By [ad_1]
Marvel Voices: Pride reveals a previously unseen moment where Iceman bonded with another Omega-Level villain.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “Early Thaw” from Marvel Voices: Pride #1 by Anthony Oliveira, Javier Garron & David Curiel, on sale now
Since the X-Men mainstay Iceman came out in 2015, his journey to openly embracing his sexuality has been a major part of Bobby Drake’s inner life. After spending years hiding his true self, Iceman got to encounter his younger self after he was displaced into the present-day by Beast and help him come to terms with who he is.
Canonically, while this meant the past-Iceman was forced to forget all that growth when they were sent back in time, the present-day Iceman has grown from the experience and has been able to be openly gay– evening forming a relationship with Emma Frost’s brother Christian. But while this meant this aspect of Bobby Drake was kept hidden from most of his friends and allies, another Omega-Level mutant, Magneto, became aware of it far earlier than anyone else.
“Early Thaw” takes a step back though to those early days of the X-Men, cutting back to Bobby when he was just a student at the Xavier Institute. Afraid to tell even his teammates about his thoughts and feelings — especially Angel, who Iceman clearly was attracted to — a young Bobby ends up hiding behind a statue on the school grounds and quietly sobbing while his friends all enjoy their time together. With Xavier away from the Institute, there’s no one to offer guidance to young Bobby — except, surprisingly enough, for someone who’s ostensibly greatest enemy, as Magneto arrives at the school with a number of missiles to help confront Xavier.
After seeing Bobby crying, Magneto drops the missiles and speaks with him. When Magneto asks who he is, Bobby quietly reveals that he’s “different” and admits to knowing it’s not safe to reveal so, especially in that time period. Taking off his helmet and sitting with Bobby, Magneto ends up opening up about how he doesn’t believe the world will ever be fully safe, but that he does think that the future will be better, “a future less lonely for the different” through the work of himself, Xavier, and the X-Men. It helps calm Bobby down, and upon discovering that Xavier isn’t actually present Magneto elects to stay by Bobby’s side for a bit longer and watch the sunset with him. He even allows Bobby to wear his distinct helmet, which Bobby playfully calls a hat.
It’s a very sweet moment between the two mutants, nominally enemies but united in a quiet moment of empathy. Given Magneto’s later potential as a teacher and mentor in New Mutants, it’s a great indicator of the kind of man Magneto would become in later years, outside of his more openly villainous side. It’s also important to remember that this moment occurred between two of Krakoa’s most important figures. Magneto has remained a powerful force and currently sits at the Quiet Council.
Meanwhile, the scared and heartbroken boy Magneto talked to has grown into a confident and skilled Omega-Level mutant Iceman, even being one of the ten mutants from Krakoa who helped terra-form an entire planet within a matter of hours. Although a quiet moment in both their lives, Magneto and Iceman’s conversation is a perfect new piece of history in their relationship — and gains an additional level of meaning in the era of Krakoa, where Magneto has done his best to keep his promise to a young Iceman and help build a better tomorrow.
About The Author
[ad_2]
