Homo Superior: Identity in X-Men

All of the superheroes we have thus far encountered have superpowers by virtue either of being from a nonhuman race-- mythical Amazonian or extraterrestrial Kryptonian-- or have obtained their powers through some artificial means or act of fate. The X-Men are the first group of human superheroes with natural powers. Even the name X-Men evokes chromosomes or the double-helix of DNA. It's fitting that they go by homo superior, to distinguish themselves from homo sapiens. Of course, the presumption of superiority is obvious. Angel even goes so far as to say "Mistakes are for homo sapiens" as he accomplishes some dangerous feat. The overarching narrative conflict of the X-Men revolves around regular people being confronted with a human-yet-superhuman race of mutants. Insider-outsider dichotomy frames the whole of the X-Men mythos and is even reflected in the artwork, yet this separation is more complicated on the level of identification between reader and character.

Even from the first panel of X-Men Issue #1, the reader is placed on the outside glancing in at the world of the mutants. Visually and narratively, the story avoids placing the X-Men on display in an objectifying manner; we are clearly not here to gape at 'freaks of nature.' Yet we are on the outside. That line is drawn from the beginning. The other thing implied from the outset is that the mutants' separation from society is at least partly intentional-- the academy functions as a safe space, apart from human society, wherein the mutants can develop their talents. It is a self-imposed segregation with hopes of re-integration. As Professor X puts it, the mutants have to learn to use their gifts to benefit humanity. Given their superiority, the question that the mutants face is whether they feel as though being part of humanity and existing alongside humans would be beneficial or, in the case of Magneto and others, insulting.

This is far from the only question of dichotomous identity that the X-Men have to face. They also have to contend with the usual superhero issue of alter egos, keeping in mind that their powers are a part of their humanity as much as they are a part of their separation from humanity. To frame it differently, the X-Men have to hide their genetic otherness by emphasizing their genetic humanity. Mystique is a perfect example because she chooses any guise, any identity, so long as it is human enough to pass. The language of hiding or passing is a clear connection between the ingroup-outgroup narrative of the X-Men and the actual experience some of the readers might have.

From the beginning, the readers are almost poised to not identify with the X-Men: we are, after all, only homo sapiens. As much as superhero comics indulge power fantasies, they also draw attention to humans' literal powerlessness. With the X-Men, this is almost even more pronounced because their powers are natural and genetic; they cannot be obtained. Yet it is obvious that people are meant to identify with the X-Men and certainly do. The way that the X-Men universe constructs multi-layered identities and poses the question of how the characters should navigate identity in certain spaces and around certain people prompts something no other comic has thus far, and that is empathy. We cannot really empathize with Superman or Wonder Woman, though we might feel sympathetic to their plights. Empathy requires that we recognize both sameness and difference, not just one or the other, and X-Men accomplishes that through a sensitive portrayal of what it means to have conflicting identities.