https://uncannyxmen.net/characters/gideon
Back with a vengeance, Gideon returned from thousands of years in the future to hunt his fellow Externals several years in the past. A complicated time travel event like this could only be opposed by Cable! Today, read about how Gideon survived his death at Selene's hands and his new mission in life in the Gideon Profile update!
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Gideon represents an adolescent idea that is persistent in comic writing. The idea that a number of disparate pre-existing elements can and ought to be sewn together into a larger narrative.
At the time, I was excited by the idea of taking Apocalypse, Selene and a stable of other ancient mutants and tying them together as some kind of pantheon. In hindsight, I no longer think this kind of thing us usually a good idea, since it inevitably requires some degree of retconning--like taking Selene who was originally some kind of goddess and re-imagining her as merely a mutant. I no longer like these kind of reveals, where preestablished characters have a secret history tying them together.
I’m of the opposite feeling...well more like: if its done well, no idea is bad to me. Connecting everything can be silly but some connections are cool. And there is nothing inherently wrong with retconning.
Selene as a mutant, does nothing wrong for her and tying them together was still a cool idea. And honestly, labeling it adolescent comes off as insulting (like making blanket statements on all kinds of an idea could be seen similarly) but it’s the internet so it is, what it is...
Gideon never worked for me because I felt like not enough thought really went into him like it did Apoccy or Selene. Austen’s execution was poor but his idea about demons and angels of history being mutants was at least a better idea than Gideon ever came across for me.
From The Ashes Books I like: X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Exceptional X-Men, X-Force, Dazzler, and NYX…so far, so good.
Ultimately, I think I agree with BC, Nu-D -- the Externals wasn't a bad idea; it was a neutral idea, done poorly.
I was thinking today about something very similar when they connected Collector and Grandmaster as part of a larger group of immortals known as the Elders of Universe. Before, they were just two random alien "gimic" villains of the Avengers. But afterwards there was a connection, a backstory about survivors of the earliest races of the universe, tapping into the Power Primordial in the endless pursuit of a single goal or vocation. Now, not every Elder created since then has been worthwhile (looking at you, Astronomer), but I think it definitely improved those first two Elders by giving them some substance.
Like I said, the Externals was a very similar idea. But no one devoted any time to exploring it, defining what they were or why they were. We were introduced to the threat in X-Force #11-15. In #22-23, Sunspot was already calling them yesterday's news, and not worth their time. One more thoughtful cameo in #37, and they were all dead by #52-54. It was an intriguing idea, but one the original creative team didn't put full thought into, and one the following creative teams didn't feel like exploring, so it fizzled and died.
"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you." -- Oscar Wilde
I just find it funny that for years there was an Urban Legend that the Externals were axed as a group because Highlander people were going to sue (not true) and the new stories with Gideon actually draw more Highlander parallels with them gaining power from killing each other and "In the end there can be only ONE!"
