Introduction:
Since the Empire Magazine covers were released, I’ve been seeing a backlash about Toad appearing in “Days of Future Past,” so I think it’s high time I spread some Toad awareness. It’s easy to forget that characters like Toad are important to stories since we’re naturally inclined to prefer that more prominent/popular characters to fill the cast. After all, we all want to see our favorite characters get their own flashy action scene on the big screen. However, a roster full of Hulks, Juggernauts, and Colossuses does not a good movie make. A cast is made diverse both to give the audience variety and to emphasize the characters’ differences by them playing off each other. So let me make my case for why this slimy Toad deserves his place in the X-Men world.
THE ARCHETYPE: Here, I analyze what Toad is made of and why he can be an asset to stories.TOADS OF FUTURE PAST: Based on the archetype, I analyze his past and speculate on what’s to come, including the movie.
Toad represents a very useful
archetype for a diverse and complex cast, but he was not always this way. His
name is derives from his original archetype: a toady; Avengers, vol.1 #138 summed up Toad in his first years rather well
when calling him an “obsequious sycophant”, along the lines of your Igors and
Renfields. In the beginning, Toad’s thoughts and actions reflected those of his
master, Magneto. He didn’t merit any character development and was possibly
even designed to be mentally deficient to excuse that. I agree that this breed
of underdeveloped character can be unimpressive and even annoying in some comic
reliefs, but being an Igor stereotype is not inherently a problem. Toad was
designed to act more like a tool than an individual at the time, and he served
his purpose very well. Of course, the Promethean fire ignited within him when
he betrayed Magneto (Avengers vol.1,
#53), and he emerged a character capable independent thoughts and actions and
goals. He's grown to illustrate, in his best moments, a unique archetype that I’ll affectionately
refer to here as a “true toad.” A true toad has a specific structure involving
his position in a cast of characters, his character arc, and his relevance to
the story.
1. He
is the foil to other characters in the cast, specifically for the purpose of
making them appear more appealing and important by being utterly repulsive in
comparison. He’s not visually attractive and is often rather ugly to match his
ugliness inside. Some of his repulsiveness might not be his fault, but at least
some of it is, making him difficult to sympathize with upon first impression.
His chances of finding any sort of affection in other characters are unlikely
at best, but there’s great beauty in character flaws. Our flaws are part of
what make us human, and exploring what makes us human is what X-Men is all
about! In this sense, a true toad may be a truer representation of humanity
than the characters that we are led to relate to (super heroes). The true toad also
helps with world building, since his existence acknowledges that more colorful
people may exist outside of the main cast of flying Adonises in spandex. It is
very rare to find a true toad playing the role of a main character since his
function necessitates being downplayed.
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| From X-Men Forever, we are introduced to our unlikely team of heroes here. Talk about variety! |
2. A
true toad’s physical objective is to amend the repercussions of his
repulsiveness, and he ironically pursues that in counterproductive (even
villainous) ways. Thus, he is stubborn, arrogant, and slow to learn of his
mistakes. He usually blames others for making his life so difficult; however,
the Toad from X-Men: Evolution has a
moment of clarity when he states, “I’m my own worst enemy.” (S3, E7) Reaching
this level of character development, where it’s addressed that Toad is
responsible for the way the world treats him badly, elevates him to a position
where the audience can universally connect with him. Whether he’s aware of it
or not, part of a true toad’s character arc entails that he’s a degenerate
person struggling to improve in spite of himself. Sure, it’s unrespectable of
him to be self-defeating, but his persistence to find the right path in life is
something we can all respect. This struggle
makes the true toad a testament to a very honest and humbling part of our human
nature, so his perseverance despite his shortcomings can be seen as endearing
and charming, and it makes him a sympathetic and compelling character.
3. A
true toad has one or two unique factors (skills, traits, tools, etc.) that
compensate for his repulsiveness and grant him a legitimate reason to be
involved in the story. This may give his character (and consequently, the
story) flavor, intrigue, and memorability. These unique factors may even define
him, as Toad has his toad-themed superpowers (i.e. his prehensile tongue) and
his mechanical ingenuity. Other characters might begrudgingly accept his
alliance to use him. We are led to think less of characters like Toad, which
makes him an excellent wildcard since readers will never expect him to make a
big move. Also, since he is often a minor character, he is expendable, so the
risks he takes are more of a threat to him than they would seem to main
characters. This is an especially great asset in the world of comic book
superheroes where lead characters never stay dead for long.
Therefore, the true toad makes the story
more wholly enjoyable, colorful, and memorable, and he is also the character in
a cast whom I tend to care about most of all. Unfortunately, this peculiar
archetype is becoming increasingly harder to find as time goes by. A couple
decades ago, ugly characters like Toad more often filled the role of the foil
in super hero/super villain teams; however, the modern trend is to make the
character serve as a foil exclusively through his morality and attitude, as it
allows for a more marketable, attractive character to fill the role. Wolverine
became a taller anti-hero, and any Superman now has a Batman for a sidekick. It
saddens me to see unattractive characters discarded or transformed into
handsome people because the majority of readers don’t like to look at them. I
guess I’m part of the minority. I even made my artist logo a frog because of
the archetype associated with it. You could say the true toad is my muse, and I
have hope for his future.
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