Who Is Polaris In ‘X-Men '97’ (& What Are Her Mutant Powers)?
X-Men ‘97 (2024) is set to expand the roster of the Marvel Comics adaptation with some key characters from those colorful stories, including Polaris. One of the earliest characters to be recruited to the team outside of the original five members of the X-Men, Lorna Dane brought a bit of exciting character drama to the team dynamic alongside fellow new character Alex Summers, aka Havok. Over the years, Lorna hasn’t been a major character as often as other members of the franchise—but her appearances in outside media have highlighted her versatility as a character.
Trailers for Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 have set up Polaris as a major new character, with her poised to take up an important role in the absence of the main team after being stranded across the time-stream. Here’s everything that you need to know about Polaris ahead of her taking over a key role in the animated universe.
Who Is The X-Men’s Polaris?
Debuting during the early stretch of the series before they broke out as one of Marvel's premiere books with Giant-Size X-Men, Lorna Dane was a college student whose latent mutant control over magnetism was activated during an encounter with the villainous Mesmero. The X-Men liberated her, and she briefly joined their ranks as Polaris. After being romantically paired with Cyclops’ younger brother Havok, Lorna went through a period where she was brainwashed into becoming the villainous Malice—setting a precedent for an overall character arc centered around her mental health and bipolar disorder in response to the trauma she experiences over the years.
After years of heroic work as a member of various iterations of X-Men and their spin-off team, X-Factor, Lorna was confirmed as Magneto’s daughter. She has since developed a complex dynamic with her father. Polaris played an important role in the “Krakoan Age,” placing her front and center in the modern comics for a time as she honed her potential and wrestled with her place in the mutant community.
What Movies And Shows Has Polaris Appeared In?
Lorna hasn't been as prominent in media adaptations of the Marvel Universe as other members of the X-Men, but she does have a handful of important roles in television adaptations of the comics. While she never appeared in the Fox X-Men movies outside of an easter egg tucked away in X2: X-Men United (2003), Polaris made her TV debut in X-Men: The Animated Series (1992). A former member of the team who had left alongside Iceman for a normal life, Lorna was met as a member of the government-sponsored team, X-Factor. This is the version of the character who is set to appear in X-Men '97, with the trailer hinting at some big moments for her and plenty of young mutants.
Lorna also appeared in Wolverine and the X-Men (2009) in a key supporting role as one of Magneto's children alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The show actually plays with that dynamic between Lorna and her siblings more than most comics (due to a lot of ret-cons over the years, it's a bit hard to explain) and highlights how she fits fully into the Magneto dynasty. Lorna's biggest on-screen role was in The Gifted (2017), which cast her as the leader of the Mutant Underground in a reality where the X-Men and Magneto are both presumed dead. Played by Emma Dumont, Polaris was often the highlight of a very weird chapter in the history of X-Men mass media, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see her pick up some traits from that take on the character.
How Polaris Could Fit Into X-Men ‘97
With the X-Men presumed dead by much of the world at the end of X-Men ‘97 Season 1, Polaris is likely reeling from grief in the new season of X-Men ‘97. Especially if the show retains her connection to Magneto, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Polaris heartbroken by the loss of her teammates as well as her father. It’ll be interesting to see how the show tackles the Wanda and Pietro of it all—even if a sly easter egg in the Season 1 finale suggested they and the rest of the Avengers were “off-world” to explain their absence—but Lorna’s connection to Magneto will likely be an element of her arc in the show. There’s even her connection to the destruction of Genosha from the comics, a major traumatic moment for the character that could be unpacked by the new season.
Another potential angle for the character could be her brief role as a Horseman of the Apocalypse. Following the House of M comic crossover that depowered almost every mutant character outside of a select 198, Lorna was given her abilities back after she was converted by the immortal villain into the Horseman of Pestilence. Given the importance of the villain teased by trailers—as well as the tease at the end of the first season that Gambit could become his Horseman of Death—it wouldn’t be surprising to see the animated show replicate the Horseman roster he had following House of M and the fall of Genosha. That grouping included Polaris (as well as Sunfire and the minor character Gazer) alongside Gambit, while Polaris’ history of being turned into a villain might make that an appealing synthesis of comics storylines into the animated adaptation. Regardless of what happens, it’s exciting to see Polaris continue her rise in prominence, especially in outside media.
