I don't know why but I suddenly had the urge to draw something for this...
I wanted to grab even more verses, but it was too much for now 😂
If I ever go back to this, I'd like to reduce some loops and add some more things...
I had some ideas for some verses that I had to ignore because it didn't follow the flow of the previous scene. Like the Dr. Harrow scene, funnily enough haha Know that's the fav one of some friends
Brief creative process note, I really wanted to show a parallel between Wendy's pose and Marc's (as Moon Knight) pose.
Either way, he ends up falling down to his knees cos he can't bear it anymore.
At the end, it's Steven who wakes up, and finds comfort on thinking it's all a dream. And Marc's brief comfort, its not to be there to be thinking about it.
There's a little mess of timeline, but... you know... hahaha
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It's pride month, so I'm finally getting into X-Men. (Okay, I didn't actually plan it out that way, but it lined up.) Anyway, I'm surprised that everyone hasn't already gone nuts about the X2 villain's extremely miserable trans daughter.
Now, the thing is, this isn't explicitly confirmed in the text. But the subtext is in-your-face enough that it feels dismissive to call it a "headcanon". Like, this is the same movie with the line "have you tried... not being a mutant?" in it, and this character being trans isn't particularly subtler writing than that. I don't think it was intended to be so obvious, though. 2003 was a different time.
So, like, quick rundown on the plot of X2. Colonel William Stryker (in the comics he was a minister instead) is a bigot who wants to exterminate all mutants. His most vital asset in doing this is his "son", known only as "Mutant 143", or more often by her birth name, "Jason Stryker". Mutant 143 is a powerful psychic who can control people through dreamlike visions. William never accepted his child's mutation, and pulled her from Charles Xavier's school when he realized that Professor X had no intention of "curing" her. William blames his daughter for his wife's suicide; he had Mutant 143 lobotomized and began a plan to use her as a weapon against all other mutants.
And the thing is, Mutant 143 physically looks like this:
But like. Why wouldn't she, with that kind of dad? He has full power over her and has deliberately rendered her a dependent he can micromanage. I mean, Jesus Christ, the line I just randomly stumbled upon while opening and closing my media player to get that screencap was William Stryker saying
No, Charles, my son is dead! My son is dead, just like the rest of you.
Meanwhile, she consistently depicts herself in her psychic visions as this little girl:
And, like, okay, the extremely surface-level I-never-think-about-trans-people reading of that is that she's picking a "harmless" form to better insinuate herself into her targets' minds. But first off, the film never says that; it doesn't even really imply it. She doesn't pick different forms for different people; we only ever see her psychic ego as that little girl. Second off, her power doesn't really require her to put effort into seeming harmless to control people; the dream visions are more of an aesthetic flare on her power than they are a necessary mechanism. When she gets her psychic talons into someone, she can just directly command them to do whatever the fuck out-of-character thing and they'll do it regardless of plausibility. She's the classic cheesy horror trope of the scary possessed little girl, and frankly I don't think it would be any easier to get Professor X to kill all mutants on the orders of a little girl than a little boy.
She's been reduced to a shell of a person, but some element of personal identity still remains there. In her power. The thing she's being oppressed for.
This character doesn't receive a real name in canon. She gets two names from her shitty father: the dehumanization inherent in "Mutant 143" is fairly obvious and uncontroversial, but given everything I'm saying here, I don't think "Jason" is really better. She likely identifies with that name exactly insofar as she's been brainwashed into wanting her own kind dead.
It complicates things a bit that Professor X, another powerful psychic who would likely know her well, also calls her "Jason" a few times. But given the unfortunate circumstances of the film's plot... even if he knew, what else would he call her? She hasn't been fortunate enough in life to get a real name. It's not like, within the plot of the movie, stopping and pointing out what was going on would have been likely to help anything.
This is thematically important to the movie. Magneto certainly isn't meant to be right about everything, but there is a sympathetic throughline to him and his attitudes about the oppression of mutants. Earlier in the movie, he indicates that he sees mutants' cape names (like "Magneto") as their real names, and he encourages his allies to see themselves that way. The trans applicability here is fairly obvious; superheroes and supervillains make up their own names that make their marginalized status obvious. They can publicly identify with them to advertise their mutant status to the world instead of hiding behind ordinary names they were given by majority society.
This character, this properly unnamed character, never got anything like that. She never got to choose her own name. She was compelled by force to betray herself and commit to an external name that was entirely hostile to her.
Anyway, after the X-Men escape from her devious psychic maze they leave her behind in a collapsing building where she presumably dies because she's unable to move herself without assistance. Life sucks and shit happens. It was 2003.
Looking through relevant tags, I was able to find a few short posts discussing this idea, but I'm surprised that they're so sparse and I'm surprised that they treat the idea as so speculative. It really leapt out at me, watching the movie.
audhd steve who flies under the radar when he's a kid. whose one-friendedness is assumed to be a side effect of the isolation that comes from his various illnesses. whose hours spent sitting and sketching is seen as proof he was suited for the desk job a sickly boy like him would have to work one day. whose restlessness is chalked up to the fact that he can't run around and play like other children. whose stubborn ways were somewhat appreciated because it has pulled him through fevers, clearly. who turns his deaf ear to loud sounds and doesn't ever much mind the gentle yellows and blues his eyes are capable of seeing.
audhd steve who flies under the radar when he's in the army. whose single-minded quest to gain entry is seen as the model of every young man of the time. whose simple black and white inability to tolerate injustice makes him a hero, and to top it off, the tendency to recklessly risk his very life at every turn means he is brave. whose intense attention to detail must be "increased iq" from the serum, as well as a good soldier's vigilance. who flourishes under orders he agrees with and rigid routines. whose completely incoherent coordination is an embarrassing little side effect of having a new body– even after a few years.
audhd steve who flies under the radar when he's in the future. because why would he understand any of their phrases. it's to be expected that he prefers to stay away from the overstimulating lights and sounds of the city– he's not used to their fast-paced world. it's why he makes so many faux pas– why he's so overly formal. he skirts to bland food? tastelessness is a taste of home. he hasn't even figured out fashion– that's why he makes due with just the t-shirts given to him by shield, even if they barely fit. it's all because he's so maladjusted to the 21st century.
audhd steve who suddenly doesn't fly under the radar anymore when he moves into avengers tower, and... they see him with bucky. suddenly, it's a little odd that he gags more often eating new dishes than a guy who couldn't remember eating a normal meal before. suddenly, there are questions as to why he can throw his shield with perfect accuracy, but can't... really tie his shoes in a way that stays. suddenly, his eyes squinting, and the aborted gesture of his hands fluttering toward his ears at the raising volume of music, and laughter, and car engines, can no longer be compared to the far away look he gets at violent movies, the toaster going off, and the breaking of glass. steve– who's suddenly very on the radar.
My Eddie Brock HCs + Reasoning After Watching Venom 1: AuDHD
Chews on his necklace onscreen, one of his shirts has a neckline that looks chewed up
Had bracelets, necklace, ring on his pointer finger– no discernable point but stimming
Does that hands under his arms thing instead of just crossing them normally
Cannot stand or sit still in most scenes; constant fidgeting or some movement
Rocks back and forth while sitting just enough to notice throughout this scene
Appears all or nothing with eye contact
Had forgotten that he had a meeting to attend– based on how he independently "cares" for himself, prob. wasn't a one-off
Looks to have trouble focusing on whoever is speaking to him instead of his own thoughts (his own-own thoughts, even before Venom)
Has the impulse control of a feral toddler
Motorcycles riders are trademark reckless
Has a special interest in social justice– was hyperfixated on both the homeless crisis and unethical medical practices, which is how he ended up hyperfixated on Carlton Drake
Seems to have a routine of coming in to shop for whatever he needs right that moment as opposed to stocking up on anything– this could be just from habit, to prevent being overwhelmed, in case samefood changes...
Speaking of samefood; currently tater tots
Has trouble benefiting from meditation and/or gets easily defensive about having been suggested/convinced to try a new thing
Overload from noise (neighbor's music)
B&W thinking + strong sense of justice
No regard for the expected social hierarchy
Hyperempathy (see above + literally apologizes to people trying to kill him)
Bad at lying, usually very honest anyway
No hesitation getting in that water tank like he was super used to being weird in public
Anne also sort of acted like she had seen him having what could look similar to a meltdown before; unfortunately, her response (slapped him to "snap out of it") very not good in that context (...or in canon context that he's sick)
No regard for deescalation– insults his captors, attacks while tied to a chair…
His situational awareness is iffy– seems hyper aware of people, but has serious difficulty knowing where he is in a space compared to furniture, walls, any fixture…
That incomprehensible Tom Hardy thing everyone was talking about in this role; with mumbled/slurred speech/mixed accents; even a lisp almost peeks out when he's sick
Uses a lot of filler words and sounds and frequently restarts sentences/phrases
His inflection/pitch goes haywire a bit
His use of echolalia (“No such thing as can't.” / “E.T. phone home.” / “I have a parasite.” / ”Mask!” / “Have a nice life.”)
Scripting; he tries really hard to be polite, excessive use of please and thank you…
Auditory processing (“Excuse me?” / “You said "causing" and "body" and I lost you.”)
Seems way too genuine in his attempts at sarcasm, and a little sarcastic sometimes when he's really being completely genuine
States the obvious frequently– maybe helps him process? (“My legs were broken, now they're not broken. What is happening?”)
Doesn't want his old job or fiancee back, now that he's got a new career and he lives with Venom, because once he was forced into the change and lost hope of his routine coming back he got resettled and is very attached
HC: Loved his job as a reporter not just because of his SpIn, but because he always got to read off or memorize a script or a list of questions– now that he's a journalist he finds wording more difficult, but he still enjoys the lack of improvising speech!
Not regarding the previous stuff: he has an anxious attachment style, extremely likely depressive episodes, maybe chronic pain, his mbti is isfp-t, and ennegram tritypes are heart 2w1 (almost 4w5)/head 6w5/gut 9w8
Let's discuss the Maximoff twins at HYDRA– based on this scene:
First, to be clear– Wanda and Pietro did not know they were volunteers for a neo-n*zi organization. They were told this was an opportunity to help and protect Sokovia from people like Tony Stark, and that is the reason why they agreed to be experimented on. They very likely weren't aware of the treatment they were going to face once they were essentially HYDRA’s property. They were lured here under false pretenses, and if at any point they tried to back out or protest their methods, it wouldn't have been allowed.
It's implied they were on the streets when they were approached, along with the others who did not survive the experiments. HYDRA knew what they were doing when they targeted young (age is unclear, but it is commonly accepted that the birth year 1989 fits nowhere in the timeline for them and that claiming it's a misprint for 1998 makes much more sense in relation to the bomb that hit their home and comments made about them being kids, in which case they'd be 16 in this scene and 17 in AOU), houseless people, displaced and orphaned by war and poverty.
The cells they are being kept in– and that's what they are, cells– have grated/barred doors, which are likely linked to those electronic systems on the walls. Based on their appearance, it's hard to tell if they're locking mechanisms, speakers, or both. The air vents in their cells are designed so no one bigger than a toddler could fit through them. The walls have water damage and what's probably mold along the ceilings and floors.
At first, I believed this was meant to be a "camera showing us through solid walls trick," but if you look carefully you can see that light is reflecting off of the transparent walls, especially on Pietro's side– they are in fact windows– meaning they're not only locked up, they're being watched. And not for security purposes– because that would be done with cameras. No, these are rooms set up for the occupant to be observed– studied.
They both have cannulas in their hands, wrapped a bit excessively in bandages– which could be from needles, etc. being put in so many times that they need to be bandaged all the way down their wrists. Both appear to be right-handed, so this was done without regard for mobility in their dominant hand, which may be purposeful in hindering them intentionally. Someone else has noticed this has an effect on Pietro's hand use. They are likely for routine blood sampling and/or intravenous nutrition/hydration or medications.
They don't have shoes– or socks, which would typically be given in any kind of institution. Their clothes are both drab grey, but Pietro's looks like the texture of sweat wear, while Wanda's is like a smock. Rather than having them in a matching uniform, such as hospital gowns or similar sport wear, Pietro is in something close to the latter, while Wanda is wearing a dress. It's confusing because white or light blue garments usually undicate being under medical observation. What they're wearing is more reminiscent of uniforms designed for prisoners– not patients. You can even see there's a number on the upper pants.
You could attempt to guess how long they've been held here specifically, without access to more normal accommodations, based on the growth of Pietro's hair. However, I was under the impression it's affected by his metabolism and had become long much quicker than average.
In Wanda's room, after noticing her bed is barely visible in the corner of the screen, I realized the cell she's in is much larger than Pietro's. There is an extra observation window in the room and a fire alarm that's not present in the other. This makes me wonder if it's designed for more than one prisoner, and if so, is it only for when they want to watch interactions? Or is it a default place Pietro's been taken out of for some reason?
The metal cart resembles those in a hospital, but more so in an antique sense. The bowl on the side is typically meant for ice or sponge bathing. There is no sink or toilet visible in either room, although there could be on the side in Wanda's.
They could have brought her literally anything to practice this with– and they brought her plain wooden blocks. Those probably weren't just for convenience. They don't really have normal use in the regular world. It'd be much easier to obtain an old set of children's blocks that were colorful or educational if they wanted her to have block shapes to experiment with for some reason. It really seems they intentionally decided to give her custom-made blank, boring wood. ???
There are three little white squares along Pietro's walls that are visible to the audience. They could be sensors of some kind (body heat, speed, etc.), but they don't appear to be cameras or buttons. They seem to be more for symbolic purposes– in them is a circle with an upside down triangle in it. This could represent the power of three– mind, body, spirit– or the common science sign lingo "mandatory action" (circle) and "warning/caution" or "dangerous container" (triangle).
This supports my earlier theory that this could be a room designed for separation from the other(s). I don't know why Pietro would be in the "danger room" unless he was distracting Wanda, and they were afraid to move her, like at all, or if they simply wanted to watch her without his high speed running around getting in the way. Maybe he did something they put him in solitary for.
There are metal poles on the wall– these can't be seen in Wanda's room, but they could also be out of view on the far wall. At first, I thought they were to keep the bed from being flipped, but it moves away when Pietro runs past. It might be an attachment system for bunk beds or shelves to be used– or, though it appears flat against the wall, it's possible it's to tie or cuff test subjects.
Every time Pietro is momentarily still, his hands, especially his right, shake uncontrollably. This could be from muscle strain or nerve damage, but given the main thing his speed is linked to is an increased metabolism, it's likely low blood sugar or vitamin deficiency causing a tremor, if he were to suddenly need way more nutrition.
The mattress on Pietro's bed is thin, almost to the point that it might just be stacked sheets, which is what the layered area up by the pillow appears to be. There also looks to be something in the top corner of the cell, like a camera or light.
Although many other explanations are possible, if not just as probable: 1. low blood pressure from dehydration, blood loss, certain medications, or infection. 2. high blood pressure / heartrate from stress 3. sleep deprivation (which both appear to have based on their eyes) 4. hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid links to a higher metabolism) 5. an autoimmune condition (brought on by his immune system becoming overactive as well)
If anyone has any thoughts to add, either on this scene or about time the twins were at HYDRA in general, please comment/reblog/send an ask!
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