Marvel Comics has seen an increase in mainstream popularity with the recent release of several box office hits, such as “The Avengers.” Since its inception in 1939, the comic book company has created thousands of characters. While not all of them may get their due publicity because of a lack of exposure in the silver screen, each has interesting stories to tell in the print medium.
It’s all a blur to me, and probably to most people too.
If the phrases “Earth-616” and “Earth-811” mean something to you, you just might have a good foundation on the first appearance of Rachel Grey. If not, let’s get cracking with our history lesson.
Before the movie “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” there was the comic book arc released in 1981 of the same name. The comic book story had a similar plot: The future – Earth-811 – is one where mutants are hunted down and slaughtered by Sentinels. The X-Men decide their best method of survival is to send someone’s consciousness back to the past – the mainstream comic book universe Earth-616 – in order to stop the sequence of events that would trigger the dystopian future.
In the movie, Fox decided to opt for Wolverine as the principal character who would go back in time with Kitty Pryde’s phasing abilities. In the comic books that predate the movie by more than 30 years, however, it’s actually Pryde who goes back in time with the help of Rachel Grey, the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey.
I’m not sure whether Grey’s telepathy makes more sense in sending a consciousness back in time than Pryde’s phasing abilities. But then again, I’m not a scientist or a comic book writer.
Although it would make sense that Grey and Pryde were moved down a peg in the feature film because of the combined inherent star power of Hugh Jackman and Wolverine as one of the most popular X-Men, they would turn the tables and do the same to Wolverine in the comic book world.
In mid-2013, Marvel released a comic book led by an all-female cast simply titled “X-Men.” No, not “X-Women” or “She-X-Men,” just “X-Men.”
The book became a rousing success with issue 1, becoming the top-selling comic book in May, proving that you didn’t need Wolverine, or male characters, to produce a top comic hit.
While the idea for an all-female team isn’t new to comic books with titles such as Marvel’s “Fearless Defenders” and DC Comics’ “Birds of Prey,” this move is different in the sense that Marvel is giving one of its most iconic and popular titles that treatment.
At first glance, Grey might have a hard time standing out as her own character in one of Marvel’s flagship titles, with the charter members of the new incarnation of “X-Men” already beating her to the fame punch. Rogue, Storm and Jubilee were mainstays in the classic ’90s “X-Men” cartoon; Psylocke was always a staple in Marvel video games – and my sister’s character of choice when she wanted to beat me up in the fighting games – and Kitty Pryde had already made appearances in the Fox movies.
Add the fact that Rachel Grey was born to two of the most popular mutants; has essentially the same powers as her mom, Jean Grey; looks almost identical except for her haircut; shared the same codename of “Marvel Girl”; and isn’t even the most well-known, time-travel Summers child – with that distinction going to Cable – and it is easy to see how she could get lost in the shuffle.
While the death of Jean Grey allowed Rachel Grey to fill in more of a niche role and Cyclops’ moving on with Emma Frost also created room for her to establish herself as more than just the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey, it was ultimately Rachel Grey’s independent attitude that caused the push for the character.
Although her red hair and green eyes make her a candidate for Jean Grey-lite, she doesn’t share the same long fiery locks that her mother has. Instead, Rachel Grey has always rocked short hair, and has become one of the few female characters that has consistently done so, developing a somewhat iconic look for herself.
Her against-the-grain attitude has also developed throughout the character’s 30-plus year history. Grey’s facial tattoos – scarring she received during her enslavement by the supervillain Ahab – used to be a source of shame for the character, who would try her best to conceal them with her powers. In recent years, however, the character no longer hides those markings, and the tattoos have developed into part of Grey’s iconic look.
Grey’s edge comes out once again in issue 4 of the current “X-Men” series, where she makes no effort to hide her disapproval of Storm’s decisions as the new leader of the X-Men, speaking out against the team’s authority.
The character’s ability to the fit the mold of a principal character plays out further into the series starting with issue 18, and the story arc “Exogenous,” where Grey’s Summers lineage and Phoenix Force connection bring the X-Men into a confrontation with the alien race, the Shi’ar.
Rachel Grey, who was once an afterthought, has become one of the more prominent rebels in the Marvel comic book universe.
– Aubrey Yeo
Who’s your favorite Marvel superhero not seen on the silver screen? Email Yeo at ayeo@media.ucla.edu.