I have been recently rewatching the 90's television series of "X-Men" and came across an episode that hadn't gotten me to thinking until recently.
It was an episode where Gambit, Storm and Jubilee go to Genosha and have collars placed on them that inhibit their Mutant Abilities.
Don't some mutants only have a purely physical mutant ability, like Angel? So what would happen if you put it on him? Would his wings rot off?
Not to mention someone like wolverine who is OBVIOUSLY too old for his own good. Once you stunt his mutant abilities will he turn into a shriveled old man? Or Apocalypse... would he just die immediately? I could understand wolverine surviving... but yeah... hmm.
And What does Mystique REALLY look like? Is that blue really her? Because in the cartoon it must be.. but the cartoon isn't canon.
I always wondered why the X-People never tried to develop that technology themselves to help out people like Rogue and Cyclops.... they could build in an "on/off" switch into it ... maybe redesign it into a wristwatch style doohicky and voila Rogue would be able to live a normal life with the ability to touch others and Cyclops wouldn't always have to wear shades
I'm sure it would also be a lifesaver for various other mutants
I think it is because if they did that it would take away the "tragedy/curse" nature of some character's mutation. A significant part of Rogue's and Cyke's personality centers around how they cope with their mutant powers and the isolation it has caused them. Also negative mutations help the readers connect to some degree with certain characters and makes them more sympathetic, imo.
Overall, I think its just an editorial choice made by Marvel because as you pointed out the technology certainly has been established to exist in the X-Men universe and it would be relatively easy for certain characters to adapt it to the X-Men's needs (Forge, Beast, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, etc).
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Carl - "No, the real point is: I don't give a damn."
Carl - "This line, here? Line of Death. You cross it, and your freedoms no longer exist. Um-kay? Have a good day."
Prof. X removes the idea from their minds whenever they think of it, because if they supressed their own mutant abilities, it could display that not all the X-men are happy being mutants and would strengthen the idea that mutants are unnatural.
That crazy Chuck.........
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