Paper: Deviance in Film

I recently had my first Sociology paper returned to me; I received a score of 100, along with some glowing praise. And, since my paper talked about X-Men: Days of Future past, I decided I would post it here.

The assignment was to talk about deviance (aberrant behaviors that are frowned upon in society) in film. Days of Future Past happened to be an excellent example, and I gave some of my thoughts on the movie as well. Do be warned, this paper has several major spoilers for the movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, then pass this article by. I will also likely post my next paper here soon, which is about Godzilla.

Tim Wong

Kerri Smith

5/29/14

The Means to an End

In every society, there are a number of deviant behaviors that are condemned by its people. However, these behaviors are often dramatized and even glorified in media. America in particular tends to emphasize violence, rebellion, and sex in its movies, books, and video games. I recently watched the movie “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I did notice that deviance is a central theme in this movie and its predecessors, especially the movies “X-Men”, “X2”, and “X-Men: The Last Stand”. In “Days of Future Past”, there are several characters that display deviant behavior, but one in particular stands out. Erik Lehnsherr, also known as the mutant villain Magneto, displays the common deviant behavior of rebellion, seeking to combat the American government in order to exact revenge for his fallen comrades. Through an examination of the application of the strain theory, the expected reaction to Magneto’s rebellious behavior, his implied status at the end of the film, and the forms of social control that are presented, I intend to show that Magneto’s portrayal of rebellion in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is, while supernatural, an accurate representation of deviant behavior today.

            Of the four theoretical perspectives presented in Chapter 8 of “Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach”, I believe that the strain theory, specifically the status of rebel, best applies to Magneto’s behavior. In the beginning of the movie, he has been imprisoned for what the audience believes to be his assassination of John F. Kennedy. He had supposedly done this in order to take revenge for the members of his brotherhood that had been tortured, experimented on, and then killed by the American government. However, we later learned that he was trying to save Kennedy, not kill him; in a sudden plot twist the audience discovered that Kennedy was actually a mutant, warranting the aid of Magneto. Nonetheless, Magneto displayed a number of other rebellious behaviors throughout the course of the film, including attempting to kill President Nixon, failing to kill another mutant named Mystique, and unleashing death on a crowd of American citizens in the form of robots called Sentinels. Despite doing all this for what he believed to be the greater good, Magneto was displaying incredibly rebellious behavior, to the point where he may even be considered an anarchist. Magneto is a rebel because he seeks to replace the oppression of mutants in America with a more tolerant system, and intends to do so through violence. In addition, he had been persecuted and harassed for most of his life because he was a mutant; his desire to create a more tolerable world stemmed from his treatment earlier in life.

            However, despite this rebellious behavior and his master status as a villain, Magneto has garnered support throughout the course of the X-Men films and many have reason to believe that his actions, while morally reprehensible, are not without good cause. In the first three X-Men movies, the primary theme was that mutants were treated as unequal; they were not only oppressed but hunted down as well. While this theme was hinted at in “Days of Future Past”, it was not fully realized since America was not aware that mutants existed until later in the movie. The master status of mutant is comparable to other prejudices today, such as race or sexual orientation. In a similar fashion, Magneto represents the rebellious and extreme faction of mutants in the same way that there are those who represent feminism or homosexuality with zeal and passion. More often than not, these radical and rebellious representatives tend to give their cause a poor name instead of improving relations; Magneto would have ushered in an age of war and death if he had killed Nixon, while the sparing of Nixon’s life by Mystique brought about an entirely different and more peaceful outcome: a world were mutants were treated respectfully instead of being hunted down. Due to the villainous actions of Magneto, I believe that he is, in fact, displayed unsympathetically. Murder and genocide, regardless of their justification, are rarely cheered by the American people.

            At the end of the movie, Magneto, having failed in his attempt to kill President Nixon, flies into the distance. The implication is that he will go forth and create his Brotherhood of Mutants in order to continue in his goal of creating a cleansing war between mutants and humans. In one reality, that of a dystopian future where mutants are hunted and killed, Magneto has failed to create peace between mutants and humans. Instead, his actions have brought about a one sided war; he is forced to ally with his old enemies in order to ensure the survival of the remaining mutants. However, in the new reality shown at the end of the movie, one where mutants live peacefully, he is not present. There are many conclusions that one can draw from his absence, but the assumption is that his rebellious behavior led to either his imprisonment or death.

            Both of these outcomes are examples of the two types of social control exhibited in the movie. Initially, Magneto is confined and placed under heavy guard in the Pentagon because he was accused of murdering President Kennedy. Additionally, a number of other mutants are captured and experimented upon by the American Government. This imprisonment is designed to keep the mutants under surveillance while allowing for future scientific examination and experimentation. However, the central goal of the movie is an attempt to rewrite history in order to prevent the mass genocide of the mutants. America’s secondary solution would have been to create robotic sentinels designed to hunt down and kill every mutant in existence. This genocide, while ridding the world of potentially threatening beings, would also kill many innocents and, eventually, create a dark and dismal future where many humans are killed as well.

            In summary, Magneto is a violent and radical character who, according to the strain theory, displays a wide variety of rebellious behaviors including murder and genocide. Despite the justifiable reasons behind his actions, he is displayed unsympathetically, and is ultimately presumed dead or imprisoned; these two outcomes are examples of the two methods of social control used in the movie. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is a movie about time travel, giant robots, and people that can control minds. However, despite these supernatural factors, I believe that it is an accurate display of deviant behavior. Magneto represents many deviant figures who, while not always resorting to war, murder, and genocide, often display radical rebellious behaviors. Feminist, homosexual, and racial groups all have figureheads that represent them through rebellion in an attempt to gain support and respect. Martin Luther King Jr., Julius Caesar, and even Adolf Hitler are all examples of leading figures that exhibited rebellious behavior, not on account of their morals, but because they sought to radically change their government. In the same way that Magneto represents these figureheads, the oppressed mutant population represents the various groups that suffer prejudice. Hence, I believe that the oppression of mutants shown in the movie and its predecessors is an example and analogy for the oppression of many groups and societies today. However, the movie also shows that the end, however righteous, does not justify the means of deviant behavior. Is it wise to follow the sanctions of society even if it means injustice and oppression? Is the correct path to justice rebellion, or are there better means? What are the consequences of rebellious behavior? “X-Men: Days of Future Past” may not answer all these questions, but it’s excellent and accurate portrayal of rebellion through Magneto does grant insight into what would happen if deviant behavior was taken to the extreme.