There, are, of course, a number of different ways in which one might make that statement to oneself, and the precise meaning seems dependent on syntax and intonation. When Bobby was talking about Magik was he actually thinking about Scott Summers (Cyclops) or Hank McCoy (Beast), who were also nearby? Was he thinking, “I am going to say something het dudebro-like about Magik now so that no one knows I am gay”? Or was he, in fact, thinking, “I’m gay”?Ī literal reading of the text suggests that yes, in fact, that was what Bobby was thinking when Jean read his mind. Neither writer Bendis nor artist Mahmud Asrar shows what, exactly, Bobby was thinking when Jean read his mind and concludes, or, maybe affirms, that he is gay (the start of the dialogue - “Why do you say things like that?” - clearly implies that Jean has been carrying this knowledge for awhile, although as Alenka Figa notes, this is not context that readers see).
Their dialogue concludes with Jean saying, “Bobby … You’re gay.” To which Bobby replies, “What? Why - Why would you say that?” Jean’s response to that question raises a key point regarding how the comic addresses sexuality and sexual identity: “Because I’m psychic. This begins a quick exchange of dialogue wherein Bobby fronts and Jean pesters. “Why do you say things like that?” she asks. Jean is prompted to prod Bobby into admitting his gayness following a remark he makes about Magik’s hotness, Magik being female and a woman. In addition to questions about how this episode is written, especially in regards to Jean’s role and Bobby’s own comfort/discomfort with being gay and also the question of bi-sexuality, which appears to be dismissed in writer Brian Michael Bendis’ dialogue, I also think that there are unwritten assumptions about sexuality and sexual identity in this sequence that should be unpacked to better understand the significance and implications not only of Bobby being gay, but also of his coming out. She also links to similar and related discussions at places like The Mary Sue and Panels (see, “ In Plain Sight: On the Authenticity of Queer Characters“, 8 June 2015). While many of these notices essentially amounted to, “hey look, a core member of the X-Men is now gay,” other pieces, primarily at dedicated comics sites, address the politics and ethics of how Bobby is revealed as gay - he’s chided into coming out by Jean Grey - or seek to place this moment into a larger context of media representation of LGBTQ characters and experiences.Īlenka Figa’s commentary at Women Write About Comics is a good example of the more nuanced responses to the storyline. But the line between Jean and Phoenix is often a blurry one, and in any event, none of that erases the many, many faux pas Jean has been involved in.The X-Men are significant enough pop cultural figures that when Bobby Drake, AKA “Iceman”, was written as gay in All-New X-Men #40, media outlets outside of the comics press published news items and commentaries on the moment, including CNN, The Huffington Post and The Advocate. Granted, many of her worst actions are really the Phoenix, the extraterrestrial entity from which she gets her greatest powers and one of her codenames, acting through her. And now that Jean's back from the dead- again - we're going to commemorate her return with this list of 15 of her least heroic moments. But she is also responsible for more scandalous moments than you can telekinetically shake a stick at. Long story short, there are plenty of reasons to admire Jean Grey. She has survived everything from multiple plunges into G-type stars to endless jokes about her multiple resurrections. Making her debut in Uncanny X-Men #1, Jean started out as Marvel Girl, a teenage telepath in training, and evolved into Phoenix, one of the most dangerous and powerful characters in comics.
Jean Grey is one of the first ladies of Marvel, both in the sense that she is one of their most significant female characters and in the sense that she was one of the very few female characters created during the early days of Marvel.