May 4th, 2009
by
the angry black woman
This post contains some spoilers for the movie, but they’re not surprising spoilers (as you’ll see) nor are they much more than is revealed in the trailer.
One day I am going to become a famous novelist and Marvel Comics is going to come knocking on my door and beg me to write a graphic novel for them. I will agree, but only if I am allowed to write something with Wolverine in it. They will say yes, and I will get to writing, and somewhere within my story I will bring in a love interest for Wolverine, and she will love him better than any woman ever has before and he will love her better than he has loved any other woman. It will be an epic romance with fighting and mutant goodness.
Before you say: “ABW, that sounds like a Mary Sue fantasy to me,” please be aware that I will have no other goal in writing this story beyond making sure that this Wolverine love interest is still alive by the end of the book.
I am not very familiar with X-Men continuity in the comics, though I know some of it. I’ve seen every X-Men movie and, until recently, saw every animated incarnation. One thing I have not failed to notice is how the women Wolverine loves tend to die violent deaths, usually as a punishment to him. Really, the only safe thing you can do if Wolverine loves you is to run into the arms of another less compelling man and consign yourself to life with a tool (hi Jean, I am totally dogging you out, but at least you are alive!).
This trope is not unfamiliar to most of you. How many times have we lamented over a female character’s death that only served to further the emotional growth of the lead male(s)? Trope, cliche, point, set, match.
So, I was not in the least bit surprised when Logan’s love interest in X-Men Origins found herself dead and then dead all over again. The first time was just a ruse — Logan had to think she was dead and that his brother killed her so that he would agree to have adamantium put in his body so he could get his revenge. When it was revealed that she was actually alive I knew that the movie would not end until she died for real. I was not wrong.
It seems one cannot tell a Wolverine story without including this in some way or another. Even the graphic novel Wolverine: Origin featured the death of the first woman he loved in order that he might run off to live with wolves and eschew normal society. Logan cannot catch a break, can he?
But even with all that history, is it too much for me to ask that we put this particular story to bed? Must it be told and told again? Becuse it’s not all that interesting or compelling. Not at all.
I hope one day to be a big enough deal to acheieve my dream. Or perhaps I will live to see someone else do it.
(Further thoughts on the new X-Men movie can be found in my review at Fantasy.)
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Filed under Comics, TV & Film, female characters | Comments (25)
[...] Anyway, if we’re just scoring on the manflesh, the movie gets an A, as demonstrated at the review here. However, if we’re scoring on portrayal of female characters, the movie gets a big old F, as discussed here. [...]
Yeah, the whole “refrigerators” thing … way old.
Whether she’s dead or alive (depends which continuity you’re reading/watching) Jean has become a particularly obnoxious example of The Doomed Love Interest, because not only does she have to keep dying again and again, Logan has to keep on killing her. It has become so much of its own cliche in the Marvel universe that it frequently becomes self-parody (as in “Phoenix: Endsong”).
God, yes – it was so ridiculous. And then, after she freaking betrays Wolverine for her sister, she ditches her sister and doesn’t tell her she’s dying! It made no sense. She was a husk of a character.
I came here from Alas, a blog, and clicked on the banner at the top of the page to read more of the site and got this message (I’m using Windows XP and Google Chrome):
The website at blogs.feministsf.net contains elements from the site 74.222.134.170, which appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can infect your computer.
I have no idea if that’s true or not but didn’t click any further – either you do have malware or the site is giving Google a false positive.
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Except 1) Scott/Cyclops is no way as much of a tool as Logan/Wolverine is. No. Way. And 2) Jean DID die, became Phoenix, and killed Scott and Xavier.
So. . . .
Well, just about all the major characters in the X-men have been dead or left for dead at least once. Logan would be dead a couple thousand times over if not for his healing factor. That said, yeah, the WIR stuff is totally old, especially when it comes to Wolverine.
Great post. Reminds me about Bonanza, where falling in love with one of the Cartwright boys (or even their dad) was a one-way ticket to an early grave.
Gine:
You and I have very different views on the relative merit of Scott and Logan. I have never been able to stand that red-eyed useless lump of flesh in any incarnation of X-Men. Bleh.
In terms of Jean being alive or dead, I was actually thinking of comic continuity, not movie continuity. But yes, int he third movie she did die, and it was shortly after she decided it would finally be a good idea to do Logan on the hospital table. Yay?
The Last Stand was one of the worst movies I’ve ever, ever seen. ever.
Came here through Shakesville, and all I’ve got to say is, “Hear hear!!”
“How many times have we lamented over a female character’s death that only served to further the emotional growth of the lead male(s)?”
WHAT emotional growth? All that they ever seem to learn is that there can be no closure without BLOODY REVENGE. Yeah, that’s really mature.
I’ve been thinking on this a little while, and I really think the problem isn’t the fact that the women die. It’s when they aren’t given personalities at all that it turns into an issue. I think that if there had been any actual emphasis on Kayla (? that was her name, right?)’s dillema and her reason for going along with the plots, it would have been much better. She could have had a gut-wrenching choice to make and Logan could have had a minute’s guilt about making her make that choice. Could have drawn some parallels between the pair of brothers and the pair of sisters. could have could have could have….but I still feel like, if she’d been developed farther and given some personality, and THEN died at the end, it would have been as tragic as it was supposed to be. And I DO find that tragedy compelling, when done well.
[...] May 4, 2009 · No Comments Have you noticed that, too? [...]
[...] May 4, 2009 · No Comments Have you noticed that, too? [...]
This is precisely one of the reasons the film was so disappointing to me.
Additionally, in the comics Silverfox (Kayla) was an active member of the Weapon X team, holding her own on missions, and she was First Nations (Blackfoot, I think). But I had such low expectations of this movie that I really didn’t care a whole lot; the wretched, character-mangling mess of X3 stopped me caring too much. And I’ve been an X-Men fan for more than 20 years.
At least in the comics, Jean fights to live and dies for good reasons, not just to provide man-angst.
thank you; i have been trying to articulate all of this since friday night.
the whole thing bugged me, as it always bugs me – she is nothing more than a colorful shell, built to hold all of her man’s softer emotions. in most cases, this seems to be ALL that female characters are for – to show that the guy has “good” or “nice” emotions, too… and when they need to stop being nice, how convient that all their “good” emotions were just killed…
which was extra stupid in *this* movie, because Wolverine was already shown as *HAVING* those “good” emotions BEFORE Kayla!
[...] X-Men Origins: Wolverine — Same Old Story at Feminist SF – The Blog! I am not very familiar with X-Men continuity in the comics, though I know some of it. I’ve seen every X-Men movie and, until recently, saw every animated incarnation. One thing I have not failed to notice is how the women Wolverine loves tend to die violent deaths, usually as a punishment to him. Really, the only safe thing you can do if Wolverine loves you is to run into the arms of another less compelling man and consign yourself to life with a tool (tags: gender comics x-men fridging) [...]
“The Last Stand was one of the worst movies I’ve ever, every seen. ever.”
Amen.
But… but… all those poor refrigerators out there are just WAITING for ladies to be put in them!! Think of the kitchen appliances!
[...] 7, 2009 by TS One cannot make this up: I am not very familiar with X-Men continuity in the comics, though I know some of it. I’ve seen [...]
If you want a good gender role reversal on the traditional narrative, watch Tank Girl.
The Long Kiss Goodnight is another good one.
I noticed the lack of development of the woman as well… not to mention the taste of racism and fatphobia. Do we really need to see a bunch of white men holding an african village at gunpoint? Do we really need to watch Wolverine pummel the shite out of fat man? The one black guy as a “good” character was cool, but he was killed of course. By a white guy. No thanks.
Last I checked, I’m pretty sure Jean is currently dead? In both the movies, and in the comics for the umpteenth time.
Wolverine’s curse is that any woman who gets near him seems to die. He can no longer afford to let anyone get close to him.
Jean’s curse is that she doesn’t stay dead. She can never find peace, she somehow just keeps being pulled back.
Really, the two would probably be perfect for each other.
Oh I just the site of over zealous morons in the morning. It’s sexist, it’s racist it’s blah blah blah. Gods dammit all, it’s a movie people. Get over yourselves. It’s not some arty “oh doom and the struggle of mankind” it’s a Hollywood movie to make money. Sit back, eat your popcorn, and go “Shit! He just! On a Motorcycle! FUCK YEAH!”
[...] Source:X-Men Origins: Wolverine — Same Old Story [...]
This is the best movie i ever seen!!!!
we just women, and we should act the way we are,.. feminist become worst and worst,.. you let yourself exhausted in the wrong way,.. wake up!!!
I just wana make happy family, not a selfish & feminist woman