Ross Hutchinson
Guest Commentary
‘Patrick Lagua has been an occasional contributor to Comic Watch in the past. He has been a lifelong X-Men fan, with a particular emphasis on Emma Frost, obviously. You can hear his further musings on the X-Men and Emma Frost during the Krakoan era on the Krakoan Exports Podcast and over on Tumblr at Perfect Faberge Killing Machine. He also moderates the House of X: Emma Frost Facebook group, which you can find here’
‘This is that day you’ve been waiting for…to make right all the things that went wrong’.
– Charles Xavier and Magneto to Emma Frost from Powers of X # 5
There are certain moments in our lives that will stick with us forever; The Challenger Explosion. The 2020 US Presidential Election. The Berlin Wall coming down. Charles Xavier and Magneto having a meeting with Emma Frost at the Louvre, in front of the statue of Winged Victory, no less, from Powers of X # 5. I pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot to read this issue on my tablet. People just out for a quick burger or french fries must have been astounded and weirded out at the weirdo in the white (of course) Nissan Versa hooting and hollering at his iPad. I’m sorry, but not really. Emma would back me on this.
The scene in question, which took up the middle of the issue, was electric, the implications heavy, and, for what technically amounts to pages of ‘talking heads’, felt just as exciting, momentous and explosive as the most elaborate fight scene in a capes and tights comics. In a brief two-scene sequence, Hickman establishes Emma Frost as one of the key figures of the new X-Men era he was building; the ‘consummate politician’ who will lead the Hellfire Trading Co. (the mutants’ own version of the East India Trading Co, without all of that pesky colonialist baggage) As a bonus, she also negotiates for and acquires control of 3 seats on Krakoa’s 12-seat ruling Quiet Council, effectively influencing a fourth of the island nation’s decision making power. In these few pages, Hickman revitalized and put front and center all of the aspects of Emma Frost’s character that has made me a lifelong fan: a woman who is comfortable with her own power, willing to use that power as leverage to get what she wants, a worldview that is irrevocably rooted (for better or worse) in a realpolitik approach to mutant issues (SURE, let’s put all the mutants on an island AGAIN!) and of course, that one foundational, diamond-hard core that animates many, if not all, of Emma’s actions; her concern ‘for the children’
The sequence, just as much as Charles’ and Magneto’s pitch to her at the start of the trio’s meeting at the Louvre, felt like a promise from Hickman to the readers and to Emma’s fans. This is the day we were waiting for; the heavens parting after so much time with dark, dark clouds. The Frostitutes’ long, dark, editorially-mandated night is finally, for a time, over. Krakoa was a promise to make right all the editorial decisions that went wrong for Emma from the start of the post-Secret Wars era. There were a few missteps and missed opportunities along the way, but, in my view, this was a promise fulfilled in an undeniably spectacular way. Emma fans ate well. At times it almost felt unreal. What a time it was to be alive.
Emma’s role in the X-Men mythos as a leader and, let’s not skirt around it, a character who literally just makes the whole thing go isn’t new, by any means. Examples abound. Keeping Osborn at bay (and ultimately outmaneuvering him) during the Dark Reign, bankrolling Utopia after that cringe-inducing Schism, and of course establishing New Tian as a mutant safe haven when Hydra-Cap rose to power, are a few examples that come to mind. Krakoa put this aspect of her character front and center, treating it as a central feature, rather than a minor plot point to make other story beats happen. Opinions may vary, and there is something to be said about Emma not being in the field as much due to her position on the Quiet Council, but for me, this was the sweet spot. Emma being the political leader, navigating the intrigue that comes with such a position, while looking fabulous throughout, is my comic happy place.
Where to even begin, and end, with examples to illustrate the above point? There are many to choose from during the Krakoan era. Emma’s subtle telepathic nudge to make the Russian ambassador vote neutral during the vote to recognize Krakoa in the UN assembly was crucial to establishing the then fledgling mutant-island-enclave as a nation. The Hellfire Trading Company should of course be mentioned as well. Mutant ‘pirates’ managing the shipment and sales of Krakoa’s main export and source of leverage, while also rescuing helpless mutants stuck behind the borders of hostile countries who did not want to play along politically with Krakoa’s overtures? This was a mission statement that Emma was tailor-made to lead and facilitate…with the help of a now, moderately-better dressed Kate Pryde of course. Emma flexing the power of her pocketbook to give Masque a fulfilling job at the Madripoorian hospital and also setting up the Morlocks with their own enclave in Arizona, all bankrolled by Hellfire Trading, were also delightful to see; a rare bit of cheer and victory for the oft mistreated mutants. The fact that it all happened in a comic called “Marauders” makes these story beats even more delicious. Emma is that rare superhero comics character who is willing to cut through the red-tape of what I’ll call ‘super hero morality navel-gazing’ to deliver positive change for oppressed folks. A notion that Krakoa put front and center in the aforementioned examples and nicely encapsulated in this panel from Marauders # 10:
And then we come, of course, to the Hellfire Gala(s).
We all knew it was coming, thanks to the many hints dropped from the early days of Marauders. But nothing could have prepared me for the rollout of the promotion for the event. Appropriately enough, the beginning of the promotional cycle for the storyline became one of those ‘where were you at when…’ moments, to quote the hostess of ceremonies herself.
Where was I? Well on the elliptical machine doing cardio. The Entertainment Weekly article dropped showcasing Dauterman’s designs for the event and…I needed to stop and get off the hamster wheel and just deal with this new reality for a moment. A moment that ultimately became an hour or two as the reactions started coming fast and furious on social media. Sure, all the mutant A-listers were getting runway-ready looks, courtesy in-universe of Jumbo Carnation, but nothing could have prepared me for Emma getting not one, not two, BUT THREE looks for the gala. Is this real? I had to pinch myself. It was. I knew it was something I was going to be excited for the event but the payoff was beyond even my wildest dreams. A high fashion mutant event modeled after the real world MET Galas, with Emma as the headmistress of ceremonies (WITH THREE LOOKS, REMEMBER?!) all with a nice juicy ‘fireworks display’ in the middle? If I didn’t know any better, I could swear Jordan White employed his own telepath to plumb the depths of my Emma-addled brain to come up with this Michelin-star of a concept.
For three years, from 2021 – 2023, the Hellfire Galas became a summer fixture for Marvel’s summer publishing plans, featuring key plot developments within the gala issues themselves or serving as launching points for larger summer events that would occur shortly after. Beyond their importance for the plot though, it also drew in the luminaries of the Marvel Universe, much like how the real life MET Galas boasted an elite, exclusive guest list. The in-universe conceit of a high fashion event necessitated what may be my favorite part: all the attendees needed to be wearing on-point high fashion looks, crafted in-universe by Emma’s own in-house couture fashion designer Jumbo Carnation and designed by many notable comic artists. Emma, of course, played a central role in the planning and execution of the Galas, her level of involvement and ‘steering’ fantastically illustrated by a series of vignettes produced by Marvel to promote the 2023 Gala issue. Illustrated by noted Emma fan, Phil Noto, the vignettes showcase, among other things, Emma planning the seating for the event and, in utterly hilarious fashion, the many hours it took to approve Jean’s look for the 2022 gala.
Art by Jeff Spokes Colors by Hector Barros
There were hits (Black Widow, Hellfire Gala 2k22) and misses (Cyclops, recycled Jedi, 2022) but the vibe and energy surrounding the reveal of these looks for those three years felt like EVENTS that united the fandom. We were all on the edge of our sets to judge which outfits were sartorial successes and which ones may have needed second thoughts. Something BIG always happens at the gala, and I don’t just mean the gowns, fabric trains or mutant-powered accessories. Mars was terraformed, Sinister secrets were revealed and the Fall of the House of X all began with the Gala issues. The impact of the Galas didn’t end on the comics’ page either. Cosplayers organized Hellfire Gala fashion walks during cons. Disney (DISNEY!) even organized an officially sanctioned Hellfire Gala during San Diego Comic Con 2023, boasting some special guests, giveaways, and even an actual Krakoan ‘portal’ into the party.
Art by Thaddeus Robeck
Art by Danica Brine
During the back-half of the Krakoa era, Emma stepped down from the leadership of the Hellfire Trading Co. to concentrate on her Quiet Council duties. At this point, she arguably was the only one who was keeping the Quiet Council and Krakoa afloat. During the Inferno arc, Emma played a key role in neutralizing the existential threat posed by Moira to Krakoa, providing the piece of tech that neutralized Moira’s mutant powers, hence locking in place the current timeline in which Krakoa exists. Emma also revealed the existence of Moira and the role she played in the establishment of Krakoa to the Quiet Council, putting all of the council members on a more equal footing. In the aftermath of the Sins of Sinister event, Emma tried, to no avail, to stop the forces trying to destroy Krakoa from within. Her, admittedly sassy, pleas for Storm to spend more time on Krakoa fell on deaf ears and she couldn’t stop Selene’s admittance to the Quiet Council; a turn of events that allowed a Russian-literature controlled Piotr to reveal to the world the horrific what-ifs of Sinister’s machinations. With Krakoa’s economy and fortunes cratering due to this revelation, Emma put her influence behind the only viable course of action that could possibly salvage the nation she helped make; dissolving the Quiet Council with the hopes of putting something better and longer lasting in its place.
Unfortunately, this new direction never got the chance to come to fruition due to the devastating Orchis attack on the last Hellfire Gala of the Krakoan era. The aftermath of the attack saw the mutants scattered and disorganized, with the majority of them effectively exiled from earth by Charles Xavier’s tragic act of martyrdom. In these final days of the Krakoan era, Emma remained a consummate leader of the nation she helped create, rallying the resistance against Orchis’ stranglehold on Earth. Her alter ego, Hazel Kendall also fake-marries Tony Stark to enact a bit of subterfuge and theater necessary to buy the time needed to deploy countermeasures against Fei Long’s Stark Sentinels.
Honestly, is there anyone else who has done more for Krakoa?
One of the main themes of the Krakoan era is connection, between mutants and their home and to each other. This has also been a key feature of Emma’s development during this era. Her relationships with many female X-characters, including Kate, Storm, Jean, and Callisto were further developed. The hatchet with Angelica (Firestar) was even buried, with Emma providing the key push to vote Angelica into the X-Men team formed during the 2022 gala. Her connections to the larger Marvel Universe was also developed in the Duggan penned/Noto drawn Devil’s Reign tie-in in which we saw how Emma’s machinations in the past affected Nick Fury (Sr.), Tony Stark, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and of course, her fellow ‘witch’, Elektra. I hope this theme of connection and developing Emma’s relationships with different characters in the larger Marvel Universe continues into the new post-Krakoan status quo.
Despite all the wins, there were also some missed opportunities for Emma in the Krakoan era. Her position on the Quiet Council and the Hellfire Trading Co. unfortunately meant that opportunities to display her telepathic prowess and diamond form were a little less common. Personally, I did not mind this at all as I thoroughly enjoy her feats of political and social maneuvering just as much (if not more) than her telepathic and diamond-form feats. Bringing Lourdes Chantal back, only to quickly dispose of her in the 2023 Gala felt like a wasted gift. It would have been lovely to see her and Emma spend more time together and go on different adventures and get into boardroom shenanigans. With Krakoa’s access to mutant resurrection-at-will, Emma should have also been given antagonists that weren’t named ‘Sebastian Shaw’. Astrid Bloom and/or Adrienne Frost should have been brought back to goose up the drama. Having Bianca Le Neige (bonus points if you get that deep cut without looking it up) be the original owner of the Mercury would have been divine.
The conclusion of Krakoa was bittersweet to say the least, but it was an important milestone in Emma’s journey. With the return of all the Genoshan dead, Emma’s 20 year character arc (thus far) comes to a satisfying and cathartic conclusion, an extreme rarity in superhero comics. The Genoshan genocide has been such a key motivator for many of Emma’s choices and characterization for so long that these mutants’ (off-screen) resurrection in Uncanny X-Men # 700 was akin to Batman completely ridding Gotham of crime, if even for a little while. Had X-editorial decided to shelve Emma for a while at Krakoa’s end, I wouldn’t complain. The past 20 years of Emma storytelling couldn’t have asked for a better capstone than the one we got from Uncanny X-Men #700.
The Krakoan era is a high bar to clear, a historical high point, particularly for Emma. The status quo distilled all the things that makes Emma great to me and gave that to us for five wonderful years. We will likely never see it’s like again, and therefore it should be celebrated, cherished, and re-read for decades to come, like the rarest of diamonds.
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