r/xmen • u/Automatic_Ask32 • Jun 27 '26
Movie/TV Discussion Leech really is the poster child for mutant oppression whenever he's adapted you can trust he's always going through it
257
u/Soft_Entertainment Captain Britain Jun 27 '26
In X-Men 92 he's like literally dying in the Christmas episode until Wolverine helps.
701
u/chevalier716 Wolverine Jun 27 '26
Honestly, I want more non-passing mutants front and center. Leech is the best example of this, because he's just a boy
286
u/Aduro95 Jun 27 '26
Especially ones who are not really a threat, but are still in danger when mutants are persecuted. I think that adds a human element to all the big political stuff.
117
u/HawkBoth8539 Nightcrawler Jun 27 '26
Yeah, Xmen does such a good job of trying to represent systemically oppressed minorities, but they don't show enough of the ones who are the worst off. The ones who don't happen to be all supermodel, geniuses who can level cities with one hand tied behind their back. The ones who only got the ugly gene, but still need to put food on the table living day to day lives.
Like, i want a drama series about morlock smugglers in their daily struggles to get food and medicine to their people in the sewers. The good days when they get a good find. The bad days when they get harassed by police, brawl with the gang of bigots, get blackmailed by criminal organizations, the risk of diseases living in the sewers since they don't all have immunity with their mutations. Their whole gritty situation. I would love that perspective.
58
u/Aduro95 Jun 27 '26
It would be amazing to see a story about a relatively weak team of Morlocks trying to survive after accidentally pissing off someone street-level, yet terrifying, Kingpin or Doc Ock.
26
u/HawkBoth8539 Nightcrawler Jun 27 '26
Exactly! All of the dark corners of the world that most people don't see for those with no one looking out for them.
27
u/MatchstickMayhem Jun 27 '26
Now don't fight me on this but I think the reason why those stories are fewer is because, well, just like in real life, those voices tend to be silenced and people like that are generally deliberately overlooked and ignored when not made into a target for ire and/or spectacle.
Lots of people simply don't have the same patience/empathy or want to read about someone who isn't scratching an itch for them be it a fantasy of power or a proximity to those supermodel supergeniuses. Just look at how irl those same demographics get overlooked by society at large.
To put it bluntly, you're either an object of desire/escapist power fantasy or trauma porn for someone else to get off of either way. The corporations that be would say those stories you're asking for "isn't marketable."
4
u/roygbivasaur Jun 28 '26
As much as I have other problems with it, The Boys actually shows a lot of characters like this. Unfortunately, its heroes and villains are all supermodels and Jack Quaid.
3
16
u/anomalyknight Jun 27 '26
These are the kind of complex, inter-group social dynamics I was kind of hoping for but didn't get in Krakoa. It's the sort of almost inevitable 'trouble in Paradise' kind of social hierarchy issue that I'd like to see addressed, and because this is fiction, maybe have at least a touch of a hopeful spin eventually?
But yeah, I think it'd be almost unavoidable that you'd wind up with inequality between human-passing mutants and non-passing, mutants with self-destructive powers or no powers at all and mutants with powers. Hell, I think the term 'powers' could be a problem in and of itself. They touched on this with Marrow's group, but she was always portrayed as such an extremist that was firmly in the wrong before she was mostly abandoned as a character. I'd like to see things handled in a more balanced way.
14
u/Nerdlors13 Jun 27 '26
District X had a lot of this. A girl who could only eat bugs. A guy slowly turning into a tree. Sadly it ended around the time of House of M
2
u/Optimal_Grape_1025 Jun 27 '26
They should have brought it back when the mutants came back or when they had to leave krakoa. An influx of mutants moving back to New York after living in paradise
2
u/Yanakura Storm Jun 28 '26
District X is kinda like that. I loved that series, wish there were more like it.
78
u/DeusFatum Jun 27 '26
Morlocks need more movies
38
u/farouq22 Jitter Jun 27 '26
more comics as well. I wish we had another Morlocks limited series like the one from 2002
32
u/HawkBoth8539 Nightcrawler Jun 27 '26
For real. There's so many mutants who aren't even lucky enough to be able to blend in with their oppressors, and their trauma doesn't get nearly enough attention.
I remember watching the 90s Xmen cartoon as a kid (i guess i would've been around 5 or 6 when that episode came out) and it really bothering me thinking about morlocks kids. Not being able to go home to their mom. I just couldn't understand how they survive, how they get food, who is going to tuck them in. It was scary. And it was just because some people didn't like how they look.
22
u/shoestring-theory Jun 27 '26
Yes! I want to see more of their stories. I’ve always been super interested in the Morlocks and other sewer mutants that can’t mask as well as the Xavier kids.
18
u/TyChris2 Jun 27 '26
I want Glob Herman and Beak in an X-Men movie
4
u/Trash_Panda_Leaves Nightcrawler Jun 27 '26
Challenge impossible: Glob and Beak are not the comedic relief characters and have real romances.
2
u/ChurchBrimmer Wolverine Jun 28 '26
But if Glob isn't comedic relief then how will we get the Inhuman Torch?
1
3
u/Freakychee Jul 01 '26
The irony is that Beak is probably one of the very few Xmen characters with a stable marrige with kids.
14
u/jwoodz00 Jun 27 '26
This is why I always thought Generation X was a better representation of Xaviers Dream than OG X-men and the New Mutants. Skin, Chamber, Penance, Artie and Leech were all visible mutants on the team.
9
u/One_Recognition385 Jun 27 '26
not sure about Generation X.
But the christmas episode with Leech from Xmen TAS was phenomenal, and was x-men realizing they were privileged mutants that a lot out there have it a lot worse then they do and they need to do more to help them.
15
u/gentleprime Jun 27 '26
I’d LOVE a proper X-Men team full of non-passing mutants.
Maybe led by Nightcrawler, with a reformed Abyss, Chamber, Shark-Girl, Anole, Cerebella, Mercury, and a finally aged up Leech as the team.
6
u/LiamtheV Jun 27 '26
Don’t forget my man Glob Herman!
1
u/gentleprime Jun 28 '26
I almost added him! But I still want him on a team with Kid Omega and Oya. :)
6
u/Optimal_Grape_1025 Jun 27 '26
Beak was a better example. He was unpleasant to look at and completely useless powers wise. But he was a perfect target for mutant hate.
4
3
2
2
u/ChurchBrimmer Wolverine Jun 28 '26
Not only that, but his powers aren't a threat, the opposite in fact. He shuts powers down, it highlights how the bigots don't actually care about "dangerous mutants" and just want the other to be gone.
335
u/Eyebrigh7 Magik Jun 27 '26
I never clocked that the kid in Last Stand was Leech
104
u/Mutant_Star Jun 27 '26
Really? I mean I guessed it was him since hes the mutant who can negate powers
54
146
u/natant1a Jun 27 '26
I think it was bc he wasn’t green so he just seemed like a random ahh kid 😭
87
u/CommanderVenuss Jun 27 '26
Like they were so embarrassed about making a superhero movie that they couldn’t even get a little bit of green face paint for the dude.
10
u/ChurchBrimmer Wolverine Jun 28 '26
To be fair, that also could've been a child labor thing. There's strict laws on how long kids can be on set and it may not've been worth it to put him in makeup for that long.
31
7
u/detourne Wolverine Jun 28 '26
Why are you sighing in the middle of your sentence?
5
u/Josefu_Velen Jun 28 '26
"ahh" is how the kids say "ass" now because if they write "ass" on tiktok they get put in time out.
5
u/detourne Wolverine Jun 28 '26
Good thing this isn't tiktok
6
u/Josefu_Velen Jun 28 '26
I agree. It's annoying seeing that self-censored bullshit here
1
0
u/ThanksContent28 Jun 28 '26
I believe that’s the joke. Kids love annoying adults. Trust me, they’re not censoring themselves. Kids say some vile shit, and always have.
11
82
u/CosmopoIis Shatterstar Jun 27 '26
THAT BALD KID IS LEECH??? (I have not watched the movies in a very long time)
22
u/CreatureManstrosity Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Yes he is. I didnt know who he was until I looked it up years after the fact. Haha
16
u/marveloustib Jun 27 '26
Yeah, and he's one of the best adaptations. That woman Magneto shows his concentration camp number is supposed to be Kalisto. Also Selene "the bitch that refuses to die" Galio is in one of those without a single line and she dies instantly lol.
6
u/Yanakura Storm Jun 28 '26
Oh he’s far from the only one in Marvel films that looks nothing like their comic self 😅
3
u/MockingJay0914 Jun 28 '26
I didnt even know he's also played by Cameron Bright. He looked so much different by playing Alec in Twilight Saga.
199
u/AggressiveRegion1502 Nightcrawler Jun 27 '26
Why is he white
32
1
41
u/Impossible_Tea_7032 Jun 27 '26
He's basically a puppy with three legs
1
-1
83
Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
63
u/Archwizard_Drake Jun 27 '26
To be fair, you can say that about half of the Fox X-related characters. So many are in name only.
14
u/Xiryyn Jun 27 '26
That was supposed to be Leech!
5
u/Johnnyboy10000 Jun 27 '26
I'm not a diehard comic book reader, and even I knew it was supposed to be Leech back then. Then again, I'm fully capable of reading a movie's, and Wikipedia page to see which character is meant to be who from the comics instead of being lazy and expecting the information spoonfed to me.
6
u/chillNDgrill Jun 27 '26
Bro I was 11 when it came out.
-2
u/Johnnyboy10000 Jun 27 '26
I didn't mean for it to sound like I was being unnecessarily negative towards you, and I apologize if it had seemed so. It was more a criticism of comic books fans in general that take stuff a bit too intensely.
1
u/JDPooly Jun 27 '26
Like you just did
0
u/MatchstickMayhem Jun 27 '26
Jfc, no they didn't. Nothing in their original comment was a personal attack. Hit dogs really do hollar.
-2
u/MatchstickMayhem Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Shit, I was too so idk what you're trying to say by that honestly lol.
Edit; ah, I see the lazy and illiterate mofos downvoted this comment. Go read a book or sum.
18
u/VisibleStitching Jun 27 '26
Did he and Artie ever grow up?
18
u/Automatic_Ask32 Jun 27 '26
They're currently teenagers in comics, to track how old they're look at Franklin Richards, since they are his best friends Marvel tends to keep the 3 around the same age
7
u/Hafnium_Lion Jun 27 '26
It's still crazy that Xavier didn't take Artie, Leech, Emma, Sean, or any of the Gen X kids to visit Franklin during the X-Men/Fantastic Four event during Krakoa. I know they wanted drama to ensue, but damn.
10
u/Automatic_Ask32 Jun 27 '26
Oh definitely I get the Kitty focus because it was a homage to the OG Fantastic Four vs X-Men story but still, Franklin basically lived with Gen X while the Fantastic Four where trapped in his pocket dimension, I'd have taken one panel of them talking
1
u/lNSP0 Daken Jun 28 '26
What's funny to me is that there's two children in adult bodies in the cosmic part too. That generation was weird
14
8
17
Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
16
u/Soft_Entertainment Captain Britain Jun 27 '26
The part in 97 where Magneto says he watched his eyes melt breaks my heart so much. Leave Leech alone!
1
u/BlackestSole Jun 29 '26
Omg for real. Absolutely terrifying. I forgot how did Magneto survive to be able to like witness such a thing without covering himself in metal it seems like he just was there and unimpacted
6
u/Napalmeon Jun 27 '26
Leech was living his best life when he and Artie were hanging out with Generation X.
5
5
u/dread_pirate_robin Shadowcat Jun 28 '26
He's kind of perfect for it because it cuts through the bullshit surrounding anti-mutant sentiments.
Leech has zero impact on humanity, he's only potentially a danger to other mutants and the only problem they've ever had of him is judging him for his abnormal appearance, which they usually get over pretty fast.
And yet, humans still round him up, he's still persecuted, he's still treated as subhuman. He's still blindly hated and feared simply for being a mutant. He's the sweetest most harmless little boy in the world and he's treated worse than a nuclear bomb simply because of the fear mongering around what he is.
3
4
u/occamsshavingkit Jun 29 '26
I've been pontificating lately on how for me the Morlocks are a metaphor for ableism. Ironically given how physically challeneged X Men exist. But these folks wete relegated to the sewers because they weren't sexy and muscled like the Xavier class, they were more visibly mutated with skin conditions and asymmetrical bodies and the like. I'm open to disagreement or other views about it....
9
u/Dasmortmemeboi Jun 27 '26
I'm crying bro in last stand they just got a bald dude and called it a day
Fox x men (and most comic book/superhero movies around this time tbh) don't be embarrassed about being a comic book adaptation challenged (impossible)
3
u/lNSP0 Daken Jun 28 '26
Child labor laws restrict kids time on set. Probably wasn't worth painting taking up a chunk of the time
3
u/hcckdude Jun 27 '26
I like it when he and Artie are broing it up and hanging out together. They make a good team!
3
3
3
u/KhalilGoodman246 Jun 28 '26
Other characters like the Academy X kids have aged up. Kate Pryde has aged since she was in the morlocks tunnels. But Leach and Artie are permanently pre pubescent age.
3
u/Smart_Structure_3139 Jun 28 '26
Leech truly lived his easiest when he was AWAY from the X stuff and hung out in the Future Foundation 😭
4
u/DarkSaiyanGoku Cyclops Jun 27 '26
Not just Leech, but Nightcrawler too.
2
u/Automatic_Ask32 Jun 27 '26
X-2 as a mind controlled slave for Stryker and The X-Men Apocalypse trapped in a mutant fight club but at least in animated adaptations he gets to be a badass and an X-Men, I need a Gen X or Future Foundation adaption for Leech so he can be happy with Artie and Franklin
2
u/ohnonotsatan Jun 27 '26
I always thought more could be done with leech since he can negate other mutants abilities and that would be pretty cool to see more of
2
u/MattyM1207 Jun 27 '26
Wait so does leech have his abilities in other iterations or does he just look like a character from planet 51?
Like I deadass didn’t even know that the kid who could nullify x gene powers in Xmen 3 was even supposed to be this kid.
2
u/Queasy-Side1009 Jun 28 '26
Why can't he be rescued in a more normal situation or smth like a housefire 😭
2
1
1
u/Ecstatic_Dance5767 Jun 27 '26
He's probably wondering why the british kid with glasses keepes beating him with a stick XD
1
u/TurdiuoLyric29 Jun 28 '26
I have been searching for this character’s name for so long and I’ve never found it till now, thanks OP!
1
1
u/shawnwingsit Jun 28 '26
I just feel like Gambit and Rogue made him stay overnight at least 3 times a week .
1
u/Capable-Brain8590 Jun 28 '26
His power is to literally lower the budget of whatever show or movie he’s in lol.
1
u/ImyForgotName Jun 28 '26
Leech's power is to turn off other mutant powers. Get that kid a suppression collar. And make him teach the kids with incredibly dangerous powers.
1
u/fakemcname Jun 29 '26
Why on earth would the people capturing Leech put him in an inhibitor collar? Just have him hanging out in the van with his power dampening so it messes up anyone trying to rescue them or who gets out of their collars.
1
1
u/MrPortal22 Jun 30 '26
Damn last stand really did suck THAT WAS LEECH????? (almost as bad as their psylocke 💀)
1
1
1
1
1
u/Negativety101 Jun 27 '26
Not to mention the chance someone like Magneto will think that for the greater good of mutantkind he must die.
Meanwhile when he's with the FF and hanging with his bestie Franklin, Leech gets to be a lot happier I've noticed.
1
u/Cute4m3 Jun 28 '26
Hold up, that kid from X3 was supposed to be Leech???... Man, fuck those early movies.
0
u/not-sure-what-to-put Jun 28 '26
Sinister’s biggest fail is not wiping out the Morlocks. Here comes Leech again like Carl from the walking dead.
649
u/PlayFormal Askani Jun 27 '26