"Misunderstood Characters Vol. 2 Pt. 1 - Banshee"
by David (Rhyme)

I had a request from someone to do more articles on misunderstood characters. And let's face it people, there are more than three misunderstood character!

I start off this week with my an article different from any of my other articles on misunderstood characters. The previous three characters I talked about had been misinterpreted by current writers, but done perfectly by Claremont. But this week I write about a character no one really had a firm grasp on- Banshee.

Why's Banshee misunderstood? Well...it's because he's always been put in the background as a second-stringer, or just booted out of the action. He's misunderstood because no one realizes his true potential! When Banshee joined the X-Men in Giant Sized X-Men #1 (GSXM#1), he was written beautifully. He was older than the rest of the X-Men, and it showed. He smoked a pipe, called everyone laddie and lass, and sometimes talked like old-timers do. He was more mature than the rest of the X-Men, and it showed. He was polite to everyone, especially Prof. X (his elder), and Cyclops (his leader), always did the intelligent thing, and thought before he acted. He was more experienced than the rest of the X-Men, and it showed. He would communicate with his teammates, think of strategies, and was always prepared coming into the field. He was voice of reason for the team. When Scott wasn't there, he would try to lead them, he would always warn the team, and he would do anything he could to prevent someone being hurt because of a stupid thing. All that added up to a great character.

Yet...why was he the one chosen to lose his powers in UXM #119? And why was he the person sent away from the X-Men in UXM #129, not too much later?

It wasn't because he didn't interact well with the other characters, because he did. One of my favorite conversations in GSXM#1 was with Banshee and Wolverine when they were paired up. " 'Tis a pleasure ta be workin' with ye, laddy," Banshee said. "Whoopee," replied Wolverine.

It wasn't because he wasn't a good fighter, because he had what it takes to be a fighter. As shown in GSXM#1 with the caption that reads "But the Erin-born mutant is already aloft--and though his sonic scream is not nearly so flamboyant as his companion's slashing talons--it is nonetheless equally effective!

And it certainly wasn't because there was nothing more to develop about him, because I truly could imagine him leading the X-Men. And he would be such a good leader that he'd rival Storm and Cyclops' leadership (judging by Essential X-Men #1.)

And then why was he sent to Generation-X to rot? The idea of him teaching the kids was good. The way they've been carrying it out thus far hasn't been good. He has hardly been developed at all. He sits in the background, and he hardly interacts with the kids.

So why is Banshee always pushed away from the spotlight, and into the background? He is a good character! But nobody seems to see his true potential.