The X-Men and the Brotherhood haven't appeared on The Gifted yet, but one of the TV show's main characters already has an important relationship established with the leader of the latter group. Just like in the comics, Lorna Dane, a.k.a. Polaris, is the biological daughter of Magneto, one of the world's most dangerous mutants. The Gifted has firmly established Polaris as one of its main protagonists, but what are the chances she could follow in Magneto's footsteps down a darker path? When CinemaBlend recently asked Emma Dumont about such a scenario for her character, here's how the actress responded:
I think we all have this when we see ourselves in someone else that maybe we don't love as a human or mutant or person. She doesn't like her father at all, but she's exactly like him. So just by that, just by her genes and her personality makeup, I like to say she steps into his helmet. There's some really exciting stuff happening in Episode 8 and forward. And yeah, she's meant to be a leader, she's meant to be a leader of the things she specifically believes in, which just so happen to be what her father believes in.
While The Gifted is far from the post-apocalyptic world depicted in X-Men: Days of Future Past, most mutants are still fighting to survive due to the government rounding them up and then either throwing them in prison or manipulating them into hunting down other mutants. The X-Men tasked the mutant underground with helping their kind escape persecution, so like Magneto, Polaris already finds herself on the wrong side of the law. However, while Magneto is determined to have mutants replace humans as the superior race, Polaris is only concerned with hiding and protecting her fellow mutants from persecution. But things can change as The Gifted goes along, and Emma Dumont's above quote indicates that while Polaris doesn't care for her father in any way, she may start to embody him more as time passes.
Polaris is best known in the comics as a hero, but there have been times when she's temporarily become an antagonist, whether willingly or under someone else's control. When I asked Emma Dumont if this part of the character's background would play into Lorna's future on The Gifted, she answered:
I would say that what's coming up is dark, but would never describe her as an antagonist. She is always the hero because she is the one willing to take action when no one will. I would say the same for Magneto. Even though we consider him to be fighting Xavier and he's on the opposite side of things, but no, he's actually fighting for what he believes to be the greater good. Our Lorna is very similar to the original Lorna, so we'll just see where it leads.
So rest assured, Polaris fans, she won't be postponed as a full-fledged villain anytime soon on The Gifted. Whatever dark developments are coming her way in future episodes, she'll still be fighting for mutant equality. So while Sentinel Services' propaganda may tell the public that she and her allies are terrorists and criminals, the viewers can take comfort knowing that she will continue fighting for for what's right. That being said, there may come a time where her methods of getting justice for mutants may fall closer in line to what Magneto does on a regular basis.
The Gifted will return with a new episode on Monday, December 4 at 9 p.m. EST/PST on Fox. Check out our midseason premiere schedule to see when your favorite TV shows will be back with new episodes next year, and browse through our rundown of TV cancellations in 2017 to see which shows are already gone for good.
