If someone were to ask you this really offbeat question, "If you had super-powers, what would it be?", your answer could range from the likes of 'Spider man' to 'Wolverine'. When a very dear friend of mine asked me this same very question a few years ago I admit I was stumped! I wanted the most coolest powers ever so I think I said 'Superman' in the spur of the moment. However, the bloody question left me wondering if there was a super powered character even more powerful than good old 'Superman' and also much more importantly, why I could not connect with the fact that if possible I wanted to be just like 'Superman'! Loooool! That question became my favorite research topic and within a few weeks I emerged realizing that I answered that question wrong! I also realized it was not the super powers that I got wrong, it was the character I chose to identify with or idolize. I am NO 'Superman'. Even if given a chance I would NEVER manage to be the man of steel, fight for justice and blah blah. So who did I identify with???
In the 2000s, Marvel Comics brought Grant Morrison on as writer for its once premier comic title 'X-Men' with a very specific task - make the title a critical and commercial success again! Yes, the sales figures for that title had dropped so drastically that Marvel was in fear that it may have to cancel its most lucrative franchise. Long story short, Grant did just that. His run on the title was MIND BLOWING! He cut down the team size, the super heroics, the funny costumes and threw away the tradition of long and complicated plot lines. He created a core team which was his cast and to it he added a reformed super villainess introduced way back in 1980! If you've read the series you know I'm talking about the one and only 'Emma Frost or The White Queen'. Whilst you must understand this character has been around for decades, it's Grant's version of her that made a mark on not only me but countless other X-Men comic book readers!
The moment I realized I identified with Emma's character I was zapped! Struck my lightening! What made me identify myself with her? Wasn't she a super villain at some point of time? Weren't her powers lame (telepathy and the ability to change into a diamond)? Wasn't she a self centered, vain and sarcastic woman? Wasn't her ego the size of Mount Everest? Would I leave my Dad around her? Suddenly, the character seemed pretty real. Aren't we all a little self centered? Don't we all feel proud of the way we are and how we carry ourselves? Who doesn't love good old sarcasm? The more I thought the more I was enamored with this very modern character. I went back and re read Grant Morrison's run again just to double check if I got it right. Lo and behold, I identified myself with a psychotic bitch!
And that's my answer now a days to everyone who asks me why I'm such a bitch! 'Breeding, darling. Top class breeding!'. Loooool! Well what I'm trying to say here is in todays world we always seem to find or be surrounded by many eager people at work, near home and even at home who are ready to pass judgment by saying something vicious or catty about you or the situation you are in. Most of the times we respond with 'F#$% off!' or 'What's it to you a@# h#$%?'. However, if you re examine the situation and your own response statement later you will find that technically you did not get the last laugh by getting abusive. It only shows how weak and vulnerable you are. It is imperative that when you do respond to some catty or vicious comment you leave them looking for words, fingers curled tight into a fist and red faced. Score 1 for Ms. Frost! Filled with the most witty come backs, she puts everyone in their place. That was the first quality/character aspect I could easily identify with or relate to.
Next quality - Vanity. Vain and proud of who she is. Admitted, in today's world you have either people who are filled with self conscious loathing or the exact opposite, which is the 'I'm better than thou' attitude. If you ask me, I find myself floating in the latter boat rather than always finding faults with myself. Isn't that what people around you are for? To find faults in you and keep highlighting it? So isn't it better to just be vain and proud of yourself and let the world around you do all the fault finding and research about what makes you evil? True it's not the best personality type but in todays criminal urban world doesn't that actually get you by many difficult situations at work or in your relationship? Score 2 for Ms. Frost!
Apathy, the exact opposite of Empathy. Ok, Emma's super powers is telepathy and to turn into a walking talking diamond. Yup, you heard that right. However, when she is in her diamond form she cannot feel any emotions or even read other peoples minds. That's what I found to be wildly interesting/exciting. With the amount of heart ache an average urban woman or man suffers wouldn't it just be awesome to turn into your diamond form and switch off all those crummy feelings like sadness, anguish, rejection, anger blah blah. I immediately remembered so many days in the past when I would have done anything to be completely devoid of any and all emotions. Score 3 for Ms. Frost's super powers!
"The betrayals all in your head, Scott.". Emma is credited with breaking up Marvels premiere mutant couple i.e. Scott Summers aka Cyclops and Jean Grey aka Phoenix. Scott and Jean have been around since the 60s as a young couple, then Jean went and died in the early 80s and came back to life in late 80s (don't ask how, lol but it's common in comic books). Scott was married at the time of Jean's return to Jean's very own clone - Madelyn Prior! Of course Scott left Maddy and their mutant son Nathan for Jean's wide open waiting arms! Maddy went insane, developed her own super powers and had to be killed off so that Jean wouldn't look like a total slut and Cyclops a slag! Well, karma ALWAYS catches up and this time a la Emma. What I found very interesting in this love triangle is that Emma did not engage in a physical relationship with Scott. It was only a telepathic affair i.e. it happened in their minds. Of course stupid thing for Emma to do as Jean is a omega level mutant telepath and it would only be a matter of time before she found out, but Emma had absolutely no qualms about the whole thing as it was only a thought in her head which she happened to share with Scott. Don't we all have 'thoughts'? <grin>. The point I'm trying to make here is that even if you have such 'thoughts' it doesn't make you a bad person, just a normal human who happens not to be prude! If Emma was such a bitch for just thinking, are we all not also to blame?! Well at the end of Grant's run he kills off Jean and unites Scott and Emma. Whoa! Score 4 for Emma!
The Knight in shining armour syndrome. Come on, admit it, we all fall into either the knight in shining armour personality type or the damsel in distress personality type (if you refute this fact, you happen to be alien from Mars!). Emma is no different. However, she choses not to play the damsel in distress role instead wants to be the knight in shining armour. Maybe not the best as you can see in her interaction above with Angel as here all she cares about is finding a 'pet project' which will make her feel 'good' for having rescued someone. Who cares what Emma's selfish needs are, the point here is that she doesn't want to be rescued and instead looks for people to rescue. Score 5 for independant Emma!
When Grant Morrison ended his critical and highly acclaimed run on New X-Men, along came Joss Whedon (creator, script writer and owner of 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' series) who picked from where Grant left off with his cast of characters and took the X-Men to astonishing heights! Apart from Emma's usual sarcasm, he established a tiny but very interesting fact - Emma is her own best friend first! What I mean here is that we all have best friends and so does Emma, but how many of us are happy with our own company if our best friends are unavailable? Emma accepts the fact that there are days when she has to stand alone due to what ever reasons and she's more than happy to do so. Speaking solely for myself, it took me approx. 28 years to become my own best friend i.e. investing and enjoying 'me' time! Score 5 for Emma! You rock!
Well, I could go on and on about Ms. Emma Frost's qualities and why she appeals to me but I do want to leave some aspect a mystery for you. Maybe you might just go out and read some of Grant Morrison's New X-Men run?! Also after reading this article a lot of you may just find it strange for a 'man' to identify with a 'woman', and if that does not irk you, then the sheer fact that such a woman could even be considered 'inspiring'! But hey that's what I'm here to do right? Tell you that today's young urban man does not find it belittling to look up to a strong minded woman or for that matter want his woman to be Ms. Goody two shoes! I for one love this comic character, her personality and her abilities. Apart from rocking the X-Men franchise, Emma Frost managed to creep into the hearts of many comics fans including me.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article. Maybe you can go back and think of which comic character you'd like to be if ever given the chance! Before I love and leave you all here is one last clip of the 'humane' Emma... Yup, you heard that right, in spite of everything she still is a good human being.
