Thoughts

The Proteus Saga comes to a suitably epic conclusion, with another inventive battle. Claremont applies his usual creativity to slugfests, and this time he’s got a monster that can shape reality to play with. Alongside finding ways to incorporate new powers with Polaris and Havok. Even the powerless Banshee still gets to play his part in the story of the fight.

I mentioned a couple of blog posts back that I felt this story had real cinematic potential. Perhaps the most of all the Claremont/Byrne collaborations. Since then, I’ve discovered that Claremont was even to write a 30 page movie treatment in 1982 that featured Proteus as the main villain.

From what little I can find out about the treatment, it seems quite different. The X-men battle Proteus on the Astral Plain, there’s no Colossus in the story and the main story is the introduction of Kitty Pryde.

I still think you could tell a Mutant Movie that runs much closer to the source. Being with Moira and Xavier, and the world of potential mutants. Seeking emerging mutants to train them because they have experience of their potential to be monsters. I love the idea of introducing Kitty Pryde as part of the story. Which brings us nicely to the next issue.

Fun Panel

A glorious cinematic finale. It would look great fine today with CGI but i still reckon. they could have done it in a visually awesome fashion back in the early eighties. Giant blue-electrical flashes filling the screen and a giant iron man tearing it to pieces.

None More Claremont

Even as a kid, I had a massive schmaltz detector on when reading comics or watching cartoons. Anything that smacked of a moral lesson or seemed overly emotion would normally elicit a roll of the eyes and a yeuch from me. Yet I still think Colossus comforting Moira at the end, telling her its fine for her to cry as he can’t rust is a lovely little moment. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age?