Discrimination is the “unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things.
Especially on the grounds of race, age or sex”
Politics are heavily involved with civil rights movements. This makes it difficult to talk about real-world issues.
One solution to this problem is fiction.
In the X-Men Universe, the mutant “X gene” is the source of all the prejudice and discrimination.
“It is also the gene that opens the story to any number of possibilities, including social commentary.
Explicitly referenced in several issues is the comparison between anti-mutantism and anti-semitism.” (Racadio, 90)
Magneto’s experience in a concentration camp is the foundation of his beliefs about mutants’ civil rights.
The X-Men feature characters
Characters are from multiple religious and racial backgrounds.
Nightcrawler is a devout Catholic shown praying to God throughout all the films.
Storm is played by Halle Berry, who is biracial.
In the comics, Storm represents a multicultural perspective with her mother from Kenya and her father, who is African-American.
The X-Men Universe features widespread discrimination which targets a diverse population.
“Mutants all over the planet are able to come together as a whole and defend their equal rights,
despite being a group compiled of largely varied cultures and homelands” (Racadio, 90).
This unity is idealistic. In reality, intersectionality can make unity complicated. Being from more than one minority group, you may face more prejudice and feel alone even if you’re with other people of your race or gender.
The comics strived to show that persecution of any minority stems from feelings of hatred and bigotry.
“Religion is an integral part of several X-Men storylines. It is presented as both a positive and negative force sometimes in the same story.” (Racadio, 91)
Showing both positives and negatives is essential to social commentary. It provides depth to stories and allows for multiple interpretations.
Source List
Racadio, Tim (2019) “X-Men and Social Diversity,” SWOSU Sayre Student Anthology: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 66. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/sayre_student_anthology/vol1/iss1/66