Welcome to the May Yancy Street Special, Justice for Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen! Maddie has a tumultuous comic history, one that takes a degree of research to fully understand, so I've done the work for you! Here you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about Madelyne Pryor, tip to toe, from Claremont-era X-Men to Vita Ayala's current New Mutants arc. There's good reason Maddie has become a bit of a fan favorite, and I hope after this, you'll agree! Please note the content warning at the beginning of the episode for biological engineering, brainwashing, emotional and physical torture, abandonment, murder and suicide, psychological damage and extreme trauma, removal of personhood, infanticide, cheating and betrayal, etc. Key Comics 0:07:42, covering all the noteworthy issues marking integral moments in her history. Aliases 0:10:51, every name Madelyne is called through her comic history, and from which issues. Team and Roles 0:13:18, going over Maddie's involvement as a Pilot/Mechanic, X-Men, Berserker, and more! Alternate Versions 0:22:01, briefly summarizing 5 different realities' versions of Maddie, plus one extra 616-version. Outfit Redesigns 0:27:32, focusing on two canon redesigns and 2 unofficial fan designs by professional artists. I also forgot to note a few things about Maddie's Goblin Queen outfit in this section, namely that anyone who's worn a "similar" top will understand it actually sits rather snug and comfortably. Additionally, the costume originated when Madelyne first became her "evil" version of herself, when her goal was the mental torture of her ex-husband, Scott. Her sultry look goes along with that intention just as much as the seduction of his younger brother, Alex. Relationships 0:32:01, talking Madelyne's interactions and time with Kate (Kitty) Pryde, Jean Grey, Scott and Alex Summers, the other X-Men, Mister Sinister, and others. Full Character Chronology 0:46:10, going over her entire comic book history, with insights, explanations, and everything else you can think of! The Modern History 1:05:39, covering anything that's happened to Maddie since Inferno (1989). Her TRUE Origin1:08:12, explaining the creators' original intention behind Madelyne, and how her story became so twisted away from those intentions by the end. My personal head-canon of who she is and how to handle her 1:12:24, because it shouldn't be so hard to get a satisfying plot surrounding her out! And finally, the current New Mutants Arc 1:15:05, starting with the recent release of issue #25, and discussing what might be coming in subsequent issues, based on what information we have. I hope you feel this special has done Madelyne Pryor justice, for what little I can offer. We an only hope those with the power to make positive change and deserved recognition in her story, do so, and do so well. Next Podcast Upload: Episode 66, Monday June 6th! Ooooh, 666 >:) And speaking of 666, don't miss the upcoming JUNE Yancy Street Special, all about Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat! One of the oldest characters at Marvel Comics, period. SOURCES: Marvel Comics marvel.fandom.com wikipedia.org www.sensationalshegeek.weebly.com http://thoughtsonstuff.blogspot.com/2005/12/x-men-inferno-240-243.html https://screenrant.com/xmen-jean-grey-clone-madelyne-pryor-explained/ https://www.cbr.com/x-factor-polaris-havok-complicated-relationship/ Outfit Redesigns: https://www.comicsxf.com/2021/10/29/redesigning-madelyne-pryor/ The Yancy Street Discord! https://discord.gg/WR75ZzWG -ALL ABOUT CLEA: https://tinyurl.com/52jxu7yj -HISTORY OF MAGIK: https://tinyurl.com/5n7cmkxj -NEW! Beginner's Guide to Comics: https://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/beginners-guide-to-comic-books.html !!Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensational-she-geek-live-from-yancy-street/id1550410718 !!Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/45qGcYnP147aZBVIHC09lI?si=cb8b8c1a4f8c4ac7 !!Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/sensational-she-geek-live-from-yancy-street/PC:74557 Find me on Instagram: @annawiththecomics https://www.instagram.com/annawiththecomics/ Podcast Updates on Twitter: @savageshegeek https://twitter.com/savageshegeek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KoazT-HEFbqCALjxRLjFQ Website/Blog: https://sensationalshegeek.weebly.com/ Donation and All Other Links https://linktr.ee/sensationalshegeek CW biological engineering, brainwashing, emotional and physical torture, abandonment, murder and suicide, psychological damage and extreme trauma, removal of personhood, infanticide, cheating and betrayal, etc.
KEYS 0:07:42 1st appearance
ALIASES 10:51
TEAMS 13:18 Airline Pilot
Alternate Versions 22:01 Inferno (2015, Battleworld, Secret Wars)
Relationships 32:01
Character Chronology: 46:10 Madelyne was brought into the comics and featured in a legendary era for the X-Men, so reading up on her history will give you a lot of insight to the whole period. We first meet Maddie in UXM 168 when Scott takes a trip to Alaska to meet with his family, meeting a pilot for her grandfather's airline: Madelyne Pryor. Her uncanny resemblance to the late Jean Grey (plus later retconned genetic manipulation by Sinister to want to be with her, apparently) made him immediately attracted and a bit obsessed with her, and they start dating almost on the spot. We learn her brief backstory, that she was the only survivor in a plane crash that killed 400 civilians, and often has troubles to to the PTSD. Scott reveals his mutant abilities to her in her second appearance after their first real date, and she accepts him and his complications pretty much instantly. (she doesn't find out about the X-Men part until later) In UXM #171, this is a key issue for so many reasons. You have not only Madelyne revealing that the day of her insane plane crash was also the same day Jean "died," we also have Carol Danvers (recently Binary) saying goodbye to her Earthen family, and Illyana Rasputin finally fully remembering the events of the 7 years she spent in Limbo (granted, her memory of the time was written as spotty in some places and nearly full in others prior to this, so it's a little bit of a situation of interpretation), and revealing her soulsword for the first time on Earth. UXM 173 features the would-be wedding of Logan and Mariko Yashida, of which Madelyne is Scott's plus-one. It's now that she learns the truth about Scott's friends, that they are the impressive, if controversial, X-Men!
The couple is sent off on their honeymoon in UXM 176, giving readers the picture of a perfect couple, desperately in love, superbly skilled, and a great team together. If only it could have lasted. Things start going bad for Madelyne and Scott's relationship in UXM 181, when they are still on their Honeymoon, and Scott is already spending most of his time out with the X-Men, or otherwise focused on mutant news. Maddie gets pregnant not long after, announced in X-Men/Apha flight #1, a somewhat convoluted storyline that termporarily gives Madelyne healing powers and the hero name Anodyne. The two-ssie arc ends with ultimately the same status quo as it began, just with baby Nathan officially on his way. For a time, she believes this will save their marriage. However, UXM Annual #9, that final issue of the "normal" part of Maddie's life, revelas her worries have never been sated, and by now fears she'll never be happy again. What a quick turn of events. And then by X-Men 200, Scott remains away from her over a week after returning from an X-men mission on Asgard, even while she's living in the x-mansion.
And so, shamed out of team leadership, Scott goes to Alaska with Maddie and their newborn. But that doesn't help a damn thing with his role as husband OR father. Scott appears in one issue of Secret Wars 2 just after, and his and Madelyne's next appearance is X-factor #1. What should be bliss with their new child is a constant struggle for Madelyne, left to do it all alone while Scott is glued to the TV, watching news about his teammates. When he gets a call from Beast, Scott leaves without a second thought or explanation to his wife. Maddie even tells him, if you walk out that door, don't come back. And he goes, anyway, leaving his son behind. The reader learns that the call was regarding Jean, who has returned and is alive. That is who Scott left for, without hesitation. UXM 201, where Scott and Maddie go to Alaska together, was published October 8, 1985. X-Factor #1, when he leaves her AND their baby for good to go to Jean, came out the next month.
When Madelyne next appears in UXM 206, it is as an unidentified Jane Doe, arriving at a San Francisco hospital in critical condition. We learn that the super-villain mutant team, the Marauders, tried to hunt Madelyne and her newborn baby down. They stole away Nathan, her baby, and left Maddie for dead, but bungled the kill job and she ended up surviving. When the Marauders return the the hospital to finish the job, Madelyne herself is a main player in her rescue, merely assisted by the X-Men. They all get away, learning only that the Marauders were sent by Mister Sinister. Without Scott (who is on the X-Factor team, and no other X-Men are in on that knowledge), Madelyne ends up staying with the X-men team. As of UXM 224, she doesn't just live with them, she helps them on missions, becoming a consistent human voice of empathy for the otherwise mutant team. She's even included in Forge's spell in UXM 227, which ends with America thinking the X-Men are dead. But they're not! They were all resurrected by a goddessfor their great deed of saving the earth, and by UXM 230, they are established as the X-Men team of Australia-- known as the team's Outback period. By UXM 232, Madelyne had settled into the Outback team in a big way, being their human voice of reason on many different occasions. Unfortunately, it was not to last, and by the end of that issue, Madelyne flips on the TV, only to witness her estranged husband, Scott, out heroing as Cyclops alongside the original Marvel Girl-- the apparently resurrected Jean Grey. The realization of why Scott left her all that time ago, alone and confused with their newborn, strikes Madelyne with such shock that she lashes out, punching the TV in front of her. A massive electric shock blast from the hit knocks her out.
This next arc is pretty dull, but is the set up for Inferno, basically. Moving beyond those events, UXM 235 sees Madelyne filling in for other pilots and helping fly some medical rescue planes. When her co-pilot is attacked on arrival to be taken to Genosha by the Press Gang, Madelyne helps her fight them, and almost gets a mayday call out before her plane is destroyed. Jenny, the co-pilot, is a mutant, and is sent through the phone lines back to Genosha. The same is done with Maddie, ultimately kidnapping both women. Later, Alex Summers makes note that the computers work better for Madelyne than for him, so the search for her while she's missing is taking some work. He tells Dazzler the computers were Madelyn'e way of pulling her weight with the team. The outback team continues to search for her, finding the plane she was kidnapped on. In UXM 236, they find Madelyne, and Jenny, but are unable to rescue them. Meanwhile, the demon N'astirh also looks for Madelyne. Later, on Genosha, the engineers have trouble even getting Maddie to show up on their scanners, which are registering her as not existing. The engineers attempt to start their experiments on Madelyne, who warns them not to try to get into her head, but they don't listen, and by the time security finally makes it into the room, Madelyne is floating mid-air, and everyone else is dead. In UXM 238, the engineers scan the dead telepath's mind, the one who tried to get into Maddie's, and find that she sees herself as a child inside. The genegineer in charge tries to make sense of it, and the telepath's mere memory of this occurrence starts to panic, attacking Madelyne's inner self violently. But she turns into a flaming bird, destroying them all. The telepath, as the genegineer, then see's Maddie as the Goblin Queen, he asks who she ism why she's doing this. she responds, "the one, because it pleases me. the other, as a warning to your masters, be careful when you strike a match, even to light your way in the darkness, because you never know when you'll ignite an Inferno!" the interrogation ended. Next, the genegineer tries to talk to her for answers. She says all she remembers was being strapped to a table and his telepaths torturing her mind. next thing she knew, she was back in her cell, she calls it self defense. She expresses distaste at how the Genoshan government handles their mutants. Later, she comforts Jenny, who is being conscripted into the mines. When security takes Jenny for more "treatments," Madelyne mutters she wills see them all burn. Later, the gengineer finds Madelyne in the mutant birthing chamber, thinking on it's familiarity. He asks if she has mental powers, she says she could, or she just has "the wit to run a bluff, and the skill to make it convincing." He moves to shoot her, but his son stops him, reuniting Madelyne with Alex Summers. When Alex destroys the complex later on, he panics, wondering if Maddie made it out, and she embraces him, saying he's not getting rid of her that easy. the mutant baby, she says, has been taken care of. How Madelyne Came to Be:
Now an unforgiving goddess, Madelyne uses her growing powers to warp the X-Men team members in UXM 242, causing them to fight against the X-Factor members, who you remember are the original X-Men team members. we get some really cool costumes from this period, where the Outback outfits are roughed up to match the Goblin Queen a little. When Inferno starts to kick off, Madelyne takes her chance with Alex Summers, who she has been growing ever-closer to since joining the X-Men. They've developed close feelings for one another, but she waits to make her move until now, as the more-confident Goblin Queen.
Some readers' thoughts on the twisting of Maddie's character towards Evil, for the return of jean:
Modern History: 1:05:39
"Madelyne Pryor is the perfect illustration of just how "soap opera" the X-Men comics can get. She's technically the wife of Cyclops, who discovered she was a clone, and felt abandoned when he returned to work with the resurrected Jean Grey. She turned bad, slept with Cyclops' brother, attempted to sacrifice her son in order to seat the entire world with Hellfire. It's the kind of crazy story that could only happen in comics - but just how did it come about?" "In the 1970s, legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont wanted to have Scott Summers and Jean Grey graduate from Xavier's School, and head off into the sunset to live their much-deserved Happily Ever After. Then editorial fiat forced a different conclusion to the "Dark Phoenix Saga," and Claremont's plans were ruined. Jean Grey was dead, and editor-in-chief Jim Shooter insisted she couldn't be brought back unless writers found a way to absolve her of the crimes she had committed as Dark Phoenix - which included an act of genocide. In truth, Shooter never expected anyone to come up with an idea how to pull that off. As far as he was concerned, Jean Grey was dead - and that was never going to change." "Claremont intended Madelyne's similarity to Jean to be nothing more than a coincidence, and Scott and Madelyne got married, with Cyclops retiring from the X-Men. It was a pretty weird plot - they even sent a post-coital postcard to Charles Xavier, compounding the strangeness of it all and leaving many readers curious about who took the photo on the front of the postcard" "Kurt Busiek came up with the idea of retconning Jean Grey and the Phoenix as separate entities, revealing the Phoenix was a cosmic force who had taken the place of Jean while her body lay in a healing cocoon. She was discovered by the Fantastic Four, and resuscitated" "Marvel had written themselves into a corner, because the dynamic between Cyclops and Jean Grey was as strong as ever, and yet Cyclops was married to another woman. So Claremont began a major retcon, gradually revealing Madelyne Pryor had actually been a clone of Jean Grey, created by the ruthless and manipulative Mr. Sinister. She had been granted life by a fragment of the Phoenix Force, no less, and she gradually discovered her powers." Co-scripter Louise Simonson later boasted of deliberately working to destroy the character to make killing her off easy and justifiable. Main-scripter Chris Claremont seemed slightly regretful of what was done, and years later snuck Pryor into a few X-Men flashback stories with her original, likable characterization, and also into an alternate future story which gave her a redemption.
My personal head canon of who she isv 1:12:24
New Mutants Arc 1:15:05
SOURCES: Marvel Comics marvel.fandom.com wikipedia.org www.sensationalshegeek.weebly.com http://thoughtsonstuff.blogspot.com/2005/12/x-men-inferno-240-243.html https://screenrant.com/xmen-jean-grey-clone-madelyne-pryor-explained/ https://www.cbr.com/x-factor-polaris-havok-complicated-relationship/
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