powers meet philosophy.

john’s abilities, while enough to establish him as a class four mutant, are still limited in terms of generating fire. he needs a source to be present before he can manipulate it, and when he isn’t focused on it, he is still prone to burns. to the outside world, the fact that he can bend the flame to his will is enough to raise alarm, but to other mutants, john still feels outmatched.

even in a space where he isn’t alone and thought to be a freak, he still feels like he has something to prove. he still feels like he’s fighting for his rights and recognition, given that his power hasn’t always come as naturally as someone like storm’s or bobby’s seem to, and given that the odds of him ever becoming a member of the x-men are already little to none. he needs a lighter to help him along, whereas no one else needs the help. that plays into his idea that he’s inherently not good enough to be a hero like the rest of them.

when he already feels like an outsider, magneto’s ideology presents itself as a double-edged sword; to non-mutants, there’s no doubt john doesn’t belong. in fact, he doesn’t want to if it means being reduced to a mindless drone of a weapon— or worse, if it means being cured. but among this new band of mutants, john feels like he’s found his people at the same time he still feels lesser than some of them. they embrace mutants so much so it’s almost harder to ignore that nagging feeling he isn’t as strong or worthy as the rest. you are a god among insects, never let anyone tell you different is tempting validation, the kind he readily accepts because it’s all he’s ever wanted to hear, much less from the man who believes wholeheartedly in the mutant cause.

in the end though, he continues to struggle with his place in the fight. joining the unapologetic brotherhood doesn’t make that go away. john thinks he knows what’s right, but even that concept is still as layered as it was with xavier’s philosophies. he lives in the gray in between; he’s not a non-mutant, but he hasn’t always felt like enough of a mutant either. as a result, he’s rougher around the edges, overcompensating. for all that he lashes out and claims conviction, he’s still doing it out of a willfulness to prove himself— to non-mutants, mutants and himself.