Iceman's Queer History and Analysis Part 6- The Apocalypse Seed
Throughout this series, I have covered some of Bobby’s biggest and most resonant stories while piecing together the various building blocks that formed his long history of queer themes and narrative points. The final storyline to be covered can be seen as the magnus opus of Bobby storylines in some ways.
This is the story of the Apocalypse Seed, written by the extremely talented Marjorie Liu, a personal favorite writer of mine who has reached huge heights of success since her time with Marvel, writing Eisner and Hugo Award winning works like Monstress.
Liu’s Astonishing X-Men run is a very under the radar and short lived era; yet it managed to celebrate legacy whilst pushing more underwritten and marginalized characters like Karma, Northstar, Cecilia Reyes and more. Marjorie Liu was the first woman to write a mainline, ongoing team book since Louise Simonson, all the way back in the 80s, and is the first woman of color to do so. “Astonishing X-Men” was not a focal title at the time, but was still coming from the legacy of Joss Whedon’s run, making it a noteworthy read for fans.
What really stands out is Liu’s ability to tap into the soul of a character, while adding relevant social commentary and high octane superhero drama. It was surreal rereading her run in 2026, and seeing her write about ICE and the repercussions of its hardline, anti immigration and refugee stance all the way back in 2014. Or her exploring the impacts of state sanctioned propaganda with Warbird, causing marginalized folks to fight each other, while the higher powers sat comfortably in control. It’s chilling how ahead of its time her run was.
Every character got a moment to shine, but Bobby’s arc truly was one of Liu’s biggest projects. It isn’t uncommon for character centric arcs within team books to occur as a B or C plot point within an overall, bigger storyline. There are seldom instances of a multi issue, consecutive plot point focusing on a single character; but most major characters get this at some point.
Examples include The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas for Jean Grey, Life Death for Storm, X-Men Legacy for Rogue, The Archangel Saga for Warren and many more for other major characters. Bobby’s equivalent to this would easily be Liu’s Apocalypse Seed storyline, which presents a deep dive into the character’s psychology, with queerness at the epicenter of it all.
Like Austen, Liu has gone on record saying she wrote Bobby as a closeted gay man, she always saw him this way, and doing so is what informed this major arc for the character. A clip of an interview she has with the Comic Book Herald podcast goes into detail about this, it is posted near the end of this post, mostly because it spoils some of his character conflicts that will be analyzed. This arc was so impactful with its queer themes, that Bobby was confirmed as gay by Brian Michael Bendis in All-New X-Men, just 2 years later.
Forums debated whether or not Marjorie herself was building up to this, and though she was not able to confirm it at the time, it’s how she envisioned the character, and wrote this arc, which she has confirmed at multiple points:
Her arc with the character starts within The Age of Apocalypse timeline, in X-Termination #2, the X-Men must travel there for a mission. Dark Beast places an Apocalypse Seed in Bobby, hoping to preserve it in his ice form so he could perhaps use it while transporting back into their timeline. Bobby still has this seed inside of him when he returns back into the main timeline, and the fallout of this is covered in Marjorie Liu’s Apocalypse Seed arc in Astonishing X-Men #62-65.
The Apocalypse Seed is a celestial mechanism, also known as the Death Seed. It is meant to be a tool to maintain balance in whatever world it is planted in. The Seed brings out its host’s darker yearnings and emotions, leading to a path of destruction. It is the opposite of the “Life Seed”, meant to produce life and vibrance in the world. Celestial Gardeners harvest both in order to maintain balance and harmony on various planets. Apocalypse has access to celestial technology, and Dark Beast revels in the chaotic use of it, which is why he wanted to preserve one of these seeds in a frozen state, and what’s a better vessel for that than the Man of Ice himself.
More importantly, the Apocalypse Seed serves as a narrative tool to deconstruct Bobby’s darker and more personal themes that have been cultivated over the years, whilst giving him space to develop. Liu intelligently caught on to the fact that most of Bobby’s core character conflicts were direct metaphors and subtext in relation to the closeted queer experience of needing to repress who you are in order to fit society’s rigid scripts; and successfully uses the Apocalypse Seed as a symbol for the side effects of this struggle.
Thus, the Apocalypse Seed is used as a direct symbol towards Bobby’s inner conflicts, and as he manifests his Apocalypse Seed persona, he needs to confront these conflicts to break free from its control. Liu uses therapy sessions to deconstruct these themes throughout her arc with the character:
Here we can see Bobby admitting what he craves: intimacy. However, his therapist says that this requires vulnerability, which is his biggest fear. He feels the need to be strong and invulnerable, but his therapist tells him that that is not real life. Everyone needs to be vulnerable at times, intimacy without vulnerability is a farce. But it seems like Bobby doesn’t quite believe that. He’s internalized this notion that he must be strong, and not let people in, because they might not like what they see. This also indicates that Bobby has never really experienced true intimacy and vulnerability in any of his relationships, since he is unable to show up this way in the world, let alone in intimate relationships which require vulnerability and emotional intimacy.
During this time, a record breaking snow storm is taking place, seemingly everywhere. Weather reporters are confused as to why this is happening, but it has not reached an unmanageable state as of yet. We also see Mystique being confronted by Bobby…yet as we learn later, he has no idea he did this, at least not consciously.
Mystique is someone Bobby had a very messy relationship with in the past. An ex, of sorts. More importantly, something is clearly amiss with him. Later that day, he startles Kitty by kissing her in public before she was prepared for it. She views this as uncharacteristic of him. The two have only been dating for a little while at this point:
Bobby’s body language here is also quite uncharacteristically sullen and detached. Shortly later, Lorna, one of Bobby’s ex girlfriends enters the scene. And shortly after her…Opal Tanaka…and then Nurse Annie. These are all of Bobby’s ex girlfriends, and they all claim that he contacted them to meet today, something he does not remember at all.
During these exchanges, Bobby is visibly happy to see these women. As if they reignited some “hope” of what could have been. This is all despite suddenly kissing Kitty a few moments prior. It’s as if none of these women matter to him as individuals but as points to prove. They’re interchangeable and prove that maybe, just maybe he could have something with one of them, regardless of whom. They represent idealized intimacy that he was never able to really meet when actually with them. Kitty catches on to this and she is understandably hurt:
Mystique is there too, watching from the sidelines, since as we know, she was contacted too, albeit in a more intrusive manner.
The next morning, Bobby looks for Kitty in order to apologize and try to fix the situation, he finds her in the kitchen, confiding in Logan about the ordeal:
What she says is very relevant. She feels like she just doesn’t matter to Bobby, and that her ex, Piotr Rasputin, never made her feel this way. This illustrates how Bobby’s dynamic with women is different, he has a hard time truly connecting with them in ways that matter in intimate, romantic relationships. Something feels lacking. He connects with them as a concept but not as an individual. There may be love but not true intimacy or vulnerability, contrasting him with men like Piotr.
The initial snowstorm and the calling of Bobby’s exes was the Apocalypse Seed influencing Bobby. He was already succumbing to it, as it fed on his insecurities. Hearing Kitty’s words here drives him over the edge and the Seed’s influence completely takes over.
As stated previously; narratively, the Apocalypse Seed functions as a symbolic metaphor for Bobby’s inner conflicts, which specifically are about the need to fit into heterosexual scripts around masculinity; this causes him to live with feelings of shame, denial and repression. This is why he reaches out to all of his exes, as his failure to connect with them is a source of massive insecurity. He craves intimacy but has been systematically told that the only acceptable source of intimacy for him is the one that never works for him. The one where he has to pretend and live up to what his loved ones expected from him. From what society expects of him.
And again, after overhearing Kitty, he succumbs to the self loathing and the destructive forces within the Seed take over, unleashing his omega level potential in the process. We already saw him subconsciously begin to freeze the world but now it actively occurs in full force, consciously:
His monologue echoes his self loathing and desire to be someone new, someone he isn’t. He pursues all of his exes and later on in the story, his father. Remember when Emma was taunting him with his ex and his father in order to push him? The same entities are the ones he chases here; becoming symbolic of ideals he wants to fit, but can’t.
He kidnaps Lorna and Annie, but attempts to actually converse with and reconnect with Opal, who was his most significant relationship at that point, but even she can immediately sense that something is wrong:
The discomfort she feels when he unnaturally tries to be physically affectionate to her is not unlike Kitty’s reaction when he randomly kisses her. He is not being himself, there is something forced about his pursuits.
The X-Men see how dangerous Bobby has gotten and they try to track down his ex girlfriends, realizing he’s been kidnapping them. Kitty visits Opal and she talks about what her romantic relationship with Bobby was like while they were together:
She uses the word “mask” to describe the fact that he often hid how he was really suffering in their relationship. This mask is something he used to survive his father, who never thought he was man enough, or strong enough. These terms are relevant because as stated in previous posts, they are the scripts men have to follow in order to be seen as desirable and successful in a heterosexist society. Queer men, due to their rejection of the system’s hierarchy, are affronts to this, which makes them perceived as undesirable threats. “Masking” is often a subconscious coping mechanism in situations where one must hide their true nature to evade societal rejection (Pachankins et al., 2020).
Shortly after, we get another scene with Bobby speaking to his therapist, deconstructing even more of his psyche:
Bobby wants to be loved, but his therapist presses him further: what does he actually want? Can he even answer that question? Can he even ask it? Bobby isn’t getting what he wants in his relationships but is too afraid to explore what it is that he even wants, him becoming more sinister as the panels go on; brilliantly showcase the inner conflict taking over. I have gushed about Marjorie Liu’s creative capacities, but credit also needs to be given to Gabriel Hernandez Walta, who excels at visual storytelling with this arc.
This scene demonstrates how men who do not fit the status quo push down the things about them that make them be seen as “lesser than.” Many men who struggled with their sexuality and come out later in life recall these periods of shame and denial as some of their lowest moments; especially since they cannot even always articulate why they feel so different. What is beautiful about this story is that it showcases that being closeted is often a subconscious experience that takes a cumulative toll on the person struggling with understanding that they do not fit society’s rigid scripts around sexuality and gender.
Closeted people do not always know that they are queer, and denial of queer sexualities is not always a conscious experience (Drescher, 2020). In a culture that only treats heterosexuality as the idealized default, there is often no predetermined, equivalent script for queer sexualities. Heterosexual people are socialized into understanding their sexuality, they are reared in a culture that already agrees with their existence; queer people are individuated into it, meaning they only become themselves through interruption, questioning and through the slow, often lonely work of building themselves without a blueprint (Akuruka, 2026; Cardinal, 2014).
This illustrates the poignancy of showcasing Bobby’s struggles and fears as a subconscious struggle occurring within his own mind.
By the time the X-Men are able to confront him, Bobby has already become a monster. With this, the metaphor evokes the subconscious toll pushing down one’s “otherness” can take on their psyche. We become the worst versions of ourselves when self loathing and shame drive the wheel:
This demonstrates the weight of what abiding to society’s expectations around normalcy has done to Bobby. As the story will soon uncover, It all started off with his childhood experiences. Parents are the first contact children form in the world, and the relationships we model with our parents create the canvas of how we see and relate to the culture around us: our sense of attachment (Bowlby, 1988).
A pivotal and distinct thematic element of Bobby’s story has always been about childhood neglect, and how this can impact boys who do not live up to masculine ideals, perpetuated by their parents. As we have discussed in previous posts, this connection initially came from queer readings from fans, and here it has transformed into something deeply substantial for the character.
Bobby goes to meet his dad, and like Opal, he transforms back to a human in order to have one last talk with him. This indicates that he is still able to reserve his humanity for people who represent the hopes and ideals projected onto him.
Bobby pleads and asks why his father never truly accepted him and why he was never good enough. This harkens back to the 90s story covered in Part 4; Bobby was always “different” and his father muted out and shamed any expressive or effeminate side that Bobby had that didn’t fit rigid roles around masculinity and boyhood. Bobby rejects him now but that rejection means little when he still internalizes the same beliefs that limit him. Deconstructing them is hard work. Running away is a much more instinctual response.
To that effect, another part of Bobby’s psyche has manifested as ice clones: his avoidant, conflict adverse side. This side of him is trying to protect the ex girlfriends, but it a side that is extremely simple and adverse to the truth, a side that crumbles in the hands of the shame Bobby really feels.
Mystique (who has been pursuing Bobby since he ambushed her earlier) never believes the simplicity of the ice clone but takes an interest in Bobby as he is now: powerful and infected by the Death Seed. She double crosses him and temporarily steals the Seed for herself, becoming a monster. While this occurs, another therapy session is showcased with Bobby, and the identity of his therapist is revealed:
Marjorie Liu brilliantly uses the therapy setting as a window into Bobby’s mind but also as a way to get the reader to quite literally witness Bobby confront his inner conflict; the “therapist Bobby” represents his rational and more self aware psyche, possibly being enhanced by the Apocalypse Seed, while Bobby himself is the tortured, hurt, avoidant man we know. This reveal changes how the audience views the past scenes of the therapy room, in which Bobby’s internal struggle is a push and pull against himself; what he presents to the world vs what he needs to be. The exchange continues as Bobby tries to latch onto Opal’s son, projecting his own father in the process, while “Therapist Bobby” deconstructs how his own upbringing has caused deep rooted shame and anguish:
The dialogue here is a splendid deep dive and masterclass in deconstructing a character’s inner workings within a superhero context. Bobby’s father represents a masculine authority figure. We’ve seen this in both the 80s and the 90s. Bobby has been conditioned from a young age that disapproval from this figure meant potentially losing the family he loves the most. The learned emotional reaction here is fear.
He modeled a poor attachment style that muted his self worth and his queer reality to focus on external validation from a culture that he believes will never actually give it to him. It’s a losing battle, but he doesn’t know how to live any other way. It’s all he knew. Through this upbringing and the culture around him, he has learned to believe that who he is on the inside is rotten and unlovable, and he must actively change to become what people expect of him.
Furthermore, he projected this disapproval onto every masculine, authority figure that has been relevant to him. “Everywhere you go, you see him. In Xavier, in Wolverine, and even in the team itself. Authority becomes your father- a man you spent your whole life trying to please, through jokes, action- but nothing was ever good enough, not even you.”
“You couldn’t even take up room for yourself, for your power. You hid from yourself all these years…because it might offend the spirit of your father.””
This dialogue is absolutely harrowing and quite explicitly demonstrates Bobby’s core character thesis documented throughout all of my write ups. No other writer has given Bobby this level of thought, in fact, it is rare for any character to receive this level of analysis and deconstruction within a single arc.
After nearly freezing the world, the X-Men are at their wits end with Bobby, there’s little they can do to stop their friend. Kitty does what Kitty does best, and it seems to work. She gives a heartfelt talk, laced with honesty and tough love to Bobby:
This motivates him to look inward and believe that maybe he can be loved for who he actually is. His friends are just as messed up, just as scared and confused. He doesn’t need to put himself and the world through this, there are people who already believe in him.
Fusing symbolism with text and stunning panel work, Walta draws Bobby as he confronts himself in the moment, and frees himself from the Apocalypse Seed.
It works and he is finally able to separate himself from it. Despite this, he has to live with the consequences of his actions. His violent, arctic storm caused insurmountable damage to the world, and some people even died because of him.
He has succeeded in removing the Apocalypse Seed and not letting his pain consume him. He is still the same person though, with the same hurt and the same trauma. It is not easy to unpack that in a single go, and he is still very much struggling:
Logan laments that Bobby needs a friend. Clearly, Kitty can’t be that person, as illustrated in the scene above, but there is one person who was able to very much be that: Northstar.
This choice is extremely poignant. Northstar is an openly gay team member and both he and Bobby share a silent bond of trust. See post 5 to get a glimpse of that. Liu was clearly aware of the popularity of the fan pairing of these two as well, as she plays into it at several points during her run. Kitty, who is Bobby’s girlfriend, could not be the person to help him through this, instead this scene illustrates who Bobby may actually really long to connect with: another gay man.
Many of us who were in the closet may similarly have had an out gay person we either gravitated towards, or who actively helped us in accepting who we are. That is the beauty of community, and it is really telling that this is where Bobby’s arc concludes in this run.
As stated earlier, here is a clip of Marjorie Liu discussing this incredible arc and how she wrote it with gay subtext intentionally in mind:
Liu gave us a story that is the result of years and years of queer subtext and fan readings. It is one of the only stories within the genre that encapsulates the struggle of being in the closet, and presents it as a unique, subconscious experience that is embedded by multiple systems within culture. This impacts gay men quite uniquely, as their relationship towards masculine ideals are both suffocating and harmful, and there often is not an immediate outlet to unpack this struggle; in fact, many gay men continue unpacking and deconstructing their internal struggles in relation to masculine and heterosexist ideals for years after they come out.
This story captures that experience in such a personal way, and it really, really resonated with me as a young, gay reader who also came from a home where being gay was simply not an option. Stories like these give context to people, and help them feel connected and process hardships that do not have simple means of deconstruction. Connecting with and deconstructing what happened to you is not only healing, but can be liberating as well.
I am grateful for Bobby Drake. I am grateful to all the queer fans throughout history that saw themselves in his struggles and sent letters to Marvel editorial. I am grateful for the creators who took that interpretation and codified it into the text, strengthening the reading and adding depth to the character, paving the way for his gay identity to finally be confirmed in 2015.
Bobby’s history is a unique interplay between queer fans and the stories they read. Knowing and archiving our history is important within a culture of erasure. Remember, we always have been here, and we will always belong.
Akuruka, A. (2026). Gay Man Life: Straight People are Socialised into Identity, Gay People are Individuated into Identity. Retrieved from:
Andrew Akuruka on Instagram: "Some people are handed an identit…
Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development. Basic Books
Cardinal, K. (2014). Homosexual Identity Formation in a Heternormative World. Retrieved from: https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&context=proceedings-of-great-day
Comic Book Herald. (2022). Creannotators #76: “Wingbearer” & “Monstress” with writer Marjorie Liu! Retrieved from: https://www.comicbookherald.com/creannotators-76-wingbearer-monstress-with-writer-marjorie-liu/
Drescher, J. (2020). The Closet: Psychological Issues of Being In and Coming Out. Retrieved from: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/closet-psychological-issues-being-and-coming-out
Pachankis JE, Mahon CP, Jackson SD, Fetzner BK, Bränström R. (2020). Sexual orientation concealment and mental health: A conceptual and meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2020 Oct;146(10):831-871. doi: 10.1037/bul0000271. Epub 2020 Jul 23. PMID: 32700941; PMCID: PMC8011357.
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