not used to seeing it in mainstream media. Take for example the mixed reaction cocktail to “Fat Thor”. For those of you still reading and have not watched Endgame yet, in the movie, Thor falls into a depression after failing to save the world from the Thanos Snap. As a result of his new, sulky state, he becomes an alcoholic and loses his muscular physique. In short, he let himself go-by a lot. This interesting plot development in the film was an attempt to tackle a common, but unspoken problem in a subtle way. On one hand, people applauded Marvel for the move, claiming it was important to show human imperfection and vulnerability. And on the other…..
People, more namely twitter trolls, were complete assholes. Comments ranging from ignorance to pure disgust for Thor’s new bod lead to a series of published articles questioning the “Fat Thor” phenomena. Which leads to an interesting notion- trolls didn’t start the heckling “Fat Thor” fire, the Russo’s did in their failed attempt to portray mental illness. As Jenna Guillaume mentions in her Buzzfeed News article,
“It could have been a golden example of how a fat man could still be powerful, and worthy, and attractive, and a superhero.
Instead, it becomes the comic relief of the movie. While other characters are given space to grieve and make inspirational speeches and try to move on with their lives, Thor wallows. His trauma is never treated with sincerity or respect. He’s become fat and lazy, dirty and gross, and for that he is punished.
The camera lingers on his bloated torso, in a cruel subversion of the loving gaze normally aimed at a shirtless and ripped Thor. Other characters mock his appearance, comparing him to “melted ice cream” and suggesting Cheez Whiz flows through his veins.”
To give Marvel credit, Fat Thor was their first real attempt to really focus on mental illness in their movies. First is always the worst, with Jean Grey picking up the slack in Dark Phoenix. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Marvel fans are used to light hearted stories, an occassional feminist plotline, and extreme amounts of comic relief. As a result, when presented a deep, analytical movie that explores severe trauma and mental illness- fans run away faster than Loki can lie about the tesseract.
Thus, we as fans and movie goers alike must put in effort to be more open to new narratives. We shouldn’t shoot down a superhero movie because it isn’t exactly like the comic book version, and we shouldn’t discourage producers from tackling new socio-political issues in upcoming films because they screwed up the first time. We, as a community, are better than that.
So say what you will about Dark Phoenix, I personally enjoyed seeing an imperfect character portray vulnerability and inner struggle. It’s a warm salute from a beloved company that we, the imperfect and mentally ill, are not alone and certainly not forgotten.
References
“Dark Phoenix.” Dark Phoenix, www.sandiegoreader.com/movies/dark-phoenix/#.
Guillaume, Jenna. “What Happened To Thor In ‘Avengers: Endgame’?” BuzzFeed News, 2 May 2019, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jennaguillaume/avengers-endgame-fat-thor-chris-hemsworth-body-positivity.
