tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post6251212115862142598..comments2024-03-16T14:29:04.010-04:00Comments on Lance Strate's Blog Time Passing: The Magneto QuestionLance Stratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13033954765699126246noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-57093578616760179012011-06-27T17:09:51.955-04:002011-06-27T17:09:51.955-04:00I agree that they have created a more well-rounded...I agree that they have created a more well-rounded, deeper character this way, if you look at the film only in terms of fictional narrative. But if you consider it as a cultural document, one that reflects attitudes and beliefs, and transmits memes, that's a different story, and anytime you have a character who is the only representative of a minority group in a popular narrative, that character become emblematic of that group, and typically stereotypical in some way.Lance Stratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033954765699126246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-53841736916291337802011-06-27T12:16:22.530-04:002011-06-27T12:16:22.530-04:00I do like how the character of Magneto has more fa...I do like how the character of Magneto has more facets in the movies instead of just being a two-note villain. In the comics, during the Stan Lee era, "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" had a nice hyperbolic ring to it -- the bad guys didn't need any further motivation than simply they wanted to take over the world. I give credit for the filmmakers for trying to add some complexity to the story and characters.Nick Leshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735641810049227247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-78664904844333933812011-06-27T11:46:25.542-04:002011-06-27T11:46:25.542-04:00The Kree-Skrull War hasn't made it to the movi...The Kree-Skrull War hasn't made it to the movies, at least not yet, but, the Skrulls are typical types of alien invaders from 50s SF movies, infiltrators taking the place of human beings, along the lines of <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> and <i>Invaders from Mars</i>, and it has often been noted that they correspond to Communism, or the American view of Communism. The Kree are a martial society, militaristic with fascist tendencies, and I'd relate them to the Nazis and Axis powers of World War II, which was still fresh in the memory of comics creators in the 60s. So it was the Communists vs. the Nazis/Fascists, two opposing groups of bad guys fighting each other, as they were wont to do, with us Earthers, purely American of course, in the middle as the only good guys.Lance Stratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033954765699126246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-78318335499765764412011-06-25T23:05:25.773-04:002011-06-25T23:05:25.773-04:00OK, so now post something about the Kree-Skrull wa...OK, so now post something about the Kree-Skrull war.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-83189816109458127402011-06-21T21:23:23.068-04:002011-06-21T21:23:23.068-04:00Yes, very much to the point, Bob, thank you!Yes, very much to the point, Bob, thank you!Lance Stratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13033954765699126246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9101859138648955033.post-51840853354481889272011-06-21T15:34:43.255-04:002011-06-21T15:34:43.255-04:00One way to view Magneto's Jewish expience and ...One way to view Magneto's Jewish expience and background as a motivator for evil actions is to see his Jewishness from an Arab (and antiSemitic) perspective. If you deny the Holocaust, if you are ignorant of Jewish culture and philosophy, Magneto's behavior is the perfect encapsulation of Israeli behavior in occupied Arab territories. He uses his persecution as a Jew AND as a mutant as justification for murder, mass murder (or mass mutant transformation in X-Men I) and for genetic warfare and mass destruction (X-Men II and III). Magneto behaves in the ruthless and efficient manner Holocaust detractors (speaking from the comfort of their modern middle class living rooms) expected of Nazi-controlled Jews. <br /><br />So, in multiple ways, Magneto's backstory is manipulative, political and absolute fantasy as a rationalization for villainous behavior. It is one sophisticated step above traditional negative Jewish stereotypes, now taking into account and deconstructing the Holocaust experience.Robert K. Blechmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12552295127347803870noreply@blogger.com