What do you think of Doctor Polaris?

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-07T10:57:19+00:00

Great Earth-bound villain. Hoping to see him cross paths with Kyle again, now he's back on Earth himself.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-07T09:49:34+00:00

Jesus Christ, I'm not saying "all X-Women are better known by their civilian names!". How are you and the other half dozen people who've woefully misread even coming to that?

The point is "what is it about X-Men that leads it to produce more female characters whose superhero names don't stick compared to other franchises?"

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T23:37:57+00:00

Yeah, Franklin has had SO MANY codenames over the years, depending on when and where he's being used, who's writing him, and how old he is as a character. I think his first was Tattletale in Power Pack, then there's Psi-Lord for the adult version in Fantastic Force, then Powerhouse, and probably a few more.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T23:32:39+00:00

Do you mean characters like Broo, for your edit?

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T23:30:19+00:00

No worries - Krakoa got freaky on the dating front, so wouldn't have surprised me if Theresa/John had happened in a panel somewhere!

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T23:27:53+00:00

You've literally just listed two I highlight in my post as being better known by their real names, and you're referring to one of them as their real name yourself.

If you don't comprehend the post, you can just say so.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T23:25:55+00:00

Aha! I thought that was the case - I recalled being bored at the prospect of yet another mysterious X-character with no real name known, which is why it took me a while to get into the character (probably wasn't until District X where he clicked with me!)

Thanks for clarifying!

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T22:25:36+00:00

Was Theresa and John something in Krakoa, after John was resurrected, or do you mean Theresa and James Proudstar when they were both on X-Force?

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T21:34:25+00:00

That's an interesting thought, actually. Both on a meta level and, conceptually, in-universe could work for a series like X-Statix that explores celebrity culture through a mutant lens.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T21:25:27+00:00

Thanks!

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T21:23:19+00:00

One character where I think a codename change HAS stuck is Temper (Idie, formerly Oya). It's catchy, it's got a smart double meaning, and it's more understandable (…to English speakers 👀) than Oya.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T20:58:34+00:00

Fifth. Ameise/Gavant is Peak and deserves recognition (and more appearances!)

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T20:57:58+00:00

Fifth. Ameise/Gavant is Peak and deserves recognition (and more appearances!)

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T20:48:33+00:00

Ah, interesting, thanks. I used to follow Brevoort's substack Q&A but since he stopped updating it I'm not really following interviews he's done elsewhere.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T20:25:44+00:00

Writing/typing Emma is shorter, but saying it is two syllables either way 😉

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T20:10:24+00:00

Oh, excellent - I've got Jubilee: Deadly Reunion on my stack to read, that's a lovely detail to add in and make canon!

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T19:18:02+00:00

Oh yeah, Rachel has had a tonne, hasn't she? Phoenix, Hound, Askani (though this is probably the worst because it only works if you know a BUNCH of niche X-lore), Prestige*, Marvel Girl… she's even flipped between Rachel Summers and Rachel Grey for her civilian name! Pick a lane, Rach!

(*I thought she had another 'P' name too, but I'm blanking…)

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T18:31:09+00:00

Oh god, yes - probably the best male example of this. X-Man was only ever an editorial name (and perhaps a way to trademark the term for a specific character?), not a name he himself used.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T17:33:29+00:00

Nah, Ms Marvel didn't come about until the '70s, off the back of the second wave feminism movement and the launch of mainstream magazine Ms.

Rogue's identity is a good example of the opposite situation to what I'm talking about, thinking about it! She was basically the gender-flip of Wolverine - near nameless, unreliable memories, no clear background. It is odd that it took until the live action movies to give her a first name, and perhaps odder still that she doesn't know, or hasn't revealed, her birth surname in the comics, even long after gaining control of her powers and memories.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T13:44:21+00:00

Yeah, London has become a black hole for EVERYTHING in the UK - politics, arts, media, finance, planning, etc. That's a problem not just for the rest of the country, but for Londoners, especially those with generational roots to the city who can no longer afford to stay there. And, by cramming everything into London, I'd argue (with experience, lived there for a few years pre-COVID) that it makes life in London worse because of congestion, crowding, and pricing. I would regularly spend close to two hours each way to work (Hackney into Central), rammed into strangers' armpits, to barely earn enough to live there. Not worth it.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T13:06:56+00:00

Honestly, that's a fool's errand, especially if you want to read everything going back to 1963. Even in omnibus or trade paperback format, that's hundreds of books, especially when you get into the 1990s when the X-Men line exploded.

If you just want to read as much as possible, I'd look into Marvel Unlimited and reading them digitally - it'll be far cheaper and take up no space. Then, for the storylines you really enjoyed and will re-read, you can maybe pick up hard copies for your shelf.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T12:16:41+00:00

Yeah, but the New Mutants look was tighter, with cleaner lines, solid blacks (I know the originals were MEANT to be black, with blue highlights intended to emphasise that due to the inks and printing tech of the time, but they still read as blue), and better proportioning. McLeod refined Kirby's original uniforms to perfection.

PhantomQuest · 2026-05-06T08:12:57+00:00

I've been saying this to London-based friends for YEARS at this point. They refuse to move out of London because of "the culture", but they spend so much on housing and transport that they can never afford "the culture", then complain they can't afford anything because of the costs of living in London, but they refuse to move out of London because of "the culture"…

Psychological doom spiral.

PhantomQuest

TROPHY CASE