Warning: Spoilers Ahead for X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1!
With theX-Menintroducing numerous mutant hero additions, founding X-Men hero Beast is beginning a budding new romance with hero-in-training, Jennifer Starkey. However, their potential love is problematic from the start, with not just an age gap but also a student-teacher dynamic to contend with. Marvel has had many taboo relationships, but it’s debatable whether this new X-Men romance is cute or controversial.
X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1, written and illustrated by Marvel’s current X-Men creative team of Jed McKay, Gail Simone, and more, was a tribute to the Krakoa Era, butBeast and Jennifer Starkey took center stage with the heroes praising one another and sharing flirtatious looks.
SinceJennifer Starkey joined Cyclops' X-Men,Beast has been mentoring the young hero,which presents both an ambiguous age gap and a questionable power dynamic.
The X-Men’s Latest Superhero Couple May Be Taboo in More Than One Way
X-Men: Hellfire Vigil#1; Written By Jed McKay, Gail Simone, Eve L. Ewing, Alex Paknadel, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Geoffrey Thorne, Jason Loo, Murewa Ayodele, & Stephanie Phillips
The precise ages of the X-Men have always been ambiguous, but Beast is a founding X-Men member who has been a part of Charles Xavier’s team since its conception,making Beast one of the X-Men’s oldest heroes.Even factoring inHank’s cloning inX-Force#48, Jennifer still appears to be much younger than Hank.
The unclear age gap between Hank and Jennifer is a bit suspect, considering Beast is one of the oldest X-Men.
While Jennifer is undoubtedly an adult, as she was turned into a mutant later in lifeby the villainous group 3K, the unclear age gap between Hank and Jennifer is a bit suspect, considering Beast is one of the oldest X-Men. Hank has spent significant time with Jennifer helping her hone her powers, but therein lies another uncertainty surrounding their relationship.
Age gap or not,one major drawback of Beast and Jennifer’s hinted coupling is their teacher-student relationship,which, from a certain lens, creates an unequal power dynamic between the two. While the ages of Hank and Jennifer remain ambiguous, the outdated“tutor and student”trope may lean a bit too far towards inappropriate and stir uncomfortable feelings for some fans.
Beast Gets a New Love Interest, But It Might Be His Most Problematic Yet
Are Beast and Jennifer Starkey a Controversial X-Men Couple?
Beast has had love interests before, such as the reporter Trish Tilby and fellow mutant hero Abigail Brand. Still,Jennifer Starkey is his latest and most contentious partner,considering their current dynamic. While certain aspects of Hank and Jennifer’s relationship can be viewed as problematic, their relationship is new enough to be further explored.
Due to the nature of comics and the ambiguity surrounding superhero ages, Marvel has been able to justify age gaps, such as those found in the former couple Colossus and Kitty Pryde. However, Marvel has come under fire before forcontroversial pairings like Rogue and Magneto.The freshness of Hank and Jennifer’s relationship leaves room to shape their developing romance.
Beast beginning a relationship with a hero who could be seen as one of his students doesn’t portray him in the best light, as the romance presents an uneven power dynamic on top of an unknown age gap.
On the other hand, exploring Beast and Jennifer’s relationship may further expand Jennifer Starkey as anX-Mencharacter and prove the implications wrong.X-Men: Hellfire Vigil#1is available now from Marvel Comics!
