Why Did Miguel Cheat, Making Some Tweaks to the Plot Line, and Remembering Your History
Something interesting about Miguel and Dana’s infidelity is how the hurt they inflicted upon Xina and Gabriel differed due to the extent of their personal history with them. Dana is definitely in the wrong for cheating on Gabriel with his brother and for flirting with Miguel while knowing he was in a relationship with Xina. However, Dana was mostly a stranger to the group when she decided to be unfaithful, thus causing Gabriel and Xina to feel less impacted by her betrayal as they had less history with her.
Miguel, on the other hand, has an extensive history with the two as Gabriel is the little brother he protected from their abusive father and Xina is the childhood friend/crush who protected him from school bullies and later became his girlfriend. Compare this with his relationship with Dana, a girl he got engaged to after having known her for a year and learning that she has a sister only after she died.
Considering these differences, Miguel’s betrayal is much more painful for Xina and Gabriel due to their personal history and him never exhibiting any signs that he would hurt them before. So one must ask, why? Why did Miguel cheat? Why did Miguel essentially choose a stranger over the two most important people in his life?
The comics tried giving some insight into Miguel’s infidelity in issue #37 by showing how the affair between him and Dana first started. However, through this explanation, two issues arise. For one, the comic explains Miguel’s distancing from Xina due to her alcohol problems (something she was never shown to have prior or after this issue). If the narrative’s means of explaining the protagonist’s failings is by mischaracterizing another character, the same character they’ll end up hurting, then it’s a pretty poor explanation.
Another issue is how the comic shows that Miguel fell in love with Dana at first sight (despite already knowing that Dana is Gabriel’s girlfriend), which explains why they both happen to “click” and were willing to have the affair. While the narrative addresses that this explanation is shallow, it doesn’t change how this remains the primary motive for why Miguel had the affair despite knowing how much he could lose as a result. Ultimately, the comic portraying this “clicked” narrative as the main reason why such a critical event in sm2099 occurred makes this arc less compelling and reduces Miguel’s complexity.
However, one detail from this arc that could set a better foundation for the cheating plot line is shown in the above panel where Dana is impressed by Miguel’s geneticist work for Alchemax. Granted, issue #22 shows Xina being supportive of Miguel around this time period when she helped him move into his new apartment that is owned by Alchemax, despite her dislike of the company. What if the comics had more flashbacks where Xina criticizes Miguel for joining a company they both know is unethical and Miguel getting defensive by saying her views are moral but not realistic, thus creating a rift in their relationship?
This conflict about Miguel’s job creating their rift works better because instead of relying on mischaracterization and happenstance, this explanation is based on a pre-established dynamic between these characters with Xina pushing for Miguel to the right thing and Miguel being too scared to do so. The conflict also highlights PAD’s sentiments about how Miguel felt “threatened” by Xina being his intellectual equal since it allowed her to get on his level and call out his behavior (above). Additionally, there could also be flashbacks of Gabriel criticizing Miguel for joining Alchemax (not for the same reasons as Xina since he didn’t learn about Alchemax’s inequities until he met Kasey) because this could mean Miguel is following the same path as their abusive father, George, who also worked for that company. With Miguel facing constant scrutiny from his loved ones and him being too scared to follow his conscience, he ends up being attracted to Dana because despite them not having any personal history, she becomes the only person who admires the work he does for Alchemax and does not challenge his behavior, consequently leading to Miguel having the affair and losing the two most important people in his life.
It’s also important to remember that Xina and Gabriel are important to Miguel’s life because they knew him when he was a vulnerable kid who was pushed around by his father and bullies, a stark contrast from the arrogant genius hotshot that Dana knows. However, with Miguel choosing to be with Dana, he’s leaving Xina, Gabriel, and that vulnerable version of himself in the past to make way for the stronger, idealized version of Miguel that he believes will exist through his job and intellect. In a way, this parallels Nueva York’s history, particularly how Alchemax shrouds the city’s history in secrecy to hide their contribution to the city’s inequality and continue posing Nueva York as a utopian society. However, with Miguel and Nueva York lacking a connection to their history, they will strive for idealized versions of themselves that lack the foundation to actually materialize.
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