This blog post examines whether the X-Men are traditional heroes or mutants fighting for survival, focusing on X-Men: Days of Future Past through its narrative and setting.
Heroes saving themselves?
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is undeniably an action, fantasy, and sci-fi film. Given the genre’s clear nature, this article focuses specifically on the setting of ‘mutants’ possessing special abilities. In many existing hero films similar to X-Men—such as Batman, The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Superman—the respective heroes typically either initially reject the fact that they were chosen as heroes or possess special abilities, or they abandon their hero lives to live ordinary ones. Regardless of how they start, the story usually concludes with them ultimately using their abilities to save the world and humanity.
However, X-Men differs from this hero narrative right from the outset. Those with abilities, the ‘mutants’, receive entirely different treatment from society. In conventional hero stories, there is usually an absolute villain, and the hero is positioned as the protector of the world and its people. In contrast, the X-Men series does not unfold through an absolute villain; instead, the heroes find themselves in the position of the underdog. In other words, the story begins from the perspective of the weak. The positions of the strong and the weak, or the tormentor and the tormented, are inverted.
Looking back at the X-Men series step by step, in X-Men, X-Men who hate humans clash and fight against X-Men who seek coexistence with humans. In X2: X-Men United, the human Stryker appears, seeking to kill and dominate the mutant X-Men. And in this film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, the central conflict once again centers on the battle between the X-Men and the Sentinels created by Trask, a human intent on eliminating mutants.
As beings with special abilities, the X-Men fight not primarily to eliminate villains or protect people, but to protect their own existence. This is also why Trask, though portrayed as the villain in the film, is difficult to categorize as an absolute villain. He is human and does not commit evil acts against humans. He becomes a relative villain from the X-Men’s perspective because he seeks to eliminate and dominate mutants who were living quietly. Of course, it cannot be entirely ruled out that Dr. Trask’s intention was to ultimately dominate the world by controlling mutants. Nevertheless, it seems more convincing to view the X-Men’s fight as being to protect their very existence as mutants, rather than to thwart Trask’s plan for world domination.
Heroes who can’t defeat the villain?
In typical hero stories, the hero defeats the villain in some way and restores peace to the world. However, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the X-Men fail to defeat their enemy, the Sentinels. This is because the Sentinels are overwhelmingly powerful. They possess the ability to mimic their opponents’ powers or adapt with counter-abilities suited to the situation, like fire being extinguished by water. Within this framework, the X-Men realize a direct confrontation with the Sentinels is impossible and ultimately attempt to alter the past to prevent the Sentinels from ever being created.
As a superhero film, it delivers ample spectacle and excitement from the diverse powers on display. Yet the sensation of heroes’ strength being crushed by a greater force carries a distinctly different tone from the exhilaration of the Avengers banding together to defeat their foes. The director chose a path divergent from the typical ‘victory narrative’ of superhero films by setting an enemy stronger than the protagonist and creating an opponent even the protagonist cannot defeat. This can also be read as an attempt to convey the message that eliminating the root cause itself may be more important than simply overpowering the forces of evil with brute strength.
Nevertheless, the moment the protagonist feels his limitations, the audience is left wondering where exactly they should find their thrill and satisfaction. If action isn’t just about the fight scenes themselves, but ultimately finds its fulfillment in defeating the enemy, then this X-Men film succeeds in making the enemy nonexistent, yet leaves a lingering sense of disappointment.
Are the X-Men heroes or mutants?
‘Hero’ and ‘mutant’ require a subtle yet clear distinction. According to the dictionary definition, a ‘hero’ is someone who possesses exceptional wisdom and talent, is courageous, and accomplishes what ordinary people cannot. Here, the tasks beyond ordinary people’s capabilities generally boil down to defeating villains, safeguarding world peace, upholding justice, and rescuing people. In contrast, a ‘person with abilities’ is closer to someone who ‘uses’ their powers for their own enjoyment, necessity, or love, rather than necessarily for the benefit of others.
If the X-Men weren’t chosen from birth to be needed by people or to save the world, but were simply born as mutants, and if the world weren’t threatened by an absolute villain, they might have remained mere hidden power users. This fundamental difference in premise from conventional hero films makes it difficult for me to view this movie as a traditional hero story.
So why are the X-Men perceived as heroes, much like protagonists in other superhero films? Probably because they possess special powers and, while they may help the world people live in, they don’t engage in evil deeds. Ultimately, the story of mutants flows in a direction that positively impacts the world. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be any different from people in our world who are exceptionally tall, abnormally strong, use telekinesis, or have two heads. Of course, the mutants in the movies are far more exaggerated than mutants that could realistically exist. People who shoot ice or fire from their bodies don’t exist in the real world.
The Future of Superhero Films
Heroes are now everywhere. In each film, heroes were either a single individual with special abilities or one of the world’s rarest beings, and their roles were relatively limited. They either saved the world or abused their powers. However, recently, films where individuals with different abilities unite to wield much greater power have been appearing one after another. Examples include 「The Avengers」, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Now You See Me: The Magicians’ Deception are examples.
While various forms of hero stories will continue to emerge—such as heroes with powers not for the people like the X-Men, but for self-protection, or stories of wielding immense power to protect love—it seems unlikely they will completely replace the intuitive thrill and overwhelming scale offered by traditional hero stories. This is because the superhero genre is consumed out of our longing, admiration, and pleasure derived from abilities we lack and the power they represent. The moment a hero loses that power, the audience sighs, yet simultaneously anticipates the next scene where they overcome it.
In that sense, X-Men: Days of Future Past may have been a work conceived with the end of the series in mind. While not all heroes and superpowered individuals must possess only the strength to defeat enemies, the choice to depict them overcoming adversaries through means other than their own power also steers the story’s potential expansion in a somewhat different direction. We feel we live in an anxious and unstable world, and we always imagine a hero who can instantly dispel that anxiety and bring peace. In that sense, hero stories will always be popular with the masses. Ultimately, what matters is not simply the setting of possessing power to defeat enemies, but how that power is attractively reimagined.
X-Men director Bryan Singer also attempted an epic experiment on par with The Avengers, expanding the possibilities for those with powers to traverse space and time, and pooling everyone’s strength to wield immense power. Perhaps we’ve entered an era where simple setups alone can no longer hold the audience’s attention. Watching what new setups and characters emerge, and observing the direction of this change, will also become another enjoyable aspect of experiencing superhero films.
