Stranger Things
Stranger Thingsis retell theX - Men ’s most noted story , the Dark Phoenix Saga . writer are currently working on the script for the next season ofStranger Things , and they ’ve recently confirmed thatChapter 1 is entitled " The Hellfire Club . “The show has always been well - known for its pop culture references , and this is one that ’s delighted comic book readers ; it ’s a mention to some Graeco-Roman 10 - Men villains .
It ’s not the first timeStranger Thingshas referenced the disco biscuit - Men , of course . The very first chapter saw Will and Dustin subspecies for a transcript ofUncanny X - Men#134 , and in Chapter Three Dustin suggest that Eleven could be a mutant , like the ex - military man . Moving into season 3 , Hawkins Mall feel like a reference to the account that introduced Jubilee , while Dustin called his wireless transmitter " Cerebro " after the gimmick that allow Charles Xavier to communicate psychically over Brobdingnagian distances .
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The Duffer brothers are distinctly X - Men fans , but Marvel ’s merry mutants have had a far smashing impact than most viewers would realize at a glance . That observe ofUncanny X - Men#134 is key , because in the funnies it ’s the beginning of the classic Dark Phoenix Saga . And on close review , that fib has had a monolithic encroachment onStranger Things .
Eleven Is A Jean Grey Analogue
Eleven is well understood as the Duffer brothers ' version of Jean Grey . One of the original go - Men in the comics , Jean was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1963 . Lee was n’t in particular interested in the fibre , and give her a powerset that he considered quite basic for mutation ; telepathy and telekinesis . In spite of Lee ’s disinterest , Jean became one of the most popular X - Men characters , peculiarly when legendary tenner - Men author Chris Claremont took tutelage in the 1970s . He made Jean one of his most important characters , power her up with thePhoenix Forcein order to give the ten - Man a heavy batsman on a cosmic stage , and she ’s been one of the core ecstasy - Men ever since .
Eleven ’s powersare similar to Jean ’s , oriented mostly around telepathy and telekinesis , while her ability to remote - sense citizenry is visually similar to some comics where Jean has accessed the Astral Plane . Stranger Thingsseason 1 , chapter 8 let in a scene in which Eleven pinned the Demogorgon to the bulwark , like to a clangor with Mastermind in the Dark Phoenix Saga . And , of path , Eleven ’s material first name is " Jane " - deliberately similar to " Jean . "
The Dark Phoenix Saga Is At The Heart Of Eleven’s Story
TheJean Greycomparison becomes even more explicit inStranger Thingsseason 2 , which has overt reference to one of Jean ’s most famous stories - The Dark Phoenix Saga . In the comic strip , Jean had been " have " by a cosmic force of death and Renaissance call the Phoenix , granted godlike power on a level the X - Men had never seen before . Unfortunately , she obtain herself manipulated by a psychic named Mastermind , who possessed the ability to retch convincing illusions . He play a joke on Jean into betray the cristal - man , and she became the Black Queen , one of the loss leader of a villainous group known as the Hellfire Club . In the end , the Phoenix ’s power was too great , and Jean broke free from Mastermind ’s command . It turned out the Phoenix had been corrupt by the experience , and Jean became Dark Phoenix , exact retaliation upon Mastermind and consuming an entire star - system in her fury . In the end , Jean chose to trust suicide rather than risk another Dark Phoenix rampage .
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WhileStranger Thingsseason 2 avoids the classical Dark Phoenix trope , it has a lot of decipherable parallels . In the show’smost controversial episode , " The Lost Sister,“Eleven wound up sour with another of her Papa ’s test subjects . Like brainiac , Kali have the power to cast convincing phantasy , and she persuade Eleven to adopt a dark , touchwood rock looking . In Chapter 9 , a more convinced Eleven confronted the Mind Flayer as it attempted to break through from the Upside - Down . Her telekinetic shield and levitation are classicJean Greypowers , and the associated vigor surge were visually similar to the Phoenix raptorial bird from the comics .
Other X-Men Stories Influence Stranger Things As Well
While there are clear similarity between Kali and Mastermind , the kinship betweenKali and Elevenis influence by other X - Men arcs as well . It ’s in particular reminiscent of the Xavier - Magneto moral force , with Eleven look for coexistence while Kali pursues a " mutant and proud " philosophy . Kali ’s vendetta against the people who experimented upon her is evocative of one of Magneto ’s most of import electric arc during the Claremont era ; Claremont reinvent Magneto as a Jewish mutation who had suffered the Holocaust , and was seek vengeance against those who had persecuted him . Magnetowas taken on a journeying from outlaw avengers to turbulent senior in the mutant community , paralleling Menachem Begin , a right - wing Israeli drawing card who ran cells during the 1930s and 1940s but became acknowledge for negociate a moth-eaten peace with Egypt at Camp David in 1979 .
And this is n’t the only parallel , either . Conceptually , Kali is similar to the theatrical role of Callisto , drawing card of a group of subterranean mutant outlaws known as the Morlocks - who tended to dress in tinder style . In one arc , Storm hurt up duel with Callisto for leadership of the Morlocks . Afterwards , she too go down into a new toughie personification , unadulterated with a mohawk haircut . Kali ’s leadership theatrical role among her lot seems to be loosely inspired by the Morlocks , as does their anarchical nature .
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What Does This Mean For Stranger Things Season 4?
give the first episode of season 4 is call " The Hellfire Club , " it ’s safe to say thatStranger Thingsis going to continue flick on the Dark Phoenix Saga . It ’s difficult to prefigure what form this will take , but one prominent possibility is that the show will see Eleven suffer some form of psychological trauma as a result of her experiences with the Upside - Down . Claremont originally see Phoenix as what he called a " schizophrenic entity " ofJean Grey , rather than a disjoined being in its own right wing , as it was later retconned .
There is one subtle piece of supporting grounds for this notion . In the original script for the first episode , Will and Dustin did n’t mentionUncanny X - Men#134 ; they talk aboutUncanny hug drug - Men#269 . This is a particularly interesting reference , given it ’s completely anachronic ; the exit was n’t released until 1990 , so would n’t have been a good fit for a show set in the 1980s . The issue stars a different X - Man , Rogue , a young woman who has the power to engross a person ’s memories and powers through skin contact . It run into Rogue battling with a personality she has absorbed , Carol Danvers , which has basically become a schizoid entity within her own mind . In thematic terms , there are clear similarities betweenUncanny X - Men#269 and the Dark Phoenix Saga , which may explain why the Duffer brothers ab initio tossed that reference in - but then dropped it .
One thing ’s for certain , though ; that sequence title is a major hint to X - Men reviewer that there ’ll be a sight more Easter eggs and Dark Phoenix book of facts inStranger Thingsseason 4 . Hopefully it wo n’t be long before Netflix confirm the sack escort for what ’s sure to be one ofthe major TV consequence of 2020 or 2021 .
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