I just got done responding to a guy on a message board presenting as a Polaris fan (I’m starting to question whether or not he is) who posted in a Polaris-based thread badmouthing three characters. I feel like I need to make a post detailing my opposition to any such claims from him or anyone else.

He badmouthed Quicksilver as supposedly being “whiny and a crybaby character.” He claimed Emma Dumont was saying she wanted to dress as female Pietro for Halloween “in jest” despite her repeatedly speaking well of her interest in him.

He badmouthed the idea of Scarlet Witch exploring magic storylines in her solo comic book, framing it as if it was a mistake entirely because it didn’t focus exclusively on the Magnus family. I will say here that I think Wanda’s severed connections did hurt the book a great deal and led to its low sales, but this guy was acting like magic storylines for Wanda themselves are bad, in essence saying she has no worth beyond any ties she might have.

The worst was his attitude about Iceman. He put down the idea of Lorna interacting with him while badmouthing his recent reveal as gay. The guy called Iceman’s reveal of being gay “forced,” “dumb,” and said things like “he don’t know if he’s gay or not.” He tried to spin Iceman’s homosexuality as some kind of barrier to other stories being told, instead of the additional character aspect to be explored alongside other stories that it actually is.

So let me be clear: every single one of these “complaints” was bullshit.

Pietro, Wanda, any character out there is full of amazing potential both for their relationships and all by themselves. That’s what makes characters interacting with each other so amazing. They bring their own things to the table. Anything entirely one-sided is an injustice to all characters involved and the full potential of whatever story is told.

Iceman being gay is not a limitation. It’s an awesome opportunity full of potential. There is so much that can be done on his own and specifically with Lorna and her long history with him. Representation matters, and I want to see their interactions with that representation fully intact.

If someone that’s a Polaris fan or someone claiming to be a Polaris fan is badmouthing your favorite character, or attacking much-needed representation, then I apologize for what they’re doing. They don’t speak for me, and I doubt they speak for most Lorna fans.