In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation; Washington Post, 5/27/16

Kristen Page-Kirby, Washington Post; In ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ Mystique shows the importance of representation:

"Representation builds on representation; once the first person in a category proves that people aren’t going to lose their minds about a female/black/gay/trans/disabled/Asian/Latino superhero/president/romantic lead/Ghostbuster, then you get more and more of the same. In “Apocalypse,” it took seeing someone like Mystique being celebrated on TV to make Storm realize that she wasn’t the problem; the problem was those who kept on telling her that what made her special meant she was made wrong.

Too many people hear that too often, and the more diversity we see on screen and in comics and toys (WHERE IS MY KAMALA KHAN FIGURE, FUNKO?!), the more that people can see that they are visible. And being visible means they are valued — not in spite of their differences or their freaky powers, but because of them."