>>84530735I honestly think that this is why I enjoy characters like Cyclops and Hellion.
For with the two of them, when put into the hands of competent writers, there is a clash of identities. It is not a 'Bates vs Kid Miracleman' or anything as clear as that. Rather it's the clash between their identity as a man and a hero.
Both of those guys, I think, want to be the good guy. They want to be the two people who save the world and their reasons for it ultimately seem altruistic. However, because they live in the Marvel Universe, they keep having shit piled on them. And it's really interesting watching that clash as the two figure out where their priorities are. Whether they want to be heroes or they want to be normal people.
But, it's always subtext. I mean, Scott's entire thing as that he chooses between his emotions (The Man) and the right thing to do (The Hero). And as much as we like to go on about 'Rightclops', the simple fact is, we've seen what it has done for his life and it's not pretty. His desire to be good keeps sabotaging his relationship with his family and friends, something that Scott is well aware of. The big question is, how long can he go on like this and where is it going to take him.
Meanwhile, Hellion is total foil to Scott. Instead of logic, he is driven by emotions to become an 'ideal hero'. He does what he feels is right rather than what he knows is right. And like Scott, that drive sabotages his life. For, he 'reacts' to situations and that can lead him into a very dark place if he lets it. I mean, when he lost his hands, his emotions totally dominated him, leading to one of the greatest and most horrifying scenes that he has been involved in. But this means that like Scott, there is a huge question over Julian's head. It's whether he is a man, lashing out at everyone or whether he is a hero and has a firm code which he follows.
