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Anole (comics)
Encyclopedia
Anole is a fiction
al mutant
superhero
in the Marvel Universe
. He was created by Christina Weir
and Nunzio DeFilippis
and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 (August 2003). A student at the Xavier Institute
and junior member of the X-Men
, Anole is one of the few openly gay
characters in the Marvel Universe. His reptilian mutation grants him superhuman abilities including wallcrawling, a prehensile tongue, and adaptive camouflage.
Initially a supporting character in New Mutants vol. 2 and its relaunched title, New X-Men: Academy X
, Weir and DeFilippis intended for the character to commit suicide
early in the series after coming out
as gay and finding himself rejected by his family and friends. According to the writers, the story was to serve as a message about intolerance. Marvel editors scrapped the story due to concerns about the controversy it might generate. The storyline was rewritten and the character survived. He since became a fan favorite and began to be featured regularly throughout the series and as a main character in subsequent X-Men-related titles, including New X-Men and the short-lived Young X-Men
.
vol. 2 #2 in August 2003. Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis originally wrote a storyline for New Mutants that was to take place between issues 8 and 10. The plot involved Victor committing suicide
after coming out
as gay and being rejected by his parents and his friends, serving as "a powerful message about what intolerance can do to people." Due to the controversial subject matter, the storyline was dropped, with Victor coming from an accepting family and hometown.
Despite only rare initial appearances as a supporting character, Victor developed a fan following. Victor was given the codename "Anole" (əˈnoʊliː), a kind of lizard
frequently and incorrectly known as an American chameleon
, after it was suggested to Weir and DeFilippis by a fan via a post on their forum. He continued to make numerous appearances during Craig Kyle
and Chris Yost
's run on New X-Men
(2nd Series), having a more active role in the plots than most of the other background characters.
Anole was featured as a main character beginning in New X-Men vol. 2 #37, illustrated by comic book artist Skottie Young
. He was later added to the New X-Men as a teammate. Anole was a "pretty early pick" for new additions to the team, according to Yost, who felt that Anole had a decent set of abilities and represented "a kind of level-headed, good, normal kid." Additionally, Yost and Kyle felt adding Anole and the character Pixie to the New X-Men team gave the roster "tonal balance" and the opportunity to slightly "twist and warp" the characters through darker events to come in the series. While alluded to since his first main appearances in the franchise and confirmed off-panel during their run by DiFilippis and Weir and in Marvel character profiles, it was during this series in New X-Men (2nd Series) #43 that Anole's gay identity was stated and dealt with explicitly on-panel for the first time.
When the series ended, Anole was featured in a vignette
entitled "Blend In" written and illustrated by Young in X-Men: Divided We Stand
#1. The story explored the effects of the darker events in Yost and Kyle's run on younger characters such as Anole, Young feeling that younger characters were often improperly characterized like mature adults in how they dealt with large, traumatic events in comic series. He described his decision to illustrate and write about Anole as "a natural choice" and that he wanted to flesh out his previously unknown backstory, claiming that drawing Anole for a year during his time on New X-Men allowed him to understand the character. In developing Anole's backstory, Young also established the character's hometown as his own—Fairbury, Illinois
. Young added that he chose to write Anole's divestment from the X-Men at the conclusion of the story in a way that would allow him to explore more of the character's future decisions and experiences at another time. Anole would later reappear as a team member in the main cast of Young X-Men
as of Young X-Men #6 and as a supporting character in X-Men franchise crossover events such as X-Men: Manifest Destiny
, Secret Invasion: X-Men
, and X-Men: Nation X
.
where he quickly excels academically.
When the advisor system is set up at the Xavier Institute, Victor chooses Karma
as his advisor and is given the code name Anole. During the formation of training squads throughout the school, he is reassigned to Northstar
's Alpha Squadron
where he serves as the squad leader. At first, he is depicted as close friends with fellow student Julian Keller
and the other students in the Hellions Squadron, but later becomes closer to his teammates. He is especially close to his mentor Northstar, who helps him to come to terms with his sexuality. Anole is deeply affected by Northstar's death, stating that Northstar understood him and was important as a figure he could confide in.
, also known as Decimation
or "M-Day." The squad system is dissolved and the remaining students are merged into one group. Shortly afterward, Emma Frost
sets up an all-out brawl amongst the remaining students to determine who will become the new team of X-Men trainees (dubbed the "New X-Men"); Victor is not selected for the squad, but remains at the school. When a resurrected
and brainwashed Northstar returns with his sister Aurora
and attacks the Institute, Anole finds him and is able to temporarily snap him out of the mind control set in place by the Children of the Vault. However, Anole's joy at seeing his former mentor is short-lived, as Northstar returns to his mind-controlled status and knocks him out. The school is later attacked by Reverend William Stryker and his army of mutant-exterminating Purifiers
. This results in a bus full of Anole's classmates being killed and the murder of other friends at the school.
"The Quest for Magik," Anole and his classmates are sucked down into the dimension of Limbo
by the demon Belasco
. They are soon attacked by a large group of demons, and Anole takes charge, rallying the students around the defenseless Blindfold
, only to have his right arm severed at the shoulder by a demon. Later he is trapped in stone by the machinations of Darkchilde
as she attempts to create a powerful Soulsword from Pixie's soul. Anole manages to break himself free and stop Darkchilde from completing the process, saving Pixie. Anole then finds that he has generated a larger and stronger reptilian arm replacing the one he lost, a previously unknown aspect of his mutation. The arm itself is spikey, resembling his scalp, with razor sharp claws. After helping to defeat Belasco, Anole and Pixie are made members of the New X-Men squad on recommendation of Rockslide
, who threatens to quit if they are not appointed to the team.
Rockslide and X-23
later try to convince Anole to cut off his other arm in order to generate a stronger replacement. When he refuses, Rockslide calls him a sissy
, which Anole finds offensive enough for him to reveal his sexual identity to Rockslide and attack him. Rockslide apologizes, swearing that he did not know. Later, in a misguided attempt at group bonding, Rockslide voices his acceptance of Anole's sexuality, outing
him to some of the other students, though Loa
states that she was already aware and that everyone already knew.
As a member of the New X-Men, Anole takes part in various missions with the team, including the events leading up to X-Men: Messiah Complex
and through to its conclusion when Cyclops
officially closes the school and disbands the X-Men. With the school closed, Anole returns to his family in Fairbury, Illinois.
, unhappy to see his former mentor. At first, Northstar makes jokes, thinking Anole is having a problem with fitting in as both a mutant and as a gay teen. However, Anole explains that his town accepts him for who he is and that his problems come from Northstar, along with the other X-Men, for providing the students under their care with a poor education, stealing their innocence by constantly exposing them to danger, and then throwing them away by disbanding. Planning to run away, Anole leaves a note for his parents at the tree house and elbows Northstar in the face—similar to how Northstar attacked him in the past—and tells him to tell all of the former New X-Men not to come looking for him.
, "a place renowned for its tolerance of mutants and... other minorities," a reference to Anole's gay identity. Moving to San Francisco, he engages in various missions with the Young X-Men, including assisting during the Skrull invasion of San Francisco
.
When his teammate Dust
dies from a hidden medical condition brought on by her fight with Magma
, Anole once again voices his opinions about leaving the team as they are constantly put in danger with mortal consequences. However, Dust is revived by teammate Ink
and she convinces the team not to disband.
storyline, the X-Men leave their San Francisco base
and establish the island "Utopia" for mutants on the remains of Asteroid M
. The anthology series Nation X
explores the characters' reactions to this relocation, with Anole featuring in his own story, "Big Boy Pants". The story depicts Cannonball
teaching the younger X-Men how to farm their own crops, but Anole argues that it is a waste of time since they could just buy their food from a store. He looks to Magik for agreement, but she responds by teleporting him to Limbo for five days without food or water. Eventually she returns to bring him water, and Anole tells her that he learned his lesson: without their own food supply, the mutant race could die. Magik informs him that this was not a lesson and that she merely sent him to Limbo because she was sick of looking at him. She returns them both to Utopia and Anole resumes farming, too afraid of Magik to tell anyone what happened. He is almost killed by the mutant Sack
, who wanted his own corner of Utopia.
Anole has a minor appearance in the Nation X story in Uncanny X-Men; he and the other students grant Rogue
their combined powers to battle Predator Xs. He also appears in the miniseries X-Men: Pixie Strkes Back, helping save Pixie and the female New X-Men from the demon Saturnine, and the one-shot Cloak and Dagger
, in which he supports Dagger after she learns she is not a mutant.
crossover storyline, Anole appears prominently in the three issue tie-in series X-Men: Hellbound. In it, he joins a team of X-Men in rescuing Magik from Limbo after she is sent there by Bastion's
forces. Cannonball chooses Anole for the mission to provide moral support for Pixie, whose teleportation ability they require to travel to Limbo. Anole and Pixie are extremely reluctant to risk themselves for Magik, who they believe does not deserve to be saved, but decide to go because they are heroes. In Limbo, Anole fends off demons and bickers with Cannonball; he also takes out his teammate Dazzler
when she is corrupted by Limbo's influence. In the end, Pixie and Anole somewhat resolve their issues with Magik and the team return home.
In the aftermath of Second Coming, Anole appears in the Collision story in X-Men: Legacy. He joins Rogue, Magneto, Loa and Indra
on a trip to Mumbai
.
mutation gives him green scaly skin, a spiked head carapace instead of hair, a prehensile sticky tongue, the ability to stick to solid surfaces, and enhanced agility, speed, reflexes, coordination, and balance. He can also rapidly camouflage himself through physiological color change to his surroundings to become "invisible." He can grow back lost limbs
but they appear scaled and reptilian like his carapace and grant him a higher level of strength. His new arm has sharp claws at the ends of his fingers that he can use for attack purposes. Beast
confirmed that whenever Anole loses a limb, a stronger version of that limb grows in, though Anole is reluctant to risk further transformation.
characters Wiccan
and Hulkling
are gay before being cut off and Anole attacking Rockslide for calling him a "sissy," Rockslide shouting that he "didn't know" and that he "shouldn't be so sensitive." In the following issue, Anole's sexuality was officially stated outright for the first time when Rockslide announces, "Anole's gay!" in an attempt to quickly get the remaining students to bond with each other by opening up about their secrets. Despite Rockslide's vocal acceptance of his sexuality, Anole was outraged, though Loa stated that his classmates already knew.
Since then, Anole's sexual orientation has been handled more openly, being directly referred to as "gay." When discussing further story development of Anole's sexuality during their run on New X-Men, Yost and Kyle stated that they had no plans to further cover the issue, emphasizing that Anole would be able to work out any issues he had regarding his sexuality or his lack of reconciliation with his former mentor Northstar by covering them off-panel with fellow teammate Rockslide. Anole would later confront a rehabilitated Northstar in the X-Men: Divided We Stand vignette "Blend In," revealing that contrary to Jean-Paul's assumptions, he experienced no difficulties being accepted as a mutant or gay from his family or residents of his hometown, and instead experienced posttraumatic stress disorder and a sense of being used and abandoned after his time with the X-Men.
During his review of X-Men: Divided We Stand, writer Dustin Christian of For the Love of Comics Reviews expressed pleasant surprise upon realizing Anole's sexuality and praised writers Yost and Kyle for their handling of the character during their creative run on New X-Men, stating, "It’s cool to see a gay character depicted in a non-stereotypical fashion so that their orientation doesn’t define everything they do and someone like me wouldn’t even know that about them."
In the vignette "Abomination" featured in X-Men: Manifest Destiny, Anole and his Young X-Men teammate Jonas Graymalkin have a talk where Graymalkin discusses his past and reveals that he too is gay and was a victim of a near-fatal homophobic attack at the hands of his father. Anole reassures him that he will be alright and the two form a friendship. Lyle Masaki of Logo
's AfterElton.com expressed interest in this development, stating that, "[w]ith the small number of gay superheroes out there, camaraderie between gay characters is as rare as same-sex couples."
A scrapped story plot in New Mutants vol. 2 involved Anole committing suicide after coming out at Parent's Day and being shunned by his parents and two closest friends, Josh
and Julian
for his sexual orientation. The storyline was originally written to take place in issues 8–10.
The storyline involved Anole's parents and others becoming outraged when some parents witness his instructor Karma kissing another woman. Anole reacts to his parents' outrage by defending her and outing himself. Rejected and disowned by his parents, he seeks solace in Josh
and Julian, but also finds himself rejected by them. This causes him to commit suicide. The story resulted in Josh discovering Anole's body while attempting to apologize for his reaction, serving as impetus for him to reform his attitudes while Julian would maintain what would later be revealed to be a facade of indifference. Northstar, as Marvel's "highest profile homosexual," would be a key character in pointing out Karma's difficulties being accepted because of her sexuality by the students' parents, as well as the absurdity of a gay student killing himself over rejection in a school for outcasts. Weir and DeFilippis stated that in addition to being a message about intolerance, the story would serve as a key factor in redeeming Elixir from his initial introduction as an anti-mutant bigot while solidifying Julian's character as "cruel".
Though issue 8 was printed and issue 9 drawn, Marvel put a hold on releasing the issues due to the storyline's controversial nature. Both writers state that ideas to "soft-pedal" the issue were fetched to them, including eliminating Karma's lesbian kiss, having it off-panel, or Northstar never actually stating his sexual orientation. The writers compromised, depicting the same-sex kiss on-panel and silhouetted. Regardless, Marvel eventually decided to scrap the issues, intending to release issue 10 as issue 8. The writers objected, noting that issue 10 featured the school still dealing with Anole's suicide and would leave Josh's change in character unexplained. Weir and DeFilippis convinced editors to allow them to write a new story last minute from the artwork of the old storyline and changed the dialogue while removing all references to the suicide and changing the reasons for Josh's reformation. Weir and DeFilippis later stated that they were happier with losing this plot, as they did not like the direction it would have taken Julian as a character, noting that, "[t]he Julian who developed since then is not a guy who'd have a problem with Victor being gay. In fact, he'd wipe the walls with anyone who did."
Pink Kryptonite staff writer Megan Parker ("Elf Girl") expressed displeasure with the original storyline and relief with the final changes, stating that, "[killing] off a gay character to further a straight character's development to a 'better human being,'" was understandable as an intended message about intolerance, but "just a bit overused."
continuity
(also called "Earth-616
,"), he has also been depicted in other fictional universes and alternate futures.
changed reality to one where mutants were the dominant species, Anole was a Junior S.H.I.E.L.D.
operative being trained by Northstar.
, and an incapacitated and greatly aged Ink. Dust suddenly appears, now greatly changed in her appearance and persona with altered powers, and proceeds to confront and easily kill each member. Anole tries in vain to reason with her. Defeated, he asks her why she is doing this and she replies that mutants are a "plague upon the earth" and that she has become "the cure", before killing him with her powers.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He was created by Christina Weir
Christina Weir
Christina Weir is a writer of comic books and television. She writes with her husband, Nunzio DeFilippis, whom she met while they were both students at Vassar College....
and Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis is an American writer of comic books and television. He writes with his wife, Christina Weir, whom he met while they were both students at Vassar College. The two have written for two seasons on HBO's Arli$$, and have sold story ideas to the Disney Channel's Kim Possible...
and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 (August 2003). A student at the Xavier Institute
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
and junior member of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, Anole is one of the few openly gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
characters in the Marvel Universe. His reptilian mutation grants him superhuman abilities including wallcrawling, a prehensile tongue, and adaptive camouflage.
Initially a supporting character in New Mutants vol. 2 and its relaunched title, New X-Men: Academy X
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
, Weir and DeFilippis intended for the character to commit suicide
Teenage suicide
Teenage suicide in the United States remains comparatively high in the 15 to 24 age group with 4,000 suicides in this age range in 2004, making it the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24...
early in the series after coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay and finding himself rejected by his family and friends. According to the writers, the story was to serve as a message about intolerance. Marvel editors scrapped the story due to concerns about the controversy it might generate. The storyline was rewritten and the character survived. He since became a fan favorite and began to be featured regularly throughout the series and as a main character in subsequent X-Men-related titles, including New X-Men and the short-lived Young X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
.
Publication history
Victor Borkowski first appears in New MutantsNew Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
vol. 2 #2 in August 2003. Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis originally wrote a storyline for New Mutants that was to take place between issues 8 and 10. The plot involved Victor committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
after coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay and being rejected by his parents and his friends, serving as "a powerful message about what intolerance can do to people." Due to the controversial subject matter, the storyline was dropped, with Victor coming from an accepting family and hometown.
Despite only rare initial appearances as a supporting character, Victor developed a fan following. Victor was given the codename "Anole" (əˈnoʊliː), a kind of lizard
Polychrotidae
Polychrotidae is a family of lizards commonly known as anoles . NCBI places the anole in subfamily Polychrotinae of the family Iguanidae. Four genera are common: Anolis, Norops, Phenacosaurus, and Polychrus....
frequently and incorrectly known as an American chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
, after it was suggested to Weir and DeFilippis by a fan via a post on their forum. He continued to make numerous appearances during Craig Kyle
Craig Kyle
Craig Kyle is an American writer for Marvel Comics. He has also produced several of Marvel's Direct to DVD animated films and co-produced Thor.-Biography:...
and Chris Yost
Chris Yost
Christopher Yost is a film, animation and comic book writer best known as the head writer of the Marvel animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and co-writer of the comic book series New X-Men and X-Force.-Career:Yost began his career in 2002 as an intern in Marvel Comics' west...
's run on New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
(2nd Series), having a more active role in the plots than most of the other background characters.
Anole was featured as a main character beginning in New X-Men vol. 2 #37, illustrated by comic book artist Skottie Young
Skottie Young
Skottie Young is an American comic book artist and illustrator from Chicago, Ill. who works exclusively for Marvel Comics.-Biography:Skottie Young is the artist on several Marvel titles including New Warriors, Human Torch, Spider-Man Legend of the Spider Clan and New X-Men...
. He was later added to the New X-Men as a teammate. Anole was a "pretty early pick" for new additions to the team, according to Yost, who felt that Anole had a decent set of abilities and represented "a kind of level-headed, good, normal kid." Additionally, Yost and Kyle felt adding Anole and the character Pixie to the New X-Men team gave the roster "tonal balance" and the opportunity to slightly "twist and warp" the characters through darker events to come in the series. While alluded to since his first main appearances in the franchise and confirmed off-panel during their run by DiFilippis and Weir and in Marvel character profiles, it was during this series in New X-Men (2nd Series) #43 that Anole's gay identity was stated and dealt with explicitly on-panel for the first time.
When the series ended, Anole was featured in a vignette
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
entitled "Blend In" written and illustrated by Young in X-Men: Divided We Stand
X-Men: Divided We Stand
"X-Men: Divided We Stand" is a 2008 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics as a follow-up storyline to the "Messiah Complex" story arc. The story started with the issues of the X-Men-related titles cover dated April 2008. This included: The Uncanny X-Men; Wolverine vol. 3; X-Factor vol. 3;...
#1. The story explored the effects of the darker events in Yost and Kyle's run on younger characters such as Anole, Young feeling that younger characters were often improperly characterized like mature adults in how they dealt with large, traumatic events in comic series. He described his decision to illustrate and write about Anole as "a natural choice" and that he wanted to flesh out his previously unknown backstory, claiming that drawing Anole for a year during his time on New X-Men allowed him to understand the character. In developing Anole's backstory, Young also established the character's hometown as his own—Fairbury, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Young added that he chose to write Anole's divestment from the X-Men at the conclusion of the story in a way that would allow him to explore more of the character's future decisions and experiences at another time. Anole would later reappear as a team member in the main cast of Young X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
as of Young X-Men #6 and as a supporting character in X-Men franchise crossover events such as X-Men: Manifest Destiny
X-Men: Manifest Destiny
"Manifest Destiny" is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics through the X-Men related titles and a number of limited series, including a self titled one...
, Secret Invasion: X-Men
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, and X-Men: Nation X
X-Men: Nation X
-Premise:It dealt with the aftermath of Utopia and the return of Magneto. Along with the main run in Uncanny X-Men, a 4-issue anthology series title Nation X was released along with Nation X: X-Factor One Shot...
.
Early life and arrival at Xavier's
Victor Borkowski is a sixteen year old mutant born and raised in Fairbury, Illinois, a small, typical American town in which he lives a normal life despite his reptilian features. The close-knit community accepts him for who he is until anti-mutant sentiment begins to spread. For his own safety, his parents send him to the Xavier InstituteX-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
where he quickly excels academically.
When the advisor system is set up at the Xavier Institute, Victor chooses Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
as his advisor and is given the code name Anole. During the formation of training squads throughout the school, he is reassigned to Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
's Alpha Squadron
Alpha Squadron (comics)
Alpha Squadron is a former team of mutants in the comic book series New X-Men: Academy X, in the Marvel Universe. They are students of the Xavier Institute and are instructed by members of the X-Men...
where he serves as the squad leader. At first, he is depicted as close friends with fellow student Julian Keller
Hellion
Hellion is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #2.-New Mutants, vol...
and the other students in the Hellions Squadron, but later becomes closer to his teammates. He is especially close to his mentor Northstar, who helps him to come to terms with his sexuality. Anole is deeply affected by Northstar's death, stating that Northstar understood him and was important as a figure he could confide in.
Post M-Day
Anole is one of only 27 students at the Institute who does not lose his mutant powers in the aftermath of House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
, also known as Decimation
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
or "M-Day." The squad system is dissolved and the remaining students are merged into one group. Shortly afterward, Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
sets up an all-out brawl amongst the remaining students to determine who will become the new team of X-Men trainees (dubbed the "New X-Men"); Victor is not selected for the squad, but remains at the school. When a resurrected
Comic book death
In the comic book fan community, the apparent death and subsequent return of a long-running character is often called a comic book death. While death is a serious subject, a comic book death is generally not taken seriously and is rarely permanent or meaningful...
and brainwashed Northstar returns with his sister Aurora
Aurora (comics)
Aurora is a fictional character, a Canadian superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the twin sister of Northstar and the former lover of Sasquatch. She has also been in a relationship with Wild Child....
and attacks the Institute, Anole finds him and is able to temporarily snap him out of the mind control set in place by the Children of the Vault. However, Anole's joy at seeing his former mentor is short-lived, as Northstar returns to his mind-controlled status and knocks him out. The school is later attacked by Reverend William Stryker and his army of mutant-exterminating Purifiers
Purifiers
The Purifiers, also known as the Stryker Crusade, are a fictional paramilitary/terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe and enemies of the X-Men...
. This results in a bus full of Anole's classmates being killed and the murder of other friends at the school.
Joining the New X-Men
During the New X-Men story arcStory arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
"The Quest for Magik," Anole and his classmates are sucked down into the dimension of Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
by the demon Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
. They are soon attacked by a large group of demons, and Anole takes charge, rallying the students around the defenseless Blindfold
Blindfold (comics)
Blindfold is a fictional character, a mutant and a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She first appeared in Astonishing X-Men, vol. 3 #7 and was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.-Fictional character biography:Blindfold is a...
, only to have his right arm severed at the shoulder by a demon. Later he is trapped in stone by the machinations of Darkchilde
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
as she attempts to create a powerful Soulsword from Pixie's soul. Anole manages to break himself free and stop Darkchilde from completing the process, saving Pixie. Anole then finds that he has generated a larger and stronger reptilian arm replacing the one he lost, a previously unknown aspect of his mutation. The arm itself is spikey, resembling his scalp, with razor sharp claws. After helping to defeat Belasco, Anole and Pixie are made members of the New X-Men squad on recommendation of Rockslide
Rockslide (comics)
Rockslide is a fictional character, a mutant superhero and member of the X-Men in the . He is a student in the Xavier Institute and a member of the former Hellions squad therein. After M-Day, he was one of only 27 students to retain his powers. He is best friends with Julian Keller and is...
, who threatens to quit if they are not appointed to the team.
Rockslide and X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
later try to convince Anole to cut off his other arm in order to generate a stronger replacement. When he refuses, Rockslide calls him a sissy
Sissy
Sissy is a pejorative term for a boy or man who violates or does not meet the traditional male gender role. Generally, sissy implies a lack of the courage and stoicism which are thought important to the male role...
, which Anole finds offensive enough for him to reveal his sexual identity to Rockslide and attack him. Rockslide apologizes, swearing that he did not know. Later, in a misguided attempt at group bonding, Rockslide voices his acceptance of Anole's sexuality, outing
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
him to some of the other students, though Loa
Loa (comics)
Loa is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Loa is a student at the Xavier Institute. She made her debut in New X-Men: Academy X #5.-Before Xavier's:...
states that she was already aware and that everyone already knew.
As a member of the New X-Men, Anole takes part in various missions with the team, including the events leading up to X-Men: Messiah Complex
X-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
and through to its conclusion when Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
officially closes the school and disbands the X-Men. With the school closed, Anole returns to his family in Fairbury, Illinois.
Divided We Stand
A vignette in the two-part series Divided We Stand explored the after-effects of Anole's numerous traumatic experiences at the Xavier Institute during his return to his hometown. Northstar, now rehabilitated, is contacted by Cyclops to find Anole, who goes into hiding after accidentally attacking his own father due to posttraumatic stress disorder from his experiences at the Xavier Institute. Northstar discovers Anole at his tree houseTree house
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
, unhappy to see his former mentor. At first, Northstar makes jokes, thinking Anole is having a problem with fitting in as both a mutant and as a gay teen. However, Anole explains that his town accepts him for who he is and that his problems come from Northstar, along with the other X-Men, for providing the students under their care with a poor education, stealing their innocence by constantly exposing them to danger, and then throwing them away by disbanding. Planning to run away, Anole leaves a note for his parents at the tree house and elbows Northstar in the face—similar to how Northstar attacked him in the past—and tells him to tell all of the former New X-Men not to come looking for him.
Young X-Men
Dani Moonstar personally recruits Anole to the Young X-Men team by visiting him at his new home. Anole is still apprehensive, maintaining his views from Divided We Stand, but is persuaded to join the team when Dani tells him that the X-Men have relocated to San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, "a place renowned for its tolerance of mutants and... other minorities," a reference to Anole's gay identity. Moving to San Francisco, he engages in various missions with the Young X-Men, including assisting during the Skrull invasion of San Francisco
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
.
When his teammate Dust
Dust (comics)
Dust , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She was created by author Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver in New X-Men #133 , although her character was not fully developed until the New X-Men: Academy X series written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis...
dies from a hidden medical condition brought on by her fight with Magma
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
, Anole once again voices his opinions about leaving the team as they are constantly put in danger with mortal consequences. However, Dust is revived by teammate Ink
Ink (comics)
Ink is a comic book character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. Created by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Yanick Paquette, he first appeared in Young X-Men #1.-Divided We Stand:...
and she convinces the team not to disband.
Nation X
During the UtopiaUtopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
storyline, the X-Men leave their San Francisco base
Graymalkin Industries
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe Graymalkin Industries is the undercover name for X-Men new headquarters in San Francisco following their departure from their former X-Mansion, destroyed during Messiah Complex. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men...
and establish the island "Utopia" for mutants on the remains of Asteroid M
Asteroid M
Utopia is the name of the sepratist mutant homeland created by the X-Men from the remains of Asteroid M which is the name of several fictional settings, each an asteroid converted by the mutant Magneto into his home/orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics Universe...
. The anthology series Nation X
X-Men: Nation X
-Premise:It dealt with the aftermath of Utopia and the return of Magneto. Along with the main run in Uncanny X-Men, a 4-issue anthology series title Nation X was released along with Nation X: X-Factor One Shot...
explores the characters' reactions to this relocation, with Anole featuring in his own story, "Big Boy Pants". The story depicts Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
teaching the younger X-Men how to farm their own crops, but Anole argues that it is a waste of time since they could just buy their food from a store. He looks to Magik for agreement, but she responds by teleporting him to Limbo for five days without food or water. Eventually she returns to bring him water, and Anole tells her that he learned his lesson: without their own food supply, the mutant race could die. Magik informs him that this was not a lesson and that she merely sent him to Limbo because she was sick of looking at him. She returns them both to Utopia and Anole resumes farming, too afraid of Magik to tell anyone what happened. He is almost killed by the mutant Sack
Sack (comics)
Sack is a fictional mutant supervillain created by Marvel Comics for their team called Gene Nation. His first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #323.-Fictional character biography:...
, who wanted his own corner of Utopia.
Anole has a minor appearance in the Nation X story in Uncanny X-Men; he and the other students grant Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
their combined powers to battle Predator Xs. He also appears in the miniseries X-Men: Pixie Strkes Back, helping save Pixie and the female New X-Men from the demon Saturnine, and the one-shot Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, in which he supports Dagger after she learns she is not a mutant.
Second Coming
During the Second ComingX-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
crossover storyline, Anole appears prominently in the three issue tie-in series X-Men: Hellbound. In it, he joins a team of X-Men in rescuing Magik from Limbo after she is sent there by Bastion's
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
forces. Cannonball chooses Anole for the mission to provide moral support for Pixie, whose teleportation ability they require to travel to Limbo. Anole and Pixie are extremely reluctant to risk themselves for Magik, who they believe does not deserve to be saved, but decide to go because they are heroes. In Limbo, Anole fends off demons and bickers with Cannonball; he also takes out his teammate Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
when she is corrupted by Limbo's influence. In the end, Pixie and Anole somewhat resolve their issues with Magik and the team return home.
In the aftermath of Second Coming, Anole appears in the Collision story in X-Men: Legacy. He joins Rogue, Magneto, Loa and Indra
Indra (comics)
Indra is a fictional character who currently appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A teenage mutant, Indra attended the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New X-Men: Academy X #7.-Alpha Squadron:Paras Gavaskar is...
on a trip to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Powers and abilities
Anole's reptilianReptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
mutation gives him green scaly skin, a spiked head carapace instead of hair, a prehensile sticky tongue, the ability to stick to solid surfaces, and enhanced agility, speed, reflexes, coordination, and balance. He can also rapidly camouflage himself through physiological color change to his surroundings to become "invisible." He can grow back lost limbs
Regeneration (biology)
In biology, regeneration is the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes genomes, cells, organs, organisms, and ecosystems resilient to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage. Every species is capable of regeneration, from bacteria to humans. At its most...
but they appear scaled and reptilian like his carapace and grant him a higher level of strength. His new arm has sharp claws at the ends of his fingers that he can use for attack purposes. Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
confirmed that whenever Anole loses a limb, a stronger version of that limb grows in, though Anole is reluctant to risk further transformation.
Sexuality and reception
Early in the character's publication history, Anole's sexual identity was alluded to by his close relationship with his squad mentor Northstar, one of Marvel's most recognized openly gay superheroes. After Northstar's "death," Anole's conversations with his former mentor Karma, an openly lesbian character, discussed how he felt it was important for him to have someone like Northstar, who "understood him," to talk to in particular. His sexual orientation was later confirmed by DeFilippis on an online forum, who stated that the dialogue intentionally alluded to this, and was reaffirmed in The X-Men: 198 Files. However, his sexual orientation continued to be mentioned indirectly, and other allusions included him pointing out that Young AvengersYoung Avengers
Young Avengers is an American comic book series written by Allan Heinberg and published by Marvel Comics. It follows a group of young superheroes, each of whom patterns themselves after a member of the long-established Marvel superhero team the Avengers....
characters Wiccan
Wiccan (comics)
Wiccan is a comic book character, a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. His appearance is patterned on that of Thor and Scarlet Witch....
and Hulkling
Hulkling
Hulkling is a fictional comic book superhero and a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. Hulkling's character is patterned on the Hulk...
are gay before being cut off and Anole attacking Rockslide for calling him a "sissy," Rockslide shouting that he "didn't know" and that he "shouldn't be so sensitive." In the following issue, Anole's sexuality was officially stated outright for the first time when Rockslide announces, "Anole's gay!" in an attempt to quickly get the remaining students to bond with each other by opening up about their secrets. Despite Rockslide's vocal acceptance of his sexuality, Anole was outraged, though Loa stated that his classmates already knew.
Since then, Anole's sexual orientation has been handled more openly, being directly referred to as "gay." When discussing further story development of Anole's sexuality during their run on New X-Men, Yost and Kyle stated that they had no plans to further cover the issue, emphasizing that Anole would be able to work out any issues he had regarding his sexuality or his lack of reconciliation with his former mentor Northstar by covering them off-panel with fellow teammate Rockslide. Anole would later confront a rehabilitated Northstar in the X-Men: Divided We Stand vignette "Blend In," revealing that contrary to Jean-Paul's assumptions, he experienced no difficulties being accepted as a mutant or gay from his family or residents of his hometown, and instead experienced posttraumatic stress disorder and a sense of being used and abandoned after his time with the X-Men.
During his review of X-Men: Divided We Stand, writer Dustin Christian of For the Love of Comics Reviews expressed pleasant surprise upon realizing Anole's sexuality and praised writers Yost and Kyle for their handling of the character during their creative run on New X-Men, stating, "It’s cool to see a gay character depicted in a non-stereotypical fashion so that their orientation doesn’t define everything they do and someone like me wouldn’t even know that about them."
In the vignette "Abomination" featured in X-Men: Manifest Destiny, Anole and his Young X-Men teammate Jonas Graymalkin have a talk where Graymalkin discusses his past and reveals that he too is gay and was a victim of a near-fatal homophobic attack at the hands of his father. Anole reassures him that he will be alright and the two form a friendship. Lyle Masaki of Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
's AfterElton.com expressed interest in this development, stating that, "[w]ith the small number of gay superheroes out there, camaraderie between gay characters is as rare as same-sex couples."
Alternate storylines
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
and Julian
Hellion
Hellion is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #2.-New Mutants, vol...
for his sexual orientation. The storyline was originally written to take place in issues 8–10.
The storyline involved Anole's parents and others becoming outraged when some parents witness his instructor Karma kissing another woman. Anole reacts to his parents' outrage by defending her and outing himself. Rejected and disowned by his parents, he seeks solace in Josh
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
and Julian, but also finds himself rejected by them. This causes him to commit suicide. The story resulted in Josh discovering Anole's body while attempting to apologize for his reaction, serving as impetus for him to reform his attitudes while Julian would maintain what would later be revealed to be a facade of indifference. Northstar, as Marvel's "highest profile homosexual," would be a key character in pointing out Karma's difficulties being accepted because of her sexuality by the students' parents, as well as the absurdity of a gay student killing himself over rejection in a school for outcasts. Weir and DeFilippis stated that in addition to being a message about intolerance, the story would serve as a key factor in redeeming Elixir from his initial introduction as an anti-mutant bigot while solidifying Julian's character as "cruel".
Though issue 8 was printed and issue 9 drawn, Marvel put a hold on releasing the issues due to the storyline's controversial nature. Both writers state that ideas to "soft-pedal" the issue were fetched to them, including eliminating Karma's lesbian kiss, having it off-panel, or Northstar never actually stating his sexual orientation. The writers compromised, depicting the same-sex kiss on-panel and silhouetted. Regardless, Marvel eventually decided to scrap the issues, intending to release issue 10 as issue 8. The writers objected, noting that issue 10 featured the school still dealing with Anole's suicide and would leave Josh's change in character unexplained. Weir and DeFilippis convinced editors to allow them to write a new story last minute from the artwork of the old storyline and changed the dialogue while removing all references to the suicide and changing the reasons for Josh's reformation. Weir and DeFilippis later stated that they were happier with losing this plot, as they did not like the direction it would have taken Julian as a character, noting that, "[t]he Julian who developed since then is not a guy who'd have a problem with Victor being gay. In fact, he'd wipe the walls with anyone who did."
Pink Kryptonite staff writer Megan Parker ("Elf Girl") expressed displeasure with the original storyline and relief with the final changes, stating that, "[killing] off a gay character to further a straight character's development to a 'better human being,'" was understandable as an intended message about intolerance, but "just a bit overused."
Other versions
Although Anole is a character in the main Marvel UniverseMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
(also called "Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
,"), he has also been depicted in other fictional universes and alternate futures.
House of M
When the Scarlet WitchScarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
changed reality to one where mutants were the dominant species, Anole was a Junior S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
operative being trained by Northstar.
Young X-Men "End of Days"
In a dystopic future depicted in the final two issues of Young X-Men, an adult Anole is one of only four remaining mutants on "Xaviera," a former mutant safe-haven independent state and utopia. He remains on a team of X-Men with Graymalkin, Emma Frost (now calling herself "Diamondheart"), WolverineWolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, and an incapacitated and greatly aged Ink. Dust suddenly appears, now greatly changed in her appearance and persona with altered powers, and proceeds to confront and easily kill each member. Anole tries in vain to reason with her. Defeated, he asks her why she is doing this and she replies that mutants are a "plague upon the earth" and that she has become "the cure", before killing him with her powers.
See also
- LGBT themes in comicsLGBT themes in comicsLGBT themes in comics are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes and characters were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors, due to either censorship or the perception that comics were for children...
- LGBT themes in American mainstream comicsLGBT themes in American mainstream comicsLGBT themes in American mainstream comics is a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes and characters were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic books, due to either formal censorship or the perception that comics were for children and thus...