1982's X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, remains one of the most influential X-Men stories, even serving as the basis for the feature film X2: X-Men United. However, there's a rather controversial part of the story fans have debated over the years.
Toward the beginning of the book, Kitty Pryde gets in a fight with a boy who supports Reverend William Stryker's crusade. When her dance teacher Stevie Hunter says, "They're only words, child," Kitty retaliates and asks if Stevie would react if the boy had used a racial slur.
Comics historian John Jennings discussed the moment in an essay on Marvel.com, pointing to the intent Claremont was going for. "Claremont sets out to make an evergreen story inspired by this kind of social change, but he also makes a point to show us that this kind of change isn’t easy," he explained. "As a result, he doesn’t let readers escape the brutality of our society and wasn’t afraid to show the messiness of our humanity."
However, Jennings is also quick to point out that Claremont's metaphor has a bit of a blunt edge since Kitty is a white teenager. "While she uses the slur to make a point to her Black dance instructor Stevie, it is not without its problems. Kitty equates the idea of 'Mutie' to the 'N-word,' a well-meaning sentiment," he wrote. "However, she, like most of the classic X-Men team, can easily pass for a 'human' and are phenotypically white. Because they aren’t perceived as different, that analogy doesn’t map well onto how racism is constructed. Stevie states that while Kitty is right to feel as she does; she, a white teen, will never experience the trauma of racism that Stevie has endured and will continue to endure until we end systemic racism."
The X-Men have long been a metaphor for minorities and oppression, and Jennings' essay is a well-constructed look at one of the biggest X-Men stories, as well as a look at one of its most controversial moments.