The analogy between the X-Men, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X
Since I was little, I have always been drawn to the world of comics, I’m not quite sure why, especially the X-Men. The truth is, I think I liked them because they were a bit like me, “misfit weirdos.” But recently, I followed the thread and discovered something that helped me understand why I’m so passionate about the mutant universe.
According to Phenderson Djéli Klark, an Afro-American science fiction writer, the shift of the X-Men towards their similarity with the characters of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King came through the writer Chris Claremont, who took over the editing of the comic in 1975.
Len Wein, a famous comic book editor, initiated the change in the X-Men by introducing more diversity among the characters in Giant-Size X-Men #1. Wein apparently invited Claremont to take charge of a chapter titled Uncanny X-Men, which was part of issue #94 of the X-Men comic series. Claremont continued publishing and writing stories about the new mutant men for seventeen years.
Claremont, who grew up in the 1950s, couldn’t help but be influenced by the Black Power movement and the civil rights movement of African Americans in the U.S., which occurred during his youth. These two movements left such an impact on him that he eventually reflected them in his comics, and that’s when the clear resemblance between the X-Men and Malcolm X and Martin Luther King can be seen.
Phenderson also explains that Claremont made the theme of the X-Men constantly facing racial destruction at the hands of humanity that hated them a recurring element throughout the series.
“The X-Men are collectively hated, feared, and despised by humanity solely because they are mutants,” Claremont once said.
We can see Claremont’s magic wand in action in various chapters of The X-Men, including one that addresses Genosha, a society located in South Africa during apartheid where mutants were enslaved and lived as oppressed citizens. In the end, the inhabitants of that city are exterminated in a massive genocide.
In the classic “God Loves, Man Kills,” the story literally begins with the lynching of two black mutant children by a group called the Purifiers, forged in the ideology of white supremacy (they had a Celtic cross as their emblem). It is in this chapter that we see more similarities between Magneto and Malcolm X.
This “racial symbolism” marked what was considered the golden age in X-Men publications, inspiring other writers, designers, and readers to this day.
To further highlight this analogy, the 2011 film about the X-Men titled “X-Men: First Class” was, as indicated by the LA Times, inspired by the characters of Martin Luther King (Professor X) and Malcolm X (Magneto). However, there are certain criticisms of the simplistic portrayal historically given to these two great figures, with one depicted as an integrator and peaceful (although previously hated), while the other has been portrayed as violent and separatist. These portrayals, both in the movie and in the comics, simplify their complexity and do not align with reality, as well depicted in the Oscar-nominated film about Martin Luther King, “Selma,” directed by Ava duVernay, which portrayed a more human and realistic Luther King.
“Professor X and Magneto are, in fact, flawed and inaccurate versions of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, but at the same time, they are true portraits of how American society viewed these two great legends,” Phenderson pointed out again in his article “On Malcolm, Martin, and that X-Men analogy thing.”
The truth is, thanks to this research, I understand many things, not only about the X-Men, but also about Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. It has made me realize that things and people are never entirely black or white, but rather much more complex. We should always try to contrast arguments and draw our own conclusions about the facts, whatever they may be because often history is written by the winners, not the defeated.
For my part, I remain a fan of the X-Men, despite everything, because to me, they are inclusive comics where the characters embrace and defend diversity and differences as something positive.
