Superhero comics are probably the most prominent genre within the broader category of comic books. They have a long history of exploring themes of justice, power, responsibility, etc., that resonate with readers on a deeper level, beyond all the surface action. There has rarely been a comic book imbued with the complexity and the depth of ethical questions as that of the X-Men, which, ever since their inception in 1963, have often served as an allegory for the civil rights movement.
In truth, many of the narrative philosophies of X-Men embody the ideals and struggles of historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey. The latter, a Jamaican political activist, believed that Black people needed a separate state and country from their oppressors. Those beliefs mirror the ideology of Magneto —an X-Men supervillain— who advocated for a separate state for mutants. This parallel now invites us to reconsider the ethical foundations of mutant separatism in the Marvel Comics Universe.
Author Andrew Smith said that humans fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t conquer, and history has taught us that this is one of the few less pleasant but universal truths. We tend to judge and fear things we don’t understand. Even when we do understand, we tend to discriminate severely if they’re even remotely different from what we deem acceptable. Our collective treatment of marginalized groups is often a really accurate, albeit sad, historical example of this.
At the core of Magneto’s beliefs is the conviction that mutants won’t find peace and equality among humans. These beliefs, fueled by the horrors of the Holocaust and the fact that humans fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t control, have taught Magneto that those in power will always oppress those who are viewed as different or inferior. So, his push for a separate mutant state is actually rooted in the desire to protect his fellow mutants from hate crimes, prejudice, genocide, and denial of basic human rights.
These issues remain painfully relevant in today’s society and only fuel Magneto’s argument for mutant separatism, which, in this case, is an ethical stance towards self-preservation and dignity. From this perspective, mutants would be allowed to govern themselves and cultivate their own culture without the fear of aggression from the rest of humanity. Sure, it’s a radical solution, but perhaps the only viable one for mutants who live in a world that hates and fears them for merely existing and being different.
However, the idea of a separate mutant state raises other complex ethical questions. Is segregation, even if it’s self-imposed, truly a path to equality? Krakoa, a living mutant island that has become a new home for mutant kind in X-Men, proves that Magneto was right all along. The inhabitants of Krakoa have managed to disrupt all major human industries, especially Big Pharma, and powerful countries all over the world became dependent on Krakoa and its life-saving and life-extending technology.
The unity of mutant-kind allows them to amass power and even conquer death. However, all of these accomplishments don’t result from co-existence and equality between mutants and humans. Quite the contrary, they result from mutant separatism and affirmations of mutant superiority over humans. So, while proving that Magneto was right, Krakoa also proves he was wrong because the separation led to further marginalization and inequality. If you really need an example, just look at our own history and the events that preceded World War II.
Some of the greatest technological and medical advancements humans have made in the shortest amount of time can be credited to the proponents of and the responses to crimes against humanity that took place during WWII. So, no, separatism is never the answer to the question of true equality among the different. The response lies in integration, which emphasizes mutual understanding, empathy, and the belief that our shared humanity can help us overcome fears and prejudice towards the things that we don’t understand.
However, we’ll say this: Magneto isn’t as bad a guy as X-Men make him to be. While his notion of separatism being the only way for mutants to live peacefully is fundamentally wrong, he has been far more tolerant than the X-Men ever were. While he advocates for a separate state, knowing that mutants will always face persecution, Charles Xavier and then X-Men advocate against it. This issue divides mutantkind, and a divided nation is destined to fall. So, all of Magneto’s efforts to create a mutant nation end in catastrophe (apart from Krakoa), which he co-founded with Professor X.
The policy towards humans isn’t the only difference between Magneto and the X-Men. The latter always claim to be supportive of other mutants, but are reluctant to recruit mutants with undisguised mutations until Nightcrawler joined. Magneto is generally much more tolerant of his fellow mutants compared to X-Men, as evident by the fact that he was often accompanied by Mystique and Toad, two mutants whose mutations are very much undisguised in everyday life.
In the end, Magneto’s dream of a mutant state, though radical and filled with moral and ethical complexities, does make one think about the realities of oppression and the lengths to which the oppressed would go to escape it.