Rachel Summers can offer a poignant commentary on the concept of integrating into society whilst struggling mentally and emotionally, and the extent to which that sense of incongruity can leave the struggling party feeling more and more isolated. #xmen @TalkRachelGrey 1/7

In an era when the X-Men are relatively stable and secure (by X-Men standards, anyway), Rachel is not OK. Raised in a concentration camp without her parents and forced to enact the cruel will of her captors, she escapes, only to find herself displaced from her timeline. 2/7

She finds herself living in a mansion within a free and open world and a loving supporting community – everything she’s been denied in her timeline. Rachel can’t simply forget her past, however, despite extensive efforts to do so. 3/7

Claremont portrays Rachel’s PTSD as simmering anger, self-hatred, and isolation. Even amongst the found family of the X-Men, Rachel cannot simply move forward anew, yet she is largely unwilling to address her past, fearing the emotional burden she places on others. 4/7

The best example of this would be Cyclops. She desperately longs for her father, but he has a family that does not include her and wonders if she has any right to assail him with her burdens. She later feels the same way about her Mom. 5/7

In all these aspects, Rachel provides a relatable character who speaks to specific disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, but also more generally to anyone who understands the challenge of hiding emotional pain to integrate into a social group. 6/7

Because of this, her expulsion from the X-Men (by way of stabbing) becomes a deeply sympathetic tragedy, knowing that her anger and despair consumed her seemingly beyond the point of redemption; in her eyes, anyway. 7/7