Ever since we read X-Men in class, I fell in love with it. From the characters and their complexity, to the idea of a bunch of misfits banning together in order to save the world was something that I championed. This is exactly the reason why I chose to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past.
I actually stumbled upon it while I was house sitting, of all things. I saw the DVD collection in their living room. When I started watching it, I must admit I was confused at first, because I had not watched any of the other X-Men. However, as soon as I got into it, it became apparent to me that this was soon to be my favorite set of heroes. In particular, the character of Charles Xavier fascinated me. In this movie, we get introduced to a much younger Xavier, when Wolverine tries to go back in time and mend the past. Xavier is much younger, he can walk, and he has a bad attitude. Wolverine finds Xavier and Beast at the school that Xavier created, however, it is nothing but a house that they both live in and not a school at all. The much younger Xavier decides that in order to walk, he is willing to give up his powers. He takes medication in order for this to be accomplished. This is the part of the movie that really fascinated me. When the movie pans to the younger Xavier taking his medication, it is set up to look as if he is shooting heroin into his body. Later on in the movie, he decides to stop taking this medication in order to regain his powers, and he starts experiencing signs of relapsing. He tells Wolverine that he cannot handle it, and all of his emotions are literally unbearable for him. In his quest to save Raven, his powers are not as strong as they use to be because he is still coming off of the medication, much like a recovering addict when come off of a drug. It soon became apparent to me that much like the many social and political issues we discuss in our class concerning superheroes and what they stand for, Charles Xavier created a voice for people with disability. This metanarrative of the hero always being the fastest, strongest, and abled, had been deconstructed into something different. Xavier is mentally stronger when he cannot walk. He is a better hero when he cannot walk. He overall, is a better person when he cannot walk. He copes with his emotions, he is kind to others, and he uses his powers for good. Obviously, this idea was originated within the comics, but this was my first glance into the character that is Xavier. I think out of every comic book and superhero that we have discussed in this class, Xavier has been the most original. His character creates agency for disability studies within the superhero genre, and that is something we should celebrate. Many of the critics share my same sentiment on Metacritic. One critic writes: "For better or worse, X-Men: Days Of Future Past is the first Marvel movie to truly embrace comics-style storytelling." Many of the other critics shared this same thought, that the movie did a great job of sticking to the genre that is comics. I would have to agree with this statement. Although the genre of superheroes can be relatable to social and political issues, there still needs to be an element of embracing an entirely different world that is not human. X-Men: Days of Future Past runs with this.
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