Emma Frost‘s role as one of the premier X-Men in the 21st century made fans forget she was initially introduced as a supervillain. She was originally the White Queen of the nefarious evil mutant group known as the Hellfire Club. She was essentially Jean Grey’s polar opposite, a malicious telepath who did everything it takes to come out on top. However, like all great Marvel characters, more dimensions were added to Emma, making her a more fully rounded and complex character. She often fought on the side of the good guys in the 80s and 90s, specifically with the New Mutants, before becoming one of the Headmasters for Gen X.
One of the most interesting aspects of Emma Frost’s personality is that, even when she switched sides, she kept her snide attitude and venomous dialect. Even though she was a superhero, she never truly acted like one, making her one of the more fascinating characters in the Marvel Universe. The X-Men franchise has dabbled with turning Frost back into a supervillain, specifically during the X-Men vs. Inhumans era, yet they never seem to stick. Emma Frost may become too complex a character to ever fully switch back into a supervillain, but after so many years acting as a good guy, we want to see her unleash her full potential again.
Being Good Doesn’t Match Emma Frost’s Personality
Emma Frost is a jerk. That is one of her defining qualities. Even when she’s a superhero and dating Cyclops, Emma keeps her condescending speech and superiority complex. Her spiteful personality is what makes her an enduring and interesting character to read. It’s what made her relationship with Scott Summers so fascinating, as she was everything Jean wasn’t, including their appearances and characteristics. Emma’s personality makes her seem like a walking contradiction, as she works to save the world with the X-Men. Nevertheless, in the same breath, she is also so inherently unlikable that it’s hard to read her intentions.
It’s this paradox that makes Emma a fun character to read, yet we can’t help but feel that the character is not being used to her full potential. Many modern X-Men comics usually deal with Emma having to be talked down from her worst impulses, or for the rest of the team to compromise to work out a more morally acceptable decision. Frost’s personality did begin to tone down in the 2000s, specifically under Matt Fraction’s Uncanny X-Men run. However, those comics betray what Emma is meant to represent and what made her appealing in the first place. Marvel brought back Emma’s more malicious personality traits in time for Avengers vs. X-Men, which corrupted her with the Phoenix Force powers.
She would then become a more cold and calculated character. Her evil side would eventually win out after Cyclops’ death, becoming the main instigator for the Inhumans vs. X-Men conflict. Even though the Inhumans vs. X-Men comic remains a divisive and controversial one among fans, Emma’s heel turn and eventual descent into the dark side remain one of the event’s best parts. Emma may have briefly gotten a terrible black costume out of the event. Nonetheless, it was oddly refreshing to have the character back, being the morally dubious character we were first introduced to. Her experience with the X-Men has given her a conscience, making her a morally grey villain.
Emma Frost Can Easily Switch Back and Forth
Emma soon went back to the side of the angels with the Krakoa era, joining the Quiet Council and becoming a major figurehead in many landmark story arcs. She was instrumental in Immortal X-Men, Sins of Sinister, and the Fall of X storylines. It was during this era that her prophesied marriage with Tony Stark happened, leading to one of the more enjoyable and engaging romances in a long while. While we still got to witness evil Emma in the Sins of Sinister alternate universe, the Krakoa era arguably featured Emma at her most heroic since Fraction’s Uncanny X-Men. Emma is now stuck as a role model for the Exceptional X-Men. She brings a lot of flavor to the team, especially with her love-hate relationship with Kitty Pryde. However, she feels oddly muted in the From the Ashes era of X-Men books.
She no longer has the leadership role she had from Krakoa, nor the complex morality displayed in Inhumans vs. X-Men. She is just there, and we believe the character can be so much more. Many fans often argue which era of Emma Frost is the best, with various answers being acceptable. We believe she is wasted as a role model; in fact, we believe she is being wasted as a superhero. The character truly shines when she doesn’t have the moral standards that the rest of the X-Men hold her back. She shouldn’t be a character the other X-Men actually like having around. She should be someone they are forced to cooperate with for the greater good. Emma Frost has a heart and conscience, but Marvel Comics shouldn’t deny the character’s darker impulses. That is when the character shines the most.
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