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When he does encounter Sabretooth (a man intended to be revealed as Logan’s abusive father) Claremont and team present Logan with further incentive to violence, but also the opportunity to eschew violent indulgence in the interest of others. 9/14
By page 3 Wolverine promises Psylocke that violent retribution (again) is coming when Besty reminds him of his promise to get Storm a prisoner: “I’ll get her one. But one is all she’s gonna get. The rest are mine.” He even unsheathes his claws to punctuate this point. 8/14
Thus, the Mutant Massacre is a perfect test of Logan’s principles. He is in a violent situation that calls for violent resolutions, and his violence is now officially sanctioned by his team leader, herself a deeply compassionate person. He has every right to cut loose. 5/14
In this capacity, Claremont’s X-Men is already quite strong by featuring a diverse cast of characters and depictions of complex social relations (both literal and metaphorical). Add to this the sheer character depth, and you have an ideal source for parasocial relationships. 4/9
The doubts would, however, continue with Cyclops’ and others’ growing sense of discomfort over what Jean is and what his feelings for her are. This gets exasperated, of course, when Jean is separated from the team, only reuniting one arc prior to the Dark Phoenix Saga. 7/9
Alex, however, resists, questioning the logic, at which point we see Psylocke’s butterfly flare activate, clearly indicating that she is manipulating him telepathically (thus crossing a big moral boundary throughout Claremont’s run). 5/7
It’s also of course, a big step down in terms of power and prominence for Mystique, a character whose combination of intelligence, deviousness, and networking made her one of Claremont’s most formidable villains. Here she becomes Forge’s dependent. 6/9
The problems here are many: first up, Mystique is immediately characterized as a damaged woman to be nurtured and thus recontextualized as the “mad woman in the attic” who plays house with Forge. This is a textbook example of straightwashing. 5/9
Once Claremont left, however, all of this changed. Forge immediately fell into the same mistakes, Mystique underwent a heteronormative conversion, and the feud between them dissolved into an almost romantic pairing instead. 4/9
Longshot’s eye then starts to glow (a symbol associated with hypnotic effect) and Dazzler’s stance and opposition soften immediately. “I’m not kidding buster – your eye – that glow – makes me feel – okay, lover – don’t’ say I didn’t warn you.” 5/11