Yeah, what's up with Lionel's hair? ...er, I mean--
Although Lex always delivers that justification in a way that sort of makes me doubt it's genuine
Hmm. Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this. The only time Lex has really sounded geunine to me, rather than EEEVOLLY scheming & manipulative, is his confrontation with Fine in "Oracle", and maybe in "Nemesis", though he doesn't mention the world-saving then. That's one reason I can keep fanwanking the alien invasion defense hypothesis, if his going on about meteor mutants and terrorist vigilantes is a cover for that.
Actually I think I figured out how to explain the mind control! It's still unethical (though Keenan did sign on...I wonder what he thought he was signing on for) but Lex has reasons for wanting absolute mental control over his soldiers. Partly because of meteor psychosis - most mutants have fairly evident neurological problems; combining all those powers couldn't be good for the brain. The soldiers might well be functionally insane without the mind control.
Also, if the alien defense hypothesis holds - Lex knows the aliens can take over peoples' minds/bodies. Zod took him over, and Lionel was possessed by Jor-El. So soldiers operating on remote control might be the only reasonable option. Doesn't justify doing it (mind control is pretty much unjustifiable, in my book, and after all the mindfuckery Lex has endured he should know this better than anyone...I like your explanation, that he's consciously or subconsciously taking those past transgressions on his psyche out on his victims...) but at least there's semi-reasonable explanations for it.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 05:08 pm (UTC)...er, I mean--
Although Lex always delivers that justification in a way that sort of makes me doubt it's genuine
Hmm. Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this. The only time Lex has really sounded geunine to me, rather than EEEVOLLY scheming & manipulative, is his confrontation with Fine in "Oracle", and maybe in "Nemesis", though he doesn't mention the world-saving then. That's one reason I can keep fanwanking the alien invasion defense hypothesis, if his going on about meteor mutants and terrorist vigilantes is a cover for that.
Actually I think I figured out how to explain the mind control! It's still unethical (though Keenan did sign on...I wonder what he thought he was signing on for) but Lex has reasons for wanting absolute mental control over his soldiers. Partly because of meteor psychosis - most mutants have fairly evident neurological problems; combining all those powers couldn't be good for the brain. The soldiers might well be functionally insane without the mind control.
Also, if the alien defense hypothesis holds - Lex knows the aliens can take over peoples' minds/bodies. Zod took him over, and Lionel was possessed by Jor-El. So soldiers operating on remote control might be the only reasonable option. Doesn't justify doing it (mind control is pretty much unjustifiable, in my book, and after all the mindfuckery Lex has endured he should know this better than anyone...I like your explanation, that he's consciously or subconsciously taking those past transgressions on his psyche out on his victims...) but at least there's semi-reasonable explanations for it.