Madelyne Pryor’s transformation into the Goblin Queen is the centerpiece of X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 3, “Fire Made Flesh.” So who is Madelyne Pryor in X-Men ’97, and why does she call herself the Goblin Queen?
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X-Men ’97’s Madelyne Pryor/Goblin Queen, Explained
Madelyne Pryor/The Goblin Queen is a clone of Jean Grey. She was created by Mister Sinister, who subbed her in for the real Jean prior to the events of X-Men ’97‘s main narrative. When exactly? Nobody knows for sure – not even Maddie. Sinister made Madelyne as part of his deranged plan to engineer an incredibly powerful mutant from the combined DNA of Scott Summers/Cyclops and Jean. While Madelyne is unaware of any of this, she nevertheless makes Sinister’s dream a reality by having a baby, Nathan Summers, with Scott.
Madelyne doesn’t get long to enjoy motherhood, though. The real Jean shows up on the X-Men’s doorstep soon after she gives birth, outing her as a clone. This – coupled with Sinister’s evil influence – pushes Maddie over the edge. She declares herself the Goblin Queen and goes head-to-head with her former teammates. But with Jean’s help, Madelyne ultimately frees herself from Sinister’s control. She and Cyclops then send Nathan into the future (it’s a long story), before she parts ways with the X-Men.
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It’s all pretty straightforward, unlike in Marvel’s X-Men comics. Here, Madelyne Pryor wasn’t originally presented as Jean Grey’s clone. She was just an ordinary, non-mutant woman who bore a striking resemblance to Jean. In fact, Maddie not being Jean was the whole point. Her creators, Chris Claremont and Paul Smith, developed her as a means for Cyclops to get over Jean’s (then permanent) death.
Marvel editorial later reversed this, however, mandating that Madelyne be retconned as a clone. This cleared the way for Scott to shack up with the now-resurrected Jean. As a result, Maddie’s Goblin Queen transformation didn’t get rolled back like in X-Men ’97 before she was bumped off trying to exact revenge on Sinister. But death is rarely the end in the Marvel Universe, and Madelyne Pryor later returned, becoming a mainstay of X-canon.
How Did Madelyne Pryor Choose Her Name (and Goblin Queen Alias)?
That’s Madelyne Pryor’s history covered – but what about her name? X-Men ’97 doesn’t offer any real explanation; Maddie just plucks her first and last names out of thin air. By contrast, the X-Men comics have two different origins for Madelyne Pryor’s moniker. At first, it’s simply her birth name. Later, it’s the handle Sinister bestows on his clone creation as a sly nod to her “prior existence” as Jean Grey (since Madelyne’s clone body contains a sliver of Jean’s psyche).
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As for all the “Goblin Queen” business, X-Men ’97 likewise leaves this unexplained. That said, given Madelyne adopts the Goblin Queen persona while under Sinister’s control, it’s pretty heavily implied that he’s behind the name. As with the rest of Maddie’s story, it’s a bit more complicated in the comics. Repeated interaction with demons (seriously!) plays a key role in Madelyne’s comics counterpart christening herself the Goblin Queen. Sinister revealing her clone origins is still a contributing factor, though.
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.
Published: Mar 28, 2024 10:55 am