Since the days of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, Marvel Comics has used the X-Men as a political metaphor. Many classic stories, including God Loves, Man Kills, have drawn parallels between real-world evils based on bigotry and discrimination against Mutants. This legacy continues in Uncanny X-Men #16, which seems to be inspired by the immigration policies of Donald Trump.
American Mutants have never had what might be called an easy life. However, things have gotten worse for them since the fall of Krakoa. Official federal bodies such as the Office of National Emergency (O.N.E.) use their authority to harass American Mutants. There are also shadowy organizations, like the one backing Dr. Corina Ellis, who turned the former X-Men school campus into a gulag for Mutants the government deems dangerous. All of these Mutants are held without trial and routinely tortured by their guards. Some, such as Beast, were threatened with deportation to unfriendly nations where they were wanted for vigilante actions against unjust governments.
The parallels in the X-Men comics to recent events in the United States cannot be denied. Under Trump’s edicts, federal organizations have been empowered to move against illegal immigrants with extreme prejudice. However, these efforts have been criticized for ignoring the U.S. Constitution and for targeting all immigrants rather than those violating the law.
How Uncanny X-Men is responding to Donald Trump’s immigration policy
The parallels were made unmistakably plain in Uncanny X-Men #16, by Gail Simone, David Marquez, and Luciano Vecchio. The opening scene took place at a press conference held by the Mayor of New Orleans, Mikki Sappora. However, the press conference was opened by MacKenzie DeNeer, a mother of two and fifth-generation citizen of New Orleans.
MacKenzie spoke about the recent attacks on Mutants and how her daughter was saved by a Mutant. Specifically, Nightcrawler of the X-Men. Mayor Sappora went on to speak of other incidents in which Mutants had helped save New Orleans. Chief among these was an incident in which O.N.E. lost control of a new breed of Sentinel combining cybernetics and attack dogs. Again, the X-Men worked to protect everyone from the problems caused by bigotry.
To that end, Mayor Sappora announced that New Orleans would be the first “Mutant Friendship City” and open to all Mutants who wished to live in peace. This is a clear parallel to the sanctuary cities for immigrants currently under attack by Donald Trump. It remains to be seen, however, how ONE and the other Anti-Mutant organizations will react to this development.
Uncanny X-Men #16 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
