# Princess Di: A Marvel Mutant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392 "2003-07-10T03:53:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/1 "2003-07-10T03:53:08Z")
[Princess Diana will be Marvel Comics’ newest mutant heroine.](http://www.ew.com/ew/onlyonaol/report/0,17129,462618~5~0~,00.html) But Buckingham Palace is not amused. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/2 "2003-07-10T04:02:57Z")
“The page you requested is available only to magazine customers and AOL members” ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/3 "2003-07-10T04:49:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyDust \* > \*\*[Princess Diana will be Marvel Comics’ newest mutant heroine.](http://www.ew.com/ew/onlyonaol/report/0,17129,462618~5~0~,00.html) > > But Buckingham Palace is not amused. \*\* Poor taste to the extreme. Maybe not as bad as that comic “Jesus Christ vs. Jeffrey Dahmer.” Marc ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/4 "2003-07-10T05:11:57Z")
Could someone post a more complete version of the story? I’m neither a EW subscriber or an AOL member. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/5 "2003-07-10T05:14:04Z")
Nevermind, found the story: > **[Arts & Culture](https://www.abc.net.au/news/arts-culture/)** > > Stay up to date with the top Australian arts and culture news, industry information, and concert details ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/6 "2003-07-10T05:18:48Z")
Try [this link](http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12121,00.html?tnews) – it’s E! Online’s version of the story. Given that _X-Statix_ uses a Marvel mutant menagerie to comment on pop culture and the nature of fame, Di seems like a perfect candidate for scrutiny. I’m sure it’ll offend gobs of people, but I’m just as sure Milligan and Marvel knew that it would. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/7 "2003-07-10T06:49:54Z")
Gads…the next the you know, Marvel’ll be trying to make “super” characters out of [Hitler](http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/hatemonh.htm) or [Stalin](http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/coldstee.htm), or something… ---
**Author:** ![dangergene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@dangergene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangergene)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/8 "2003-07-10T08:05:13Z")
I feel a degree of sympathy for her sons, who may or may not read comickals -given that in this day and age they’re probably a little young for comics and are probably more inclined to be sms-ing their x-boxes on their razor-scooters and such. (Oh the young things of today!). If the portrayal is cool and reverant (which I doubt), then Will and Harry might feel it’s a good thing to see their mum as a comic character, but if it’s a denigration of their mum it’ll be kinda sad. I don’t think I’d want to see my mum parodied in the X-universe (mind you,m that’s only if she was dead… which she isn’t, so it might not be… if you take my meaning). So… I couldn’t care less about the ‘disrespecting royalty’ issue, but disrespecting someone’s dead mum, well that’s hitting below the belt. Or beyond the grave. or… I’ll just go now… ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/9 "2003-07-10T11:18:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dangergene \* > **I feel a degree of sympathy for her sons, who may or may not read comickals -given that in this day and age they’re probably a little young for comics and are probably more inclined to be sms-ing their x-boxes on their razor-scooters and such. (Oh the young things of today!).** Given that Wills is 21 now, and Harry 18, I’m sure they’re old enough. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dangergene \* > **So… I couldn’t care less about the ‘disrespecting royalty’ issue, but disrespecting someone’s dead mum, well that’s hitting below the belt. Or beyond the grave. or…** I couldn’t care less about disrepecting royalty either, and I appreciate that if someone made fun of your dead relatives it would probably be hurtfull, but surely everyone dead is someones relative. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/10 "2003-07-10T11:35:36Z")
Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah! I’m sorry, but I find this awesomely funny. I can just see Di in Titania’s costume smacking around petty-ante donors. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/11 "2003-07-10T12:37:01Z")
They said it’s because of her “popularity after the grave”, or some such schlock like that. Aren’t there enough _living_ celebrities they could have used? Or, at least dead celebrities that didn’t die such a horribly tragic death (Like Jimmy Stewert, or Rock Hudson. THey’d make great superheroes). I’m sure they think they’re going to do something nice and try to “honor” Di, but this just comes off incredibly tacky and tasteless in my mind. Especially the comment “And she looks great in spandex!” WFT? You couldn’t get away with saying that when she was alive! ---
**Author:** ![Nangleator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19adc/32.png) [@Nangleator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nangleator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/12 "2003-07-10T12:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > …Jimmy Stewert, or Rock Hudson. THey’d make great superheroes. Dude! There’s a whole thread’s worth of jokes there! Probably two threads. Jimmy vs. Terminatrix: “Uh… Now, miss, you just hold it there! Ah… That’s mighty rude behavior, if you don’t mind me saying so!” And Rock defies all attempts at feminine seduction? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/13 "2003-07-10T14:17:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > **They said it’s because of her “popularity after the grave”, or some such schlock like that. Aren’t there enough _living_ celebrities they could have used?** That misses the point. Although I’ve not read all the press on this issue, having read most of X-Statix I can imagine that the take is going to be a satire of the obnoxious displays by “mourners” who had never met Princess Diana but who were so goofy about her that her undeniably tragic death affected them like they’d lost their own daughter. The people who bawled and shook and went on the local TV news in Louisville or Fargo or Cleveland – people who’d never even been to England – and felt like they’d lost one of their family. That behavior was simply absurd. There’s no reason to be that silly over a woman you’ve never even met, indeed, for some who had real tragedy in their own lives, it was quite disgusting that their own grief was crowded out by this posturing. By definition, there are no living celebrities they could have used, because this reaction is something that only happens when famous people die (as if their death is somehow more important than their life, or anyone else’s death), and it was more pronounced with Princess Diana than it was with anyone else since probably JFK. (And more excusable with him, because as a popularly-elected president he actually did have a connection to his mourners, and also as president he might have actually had an effect on their lives.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/14 "2003-07-10T15:23:58Z")
Weird. That first link worked fine when I tested it in “Preview”, before I hit “Submit”. Here’s another link: > **[Princess Diana, superhero](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/25/monarchy.pressandpublishing)** > > Comic book writer Peter Milligan explains why the Princess of Wales is perfect mutant material. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/15 "2003-07-10T18:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*\* (Like Jimmy Stewert, or Rock Hudson. THey’d make great superheroes). > \*\* Dr. Doom: My plan will succeed and you can’t stop me, Captain Stewart! Jimmy Stewart: Get him, Harvey! ::an invisible rabbit beats up Dr. Doom:: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/16 "2003-07-10T22:14:43Z")
Every now and then, I wonder why I stopped reading Marvel Comics. And then…something like this… ---
**Author:** ![FairyDust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@FairyDust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyDust)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/17 "2003-07-12T03:07:36Z")
[Princess Di removed from X-Statix](http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=104821#post104821). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/18 "2003-07-12T09:56:56Z")
Aw, I was hoping to watch Princess Di hypnotize evildoers with her Enigmatic Royal Wave and slice them with her Razor Tiara. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/19 "2003-07-12T11:54:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > \*\*Dr. Doom: My plan will succeed and you can’t stop me, Captain Stewart! > > Jimmy Stewart: Get him, Harvey! > > ::an invisible rabbit beats up Dr. Doom:: \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alcibiades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cab0a1/32.png) [@Alcibiades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alcibiades)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392/20 "2003-07-12T12:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyDust \* > \*\*[Princess Di removed from X-Statix](http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=104821#post104821). \*\* Hardly a surprise. The English Royal Family is not big on law suits, but surely even Marvel’s lawyers have heard of rights of personality. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-di-a-marvel-mutant/187392.md?page=2)