Things get chaotic as we discuss HAVOK! Is this Summers brother
as… difficult as Scott? Tune in to find out!
Intro
AMA for 150
Background (1:57)
Havok (Alex Summers) created by Arnold Drake and Don Heck in
The X-Men #54 (March 1969)
Alex Summers is the younger Summers son - he and his older
brother Scott were in a plane crash piloted by their father
Christopher - the boys survived the crash, though Scott was in a
coma for a while
Raised in an orphanage before being adopted by a family whose
son died in a car crash - he was kidnapped by the same person
responsible for the young boy’s death, but Alex’s powers of plasma
blasts manifested and he burned the boy - Mr. Sinister discovered
Alex and put a psi-block on him to help him control his powers
Later captured by Larry Trask & the sentinels - given the
code name Havok, as he had difficulty controlling his powers
Joined the X-Men and began an on-again/off-again relationship
with Polaris - they later quit to focus on their relationship
Alex learned that his father was Corsair of the
Starjammers
Had a brief relationship with Madelyne Pryor, Scott’s ex-wife,
while she was working as the Goblin Queen, and she manipulated him
to help her take over the world, until she discovered she was a
clone of Jean Grey and killed herself #BecauseComics
Joined X-Factor, a government sponsored mutant group, and
eventually led the team for a while - he left after Multiple Man’s
death at the hands of the Legacy Virus
For a time, Alex was sent to an alternate universe, where he
discovered that universe’s version was married to Madelyne and had
a child named Scott - Alex served as a father figure for a while
until he was returned to his reality
Returned in a coma - fell in love with his nurse, Annie, but he
still had feelings for Polaris, and they got engaged - Alex left
her at the altar because of his lingering feelings for Annie, and
Polaris tried to kill her before being stopped by Juggernaut and
Alex
Joined his father and learned he had a younger brother, Vulcan,
who is head of the Shi’ar Empire - Vulcan kills Corsair, and Havok
battles Vulcan but is defeated
Later serves as head of the Avengers Unity Squad after Avengers
vs X-Men, since Captain America wants a mutant to lead the team
after Xavier’s death at the hands of Scott
During AXIS, his morality is inverted, and he reconciles with
Scott, but remains corrupted after the spell is reversed
He is currently living on Krakoa with all mutants, spending
time with his family in the Summer House on the Moon
Issues - Theme: instability befitting his name (7:24)
Nature of relationship with Scott - “Good” Scott vs. “Bad”
Alex
Hero, villain, and in-between (15:17)
Can’t catch a break, and he knows it (22:33)
Break (31:29)
Plugs for BetterHelp, Grief Burrito,
and Chris Claremont
Treatment (33:04)
In-universe - Use his suit as a form of biofeedback to allow
him to get better in tune with himself
Out of universe - (38:24)
Skit (45:22)
Hello Alex, I’m Dr. Issues. - Hello, Doctor *sigh*
You don’t exactly seem enthused about this. -*pause* Is that a
question?
Well, what is it about seeing me that gets you down? Or, were
you already depressed and that’s why you’re here? -Nothing that
dramatic. I doubt I’m the first mutant you’ve seen that doesn’t
like the idea of scrutinizing their past, digging up mistakes,
talking about the stuff that nobody else wants to hear. I’m
actually not a downer kind of guy. Honest!
Fine with me. Then let’s try again. What brings you here, on
your own terms? -I’m messed up. Is there a reason it has to be
analyzed more than that?
I don’t do that type of analysis unless it’s absolutely
necessary. This is meant to be confidential, anyway. -I know.
That’s why I agreed to do this. I have a big idea, but I’m doubtful
anything will come of it. Plus it’s going to make me sound
psychotic.
Don’t jump to that conclusion. What’s up? -My family has a way
of being dramatic.
A proud member of the club! -Maybe I can…I don’t know…my
brothers are really different. But Scott especially. There’s this
vibe I get sometimes. He holds a lot back, and I know he doesn’t
trust me as much as he could. That’s my fault. I own it. But…this
is the crazy part…he doesn’t say anything to me, but I noticed some
changes, you know? I tried to ask him, and all he did was give your
card. I’m not asking about him, but what did he say about
me? I’m getting paranoid about it.
I can’t talk about any other person outside of you. -Then that
confirms it! I’ve been tortured that way, given lies to make me
think the worst of the world. I don’t let that stuff break me. But
Scott just gives me your card, doesn’t say a word. Does he think
I’m that screwed up that he can’t talk to me? I’d rather he blast
me in the face because I know I can shake that off.
Is this about sibling rivalry, or getting dirt? -No way,
doctor. I’m just trying to put 2 and 2 together. You know how many
times I’ve been told I’m out of control? Sometimes I lean into
that. Live with it. Love with it. We don’t see the world the same
way. He’s the one to show up, show out, and wait for the applause.
I show up, and…who knows? He wanted me to do this, and I can’t
figure out why. He always has a plan.
Forget about his plan. What’s your plan? What do you want to
do? -I don’t want what he wants. He always talks about the
oppressed, and the constant struggle to make mutantkind a shining
example to the world. Well, what about the world? What
about those downtrodden who also don’t have a genetic eraser to
bail them out of trouble? It’s hubris. I can’t stand people like
that. But that’s all I ever see when people lead. I saw it with
Scott, I saw it in Cap, I even saw it in Charles sometimes. *pause*
Maybe they need this more than me. They’re the ones that call the
shots. I don’t want to be a part of that.
With such eloquence and candor, someone’s bound to put you in
that spot -They did! Oh, did they ever. Hated it. It’s not for me.
I’m a wildcard. I know better than to cut loose and abandon the
people I fight with. That’s a sacred bond. But that doesn’t mean I
should be some poster boy managing the day-to-day stuff. Ok,
hypothetical here: what if you help me. Then what? I learn to
tolerate things I don’t like instead of doing more of what I DO
like? I spend my evenings planning missions instead being with the
love of my life? Why would I want that?
I’m noticing a pattern here, and it’s unique. Most people that
step foot into my office are afraid of failure. You are on the
opposite end of the spectrum. What if you succeed? You said you had
big plans -*interrupting* and they blow up. That’s just the way it
is.
It doesn't have to be. You can find a new way to enjoy things,
you can bring along loved ones as your mind expands, you can still
find ways to say no, except by choice instead of by chance. Learn
to put the chaos in the background for once instead of making it
the whole picture. - But how? It’s all around me. Hell, it’s in my
name. At this point it’s kinda part & parcel of the whole Alex
Summers package. Asking me to give that up is like trying to teach
me not to breathe.
More like a new breathing technique. I’m not asking you to stop
being who you are. You have an amazing opportunity to fine tune
what makes you such a dynamic person. Start by starting. It’s going
to be messy, and that’s okay. This isn’t a competition against your
brother, your mentors, or those you care about. It’s you against
yourself, and that is a race you can always win. - You make it
sound so easy. I’ve done the “fresh start” thing. Several times.
X-Factor. Unity Squad. Krakoa. How many times can I reboot? It’s
like starting a new comic book and slapping a #1 on the title -
it’s still the same retread.
Keep track, then. Too often I come across cases where people
have taken the right action, and don’t know how they got there, or
where things went wrong. That’s the difficult…and let's be honest,
the boring part. If you’re willing to do the small stuff, then
you’ll be surprised at how it compounds over time. - Like interest.
Problem is, interest can be negative. Like my interest in this
conversation.
Ok, let’s go there. Let’s hash this out in full. You are an
example of chaos theory, which means, like the mathematical system
it’s based on, you’re not as random as you seem, and can have
several parts of your life modeled out with a decent likelihood of
the known outcomes. HOWEVER, if you decide to take control, you
have now changed the whole spectrum to a simple parabola. I have
news for you (as if you didn’t already know) but your life is never
going to be bland, or simple. But there is one variable you can
use, and it’s your own psyche. Think of this conversation as the
butterfly effect for how your emotions and thought processes occur
from this point forward. - Well, I was told there would be no math.
But I get what you’re going for. *sigh* I mean, it’s worth a shot.
Can’t be any worse than the umpteen other things I’ve tried, right?
I suppose I should give Scott a call and talk to him about this,
too. Of course he’s gonna gloat about it. God, he’s such a…
Yes? - I was gonna call him names, but he means well, even if
he’s too blunt for his own good sometimes.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. - And here I thought
you said you couldn’t divulge anything about your clients… he can
be a dick sometimes, you can admit it.
I do not discuss patients with other patients, even if they’re
siblings. - Even if they’re right?
I do not. Discuss. Patients. With. Other. Patients. - Alright,
fair enough Doc. I won’t tell him you called him a dick.
Saving the world doesn't necessarily mean you go home happy. How's the mental health of your favorite superhero? A comic aficionado and a board-certified psychiatrist look at the various neuroses of your favorite heroes and villains and provide options for treatment.