I love Madelyne for two reasons. First is that she embodies the wounded and the neglected in all of us. Most people know what it’s like to be abandoned or rejected at some point in their lives, and Madelyne’s not just been abandoned - she’s been discarded in the most soul-crushing way. She’s like the patron saint of the spurned and grieving, not to mention a cautionary tale about the price of resentment and revenge. The second reason is that she represents Jean’s repressed shadow side. I see the Phoenix-Jean as representative of Jean’s ego - a being of power and confidence who can go light or dark depending on which emotions have been feeding it. Madelyne is Jean’s shadow, holding all of the darkness and damage that Jean can’t let herself feel, because of the burden on her shoulders to be strong for everyone else. During the Brood saga, when Madelyne made the dream-deal with N’Astirh, she heartbrokenly chose to release her pent-up dark emotions, not knowing this choice would permanently alter her 'internal landscape'. Effectively, she merged with her dark part and became a new entity - the personification of Jean’s shadow. Psychologically, people do this all the time, merging with different parts of their psyche, sometimes so often that they get stuck and merge with it. Jean’s fight with Madelyne during the 1980s Inferno crossover was an external manifestation of the battle between light and dark in Jean’s soul. This was the same battle that raged within the Phoenix-Jean and wasn’t resolved until the climax of Inferno. When the memories of Phoenix-Jean and Madelyne were all merged within Jean, that was her becoming truly whole and integrating the different parts of her psyche. Jean is a whole Trinity!
There was a lot to unpack in that episode!
lol… lots o luggage for sure!
That shirt 😂
Fantastic isn't it 😂
😍
I love Madelyne for two reasons. First is that she embodies the wounded and the neglected in all of us. Most people know what it’s like to be abandoned or rejected at some point in their lives, and Madelyne’s not just been abandoned - she’s been discarded in the most soul-crushing way. She’s like the patron saint of the spurned and grieving, not to mention a cautionary tale about the price of resentment and revenge. The second reason is that she represents Jean’s repressed shadow side. I see the Phoenix-Jean as representative of Jean’s ego - a being of power and confidence who can go light or dark depending on which emotions have been feeding it. Madelyne is Jean’s shadow, holding all of the darkness and damage that Jean can’t let herself feel, because of the burden on her shoulders to be strong for everyone else. During the Brood saga, when Madelyne made the dream-deal with N’Astirh, she heartbrokenly chose to release her pent-up dark emotions, not knowing this choice would permanently alter her 'internal landscape'. Effectively, she merged with her dark part and became a new entity - the personification of Jean’s shadow. Psychologically, people do this all the time, merging with different parts of their psyche, sometimes so often that they get stuck and merge with it. Jean’s fight with Madelyne during the 1980s Inferno crossover was an external manifestation of the battle between light and dark in Jean’s soul. This was the same battle that raged within the Phoenix-Jean and wasn’t resolved until the climax of Inferno. When the memories of Phoenix-Jean and Madelyne were all merged within Jean, that was her becoming truly whole and integrating the different parts of her psyche. Jean is a whole Trinity!
Profound insights! Thanks for taking the time to share!