I’ve been busy. Haven’t been able to post some stuff because of more pressing matters. Now that I have time, it’s time for me to post something I’ve had on my mind for days.
Brevoort and Remender conducted this conference call on Monday. I didn’t read it. Based on the actions I’ve seen them take and the statements they’ve made, nothing they do is really worth reading. However, I did skim. And this is what I saw out of Brevoort’s mouth.
“That’s something that Marvel creators have done virtually since the beginning. This is not different from that, whether you’re talking about Sabretooth being in a new role or all the stuff with the High Evolutionary or who Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s parents are this week.”
I really wish I could do an underline. Note that italicized part within the bolded text.
This is a deliberate insult aimed at both fans and the source material itself. Brevoort is not stupid here. He knew exactly how to phrase his answer to make it sound like it’s a common, everyday occurrence to see Wanda and Pietro get some stupid retcon of their parentage. He went out of his way to make it sound like this kind of change happens to the twins all the time.
Newsflash for anyone not in the know: forcing this kind of retcon, where Wanda and Pietro are now suddenly no longer Magneto’s kids, is not common. They were confirmed as Magneto’s kids for over 30 years. They’ve done countless storylines to build upon and reinforce this element of their characters.
Saying Wanda and Pietro’s parents change every week is like saying the way Batman’s parents died changes every week. It’s like saying how Superman came to Earth changes every week. It’s saying one of the core, critical, defining elements of who these characters are and who they’ve become is completely worthless.
It’s destroying the characters from the inside.
There’s a small number of fans for these characters that don’t like Wanda and Pietro being part of the family. I would be an asshole if I did not state and admit that, and say their voices aren’t valid. However. Just because THOSE fans care more about other aspects of the characters does not mean those aspects are worthless. By taking away that aspect of who Wanda and Pietro are, they are no longer the same characters anymore. They are permanently changed. They are redefined entirely, and lose all semblance of the heart and soul that made so many people enjoy them.
Besides, if we’re being really, truly honest about the complaints that made these fans feel the forced retcon is a good thing, then here it is: nearly all the reasons I see amount to “too much of the twins’ characters are defined by being Magneto’s kids.” That’s all. And you know what? In THAT sense, they just might be right. Maybe they do need more attention paid to who they are separate from their relationships to their father.
But that doesn’t turn “excise them from the family entirely” into the right answer, any more than if you claimed the answer to problems with race relations in the workplace is to not hire black people.
That’s my spiel. I hope this opens some eyes, because while I never really cared about Wanda and Pietro when I was young, I DO care about developing an interest in them as their own characters through their relationships with their half-sister Lorna. And until they’re returned to being Magneto’s kids again, that’s never going to happen for me.
salarta 