I’ve considered making a post like this for several months, and I’m starting to hate myself for dwelling on negatives lately, so it’s time I do this.

Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of various writers and/or their runs regarding use of Polaris. I’m only doing since 2012 because to be frank, I haven’t read everything Lorna’s been in, and I’m only really concerned with recent use anyway.

Just because I list a con doesn’t necessarily mean I think that con is a major travesty. Some are huge problems, some are minor things that are included for sake of honesty. This also does not mean my views won’t change over time. I might spot a problem at some future point that doesn’t look like a problem right now. Could even be something I currently think is good. Conversely, something that’s bad to me now might seem good later based on how things change.

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Mike Carey (X-Men Legacy, “Five Miles South of the Universe”)

Pros

• Subtly confirmed Polaris is a mutant again with her powers
• Confirmed Magneto is, in fact, Lorna’s father after the question was left open for too long
• Let Lorna and Magneto interact for the first time in about a decade
• Let Lorna demonstrate fine power capabilities again (altering molecules to patch up space station)
• Got Lorna and the rest of the Starjammers back to Earth after over a year of limbo so they could take part in X-Men/Marvel stories there

Cons

• Had Polaris mind-controlled yet again, by Friendless

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Peter David

Pros

• Provided Lorna’s origin story, after over 40 years without one
• Provided Lorna interacting with her brother Pietro for most of ANXF, and sister Wanda for one issue of ANXF
• Gave Lorna a leadership role of a team in her own right for the first time in over 40 years (before this, she was “substitute leader” for Havok, Magneto and Madrox)
• Teased the notion of a romance between Polaris and Gambit; important, since Havok is literally the only love interest Lorna’s been allowed to have since Iceman in the late 60s while Havok’s had several
• Was able to capture the playful “zinger” side of her personality well
• At least had a good reason for team costumes for ANXF

Cons

• Bias against Magneto meant he tried to keep the two apart, wrote Lorna disparaging Magneto more than once
• Opposition to characters he’s writing taking part in bigger events meant Marvel had an excuse to exclude Lorna from Axis and other events
• Very poor representation of Lorna’s mental/emotional issues in early parts of All-New X-Factor
• ANXF #3-6 increasingly treated Lorna like “leader in name only” with Gambit acting more like the leader and Lorna like a member of his team; e.g. Gambit inviting Danger to the team while Lorna’s written as annoyed but getting no say in the membership of her own team (mostly changed for the better starting with ANXF #7)
• Except with ANXF #243, tendency to disregard work of other previous writers and act like things they did are things he’s doing brand new
• Prioritized team costumes over costumes that showed character individuality

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Marjorie Liu

Pros

• Acknowledged Lorna’s history with Iceman as one of his past love interest
• Acknowledged Lorna (along with Gambit) had been one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen
• Let Lorna talk about things other than Iceman in the few panels she had

Cons

• Didn’t acknowledge Lorna’s specific history as the first love interest Iceman had in publication chronology
• Didn’t have a moment of Lorna interacting with Nurse Annie (though they did share a panel with no words, sort of acknowledging that history)

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Alan Davis (Savage Hulk, “The Man Within”)

Pros

• Included Polaris in the story, in effect acknowledging she existed and played a minor role in the original story the arc was based on
• Gave her slightly more presence than cameo via version of her imagined by Bruce Banner
• Actually acknowledged and used the importance of Lorna’s headgear in the story – something almost nobody does

Cons

• I guess… not more presence of Lorna? The “Jean taking Hulk power” mindscape bit would’ve been more interesting with Lorna in her place IMO. All that green and atypical for Marvel to let Lorna be powerful instead of Claremont’s preferred women.

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Cullen Bunn

Pros

• Got Polaris and Magneto back together interacting as father and daughter
• Acknowledged Lorna’s history with both Genosha and Marauders/Malice
• Brought Lorna onto X-Men Blue as a teacher for the teen O5 (incl. great few panels in Blue #16)
• Let her be team leader of the last X-Men in an alternate future (Deadpool & Mercs for Money)
• Awareness of how powerful Lorna can be shown in multiple instances
• Able to capture her “darker” side, especially playful dark in Blue #16

Cons

• Poor representation of how she would react in certain situations given her history (surprise attack on mansion, discovering the Malice costume suddenly on her body, etc)
• Tendency to do opposite of Peter David and make Magneto look good at Lorna’s expense (changed for the better with Blue #15)
• Presented X-Men Blue #9 as the big return of Polaris after two years of forced limbo, only to have Havok completely hijack her spotlight (in addition to Havok getting a Blue event focused on him next year)
• Having Lorna interact with Havok at all when she needs more time to establish herself without his presence first

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Dennis Hopeless (Secret Wars: House of M)

Pros

• Acknowledged Lorna as part of the Magnus family/House of M and used it
• Demonstrated Lorna with great intellect, strategic thinking, and power use
• Showed Lorna providing support for her father and his kingdom
• Lorna got to interact with Black Cat, tease idea of working together in thievery

Cons

• Pietro treated very poorly, and Magneto poorly in a couple spots, for Lorna’s benefit (not needed)
• Not enough of a dynamic with her sister Wanda

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Gifted writers

Pros

• Excellent representation of Lorna’s dark side and vicious, unfliching support/protection of mutants
• Hilarious and awesome training methods for her students on display
• Co-leadership role alongside Thunderbird
• Though presently low-powered (as needed for a show), versatility and creativity to her power set demonstrated repeatedly
• Great moments of Polaris and Dreamer, best friends, working together on missions
• Polaris in a romantic relationship (Eclipse) that’s actually good, giving her the care and respect in her own right that Marvel’s almost never given her

Cons

• Didn’t make very good use of Lorna’s time in prison (e.g. could’ve forged alliances, made contacts for outside prison) and did it too soon
• Brought in a pregnancy storyline way too soon
• Randomly, pointlessly killed off Dreamer and all the potential the Polaris and Dreamer duo had
• Just generally don’t know how to do character death right, following the godawful comic book philosophy of cheap deaths out of nowhere instead of proper build-up and catharsis seen on countless other TV shows (Once Upon a Time, Walking Dead, etc)