In "First Battle", Hank chose the former. In fact, he was not wrong. Even if the aesthetic standards are relativized, deformed feet and blue skin will not be considered normal. The world needs order, and order needs standards. Standards mean division: conformity or non-conformity. Hank's misfortune lies in the consequences of the failure to "cure", making the incompleteness that could have been concealed, turned into a complete mutation, and can only end in acknowledgment of his fate. From the small details of this shy and shy frail teenager who became irritable and irritable after his appearance was "disfigured", he can already see the pain in his heart-he can't change, and the world remains the same.
Therefore, I think most viewers will agree with Eric's choice: accept yourself and be yourself, until you fight against the world in order to defend your rights. The substitution of this role satisfies the unattainable desire of many people in reality (especially teenagers who desire to show their individuality). Of course, this tough stance is based on the judgment of the law of the jungle: compared with the appearance of "crooked melons", the power of manipulating metal is not only not incomplete, but also for the modern society based on steel and alloy ( Especially in terms of military weapons), it is comparable to God. The nature of this ability puts Eric in an advantageous position. Therefore, he does not need to be inferior, and he can break with the whole world of "ordinary people" without hesitation. What's more, the world owes him a debt that will never be repaid.
Mutant talent is the direction of human evolution, and it is "the better men". This view is too reminiscent of Nietzsche's "Superman" theory. Ironically, the Nazis were faithful believers in this doctrine. Eric, who was once the target of genocide, finally chose a new "racism", which is more depressing than "the end of a beautiful friendship." Anger is always more powerful than warmth, and rejection always multiplies faster than tolerance. Because the former is easy and the latter is difficult.
Charles also mentioned this word repeatedly in the film. But obviously, what he thinks of as "better" contains moral meaning. The version I watched translated "We have it in us to be the better men." into "the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility", and it became a very bloody line that makes people laugh. It is difficult to persuade the bosses of central enterprises, let alone the Magneto who can lift the submarine out of the seabed. In fact, the "better" mentioned by the two here refers to the meaning of superpower. Later, when the missile fired at him was controlled by Eric, Charles’s first reaction was:
"Eric, you said yourself, we're the better men. This is the time to prove it."
Here is "the better" Men" has the meaning of repaying grievances with virtue. From Charles's point of view, people with superpowers must also evolve morally, responding to the hostility of "ordinary people" with tolerance. This logic is too sage, too incompatible with this power-conscious world, and also violates the biological theory of evolution. Therefore, Professor X can only be a weak idealist, a short man in a wheelchair. Changing the world or something, has to rely on Wolverine, Storm Girl and other hands-on dispatch to achieve. However, can the world changed by the method of tit-for-tat allow everyone the freedom to "be yourself"? The ancestors of modern humans eliminated Neanderthals in the name of evolution. After that, they divided their own heretics and finally reached the point of extinction of their kind in the 20th century. What would happen if there was a world that belonged entirely to mutants?
Therefore, tolerance is not a stumbling block in the survival competition, but a weapon for self-preservation. If only the food chain logic that the weak eat the strong is inherited, then there will be no flesh to eat in the world one day. What Charles wants to preserve is this most precious gene. Every rational creature has the opportunity to carry it, not just humans or mutants. Only in this sense are they equal.
In fact, everyone can be "the better man".
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