To Utopia
The next few years saw the X-Men comics strike a difficult balance with the character of Emma Frost. 2005’s “House of M” event left the majority of the world’s mutants de-powered, and as a result there really wasn’t much call for teachers anymore. Sure, there were exceptions; Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run managed to get a few key scenes in (he enjoyed contrasting her with the character of Kitty Pryde, leading to some serious snarking sessions). Meanwhile, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost frequently showed her relationship with the younger stars of their New X-Men run.
But as the years passed, this idea gradually fell by the wayside. The X-Men relocated, first to San Francisco and then to the island of Utopia, with Cyclops gradually taking an ever-more-militaristic approach. His attempt to unite the mutant race ultimately failed in 2011’s “Schism” event, and that became a subtle but important moment for Emma Frost’s future. You see, she was offered a choice between siding with Cyclops, or going with Wolverine to work at the Jean Grey School.
This really is the key moment in Emma Frost’s character arc; would she be defined by her role as a teacher, or by her relationship with Cyclops? She chose Cyclops. An ironic choice, given he became so focused on the survival of the mutant race that their relationship began to fail. Kieron Gillen’s run included an arc where Emma was badly injured, but Cyclops stood by and watched, even as her ex-suitor Namor offered sympathy.
The “Avengers vs. X-Men” event finally brought the relationship to an end. Empowered by the Phoenix Force, Emma Frost struggled against the darkness of her own soul; strikingly, she was the only one of the so-called ‘Phoenix Five’ to cry out for help, but Cyclops wouldn’t hear her. She ultimately fell into a psychic affair with Namor and revealed it to Cyclops during the climactic final battle on Utopia. In a shocking twist, he attacked her, beating her down and robbing her of her portion of the Phoenix Force.
It’s not hard to draw a parallel to a rape, with Emma Frost assaulted by a vengeful lover.
