Techno-Orientalism in t\veX-M en Film Franchise
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Wolverine’s castration takes the form not only of the recurrent
beatings he receives from other mutants, but also the traumatic
violation of his body by the surgeons (represented as literal
penetration in his nightmares of scalpels and needles) and the
social marginalization he experiences because of his mutant
status. (Hicks 58)
However, Wolverine’s claws are elongated, razor-sharp phallic symbols
and he himself becomes representative of penetration, as his castration
“itself is far from a simple matter, however, for what is most striking
about the augmentations that Wolverine has received is their phallic
connotations. His nine-inch claws, which emerge from his knuckles,
leave Wolverine a walking figure for penetration’’ (Hicks 58). This is a
familiar trope of white male domination over the Orientalized female
figure and is consistent with the “war bride” stereotype of the submissive
and obedient Asian female. Wolverine is the embodiment of masculinity
and the “very hardness of his metal-infused body represents not only
invincibility but masculine virility” (Hicks 58).
Techno-Orientalism carries over into X-Men: The Last Stand, the
third and weakest entry in the X-Men series of films, which can be
attributed, in part, to a new director (Brett Ratner) taking over the reins
from Bryan Singer. The film surrounds the development of a cure for the
mutant “disease” that has been cultivated from a mutant child named
Jimmy/Leech (Cameron Bright) who is being held at Worthington Labs,
which is situated on the site of Alcatraz Island. The premise raises an
interesting ethical question: Is mutation a “disease” and should a cure be
administered in order to avoid persecution and ridicule, or should
mutants be embraced and celebrated for their difference from the norm?
This debate is played out in the film in various methods, such as
Professor X being seen in class teaching a lesson on ethical behavior and
also through the character of Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast, (Kelsey Grammar)
who has become Secretary of the Department of Mutant Affairs and is
unable to disguise his “otherness” and difference from society. This
character trait serves as one of the plot points and is a key factor in one
of the latest films, X-Men: First Class, where a young Hank McCoy
struggles with his inability to completely fit into society, which
eventually leads to his well-known blue, simian-like appearance.
It is worth noting that the main antagonists in the film are
positioned as “evil” mutants who also just happen to be portrayed by