The Gifted: Why the X-Men will always be relevant

Photo Credit: The Gifted/Fox, Ryan Green Image Acquired from Fox Flash

After a hit or miss record at the box office, the X-Men have once again returned to the smaller screen with Fox’s The Gifted.

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Ever since the X-Men began back in the early ’60s they have served as the comic books version of the outcasts and unwanted of the world. It is part of the lore of comics that Stan Lee once said he was simply out of origin ideas when he decided these heroes would just be born with these powers, but really this gave the X-Men a unique quality.

By dodging the radioactive spider bites or cosmic rays, Lee and Jack Kirby created heroes that were almost cursed from birth. Throughout the history of mankind many of us have unfortunately taken an automatically negative outlook on anything and anyone that is different. Whether they meant to or not, Lee and Kirby created a model for all the people in the world that felt unaccepted.

During the ’60s and ’70s, they were an obvious stand-in for the civil rights movement. Many people saw the similarities between real-life figures like Martin Luther Jr. and Malcolm X with fictional characters like Professor Xavier and Magneto. Later on, the mutants faced persecution and prejudice similar to the anti-semitism of concentration camps. They were imprisoned and marked just for the traits they were born with. Some mutants in the comics still wear the mark of an M tattoo on their faces from that alternate timeline.

In more modern times, audiences have drawn parallels between the X-Men and the LGBTQ community of the world as young mutants tried to remain ‘closeted’ or hide their abilities. Overall, all these groups have many things in common and this is something Fox’s The Gifted mines for their character drama. The “normal” Strucker family suddenly finds out that they are this societal other and their own children have been keeping secrets out of fear for what might happen to them.

On The Gifted, these mutants could relate more to the current tide of anti-immigration feelings across the world. The mutants and the people hunting them often refer to running away and crossing the border. Illegal mutants are locked up “for their own protection” and innocent children are hunted like criminals. This new series is another example of how the X-Men will always be relevant because people will always be motivated by fear and distrust. The mutant underground on the show doesn’t appear to have any nefarious ill will towards other people or the government. They just want to protect their own and not be imprisoned.

Next: The Gifted Season 1, episode 1 recap: eXposed

For a new series to grab a foothold in today’s world, it needs an audience to find something to relate to. Only one episode of The Gifted has aired so far and the reviews have been very strong. The world of live-action X-Men has been the most successful when they draw on the inherent drama of people on the outside of society. The previews of the future season of The Gifted seem to show us they will be doing what the X-Men do best and putting our own societal drama on display.

The Gifted airs Monday nights at 9/8c on Fox, be sure to tune in!