|
Common myths about the world’s greatest superhero:
- “He’s just a dog, or a minor character”
- “His talking was retconned in an issue of X-Factor”
- “Prominent Marvel editors don’t like it, so that proves he cannot speak”
- “Lockjaw has shown himself to be unintelligent”
- “The Inhumans have treated him badly” ( and Why people think that )
- And finally, a response to the FFPlaza article
Is Lockjaw just a dog, or on a level with Galactus and Dr Doom?
Lockjaw can lift at least a ton, and his jaws are "the mightiest clamp on earth." He can teleport vast distances and to other dimensions, and take people with him. He can track people across dimensions. Clearly he is not just a dog. When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four, Lockjaw was a major supporting character, just like Galactus, The Watcher, and Doctor Doom. If you don't believe me, here is a pinup page from Fantastic Four Annual number 5: 
In the early years Lockjaw saved the world many times. In recent years some writers have treated Lockjaw as just a pet or just a convenient form of transport, but for Stan and Jack he was a world saver, a major character on a par with the Silver Surfer or Dr Doom.
“Lockjaw has always been considered a dog.”
This objection is a red herring. We all agree that, since his first appearance in the Fantastic Four, Lockjaw has looked like a dog, and been described accordingly. The question is about his intelligence, not his appearance.on't judge by appearances...
Lockjaw looks like a dog. So what? All the Inhumans look unusual. Should we judge intelligence by appearances? And if someone has the body of a dog, they might enjoy doglike things, like sniffing or barking. That has nothing to do with intelligence. Or with how they came to be a dog, for that matter. And please note that most of the comments about 'dog' and 'pet' come from other people, not the Inhumans.
“Lockjaw acted like a dog”
So what? he is built like a dog, so obviously he sounds like a dog, he can't use a knife and fork, and so on. This says nothing about his intelligence. And when we look more closely at his “doglike” actions, they are always signs of intelligence. For example, in FF 64, Johnny and Crystal are about to kiss, when Lockjaw licks Johnny's face. This is classic dog behavior, and inappropriate for a human! But the next frame shows that Lockjaw was in fact alerting them to an important incoming message on the video phone. I am still looking for even a single example of pet-and-not-servant behavior from Lockjaw.
Other non-humanoid Inhumans
Could the Terrigen mists change a humanoid to look non-humanoid? You bet! It used to be extremely common. This is from the Marvel Directory history of the Inhumans (emphasis added): Sometime within the Inhumans' first millennium of existence, the Inhuman geneticist Randac isolated a chemical catalyst for human mutation, a substance he called Terrigen. Believing the substance to be the key to making great genetic advances within a single generation's time, Randac subjected himself to total immersion in the Terrigen Mist and emerged with mental-manipulative powers rivaling those of the Eternals. Elected ruler because of his genetic superiority, Randac unselfishly instituted a program by which all Inhumans could undergo Terrigen treatment if they desired. The program was halted when about half of the Terrigen subjects developed radically nonhuman mutations. It was thereafter decided that individuals would only undergo treatment after being thoroughly genetically tested, but the damage to the gene pool was already done. Centuries later, an Inhumans leader named Gral, tired of the discrimination against the non-human-looking minority, instituted a reign of terror in which the entire population of Attilan was involuntarily subjected to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist. The Mist transformed over three quarters of the population into non-humanoid types altering their genetic destinies for untold generations. Successive exposure to the Terrigen only furthered the extent of the mutation. For years, the Inhumans were segregated into Mutation Camps, forced to live only among their own basic phenotypes. If most Inhumans now look humanoid, that is only because of centuries of hard work to control the gene pool. The occasional non-humanoid must still be inevitable. 
A serpent Inhuman, from FF 240
“It is wrong to make Lockjaw a tragic figure - it takes away the fun”
Lockjaw is not a tragic figure. By all accounts he enjoys being doglike. When he spoke, he was simply warning Quicksilver of the possible consequences of his actions, and implying that many people would not like being a dog. No doubt he realized that Quicksilver would hate that.
What Quicksilver said
Lockjaw's intelligence and speaking ability are discussed on their own page. We can see that when Lockjaw spoke, he was acting perfectly in keeping with what went before. But in X-Factor 71, written by Peter David, Quicksilver says that Lockjaw never spoke. Quicksilver said that it was a trick from Karnak and Gorgon. 
This statement proves nothing because it allows both views: the dumb dog and the intelligent dog. Peter David explained in an interview:
And just for the record, the reason I always liked the practical joke explanation was specifically BECAUSE it seemed so ridiculous. The elegance was in its absurdity. Because for those fans who disliked Byrne's retcon, they could embrace this and say, "Thank God." For those who liked the retcon, they could look for reasons that Quicksilver was in fact lying to Madrox. And they wouldn't have far to look: the reason is right there in Byrne's own story. Lockjaw's status is supposed to be the Inhumans' darkest secret. If it's a freakin secret, do you REALLY want everybody and his brother knowing? So Quicksilver came up with the first explanation off the top of his head that he could to throw Madrox off the track. Then all we had to do was never have Lockjaw talk again--which no one else at Marvel was gonna do anyway since they hated it--and everyone would be satisfied. Everyone wins. My one miscalculation was that I haven't actually ever seen fans come up with the explanation that I thought was kind of obvious.(source) So X Factor 71 leaves us with at least four possible scenarios:
Scenario 1. Lockjaw cannot talk, and it was all big joke.
This scenario creates both small and large problems. The small problems are:
- It makes Gorgon and Karnak look cruel and stupid - which is totally our of character for them.
- The entire Inhuman Royal family were present - it is even more unlikely that they were in on the joke.
- Ben is not stupid. Before becoming The Thing he was a fighter pilot. Since then he has become an experienced fighter, and often deals with mind control situations. And his frequent disappointments (in his attempts to become human and his love life) mean that he is unlikely to be gullible. He does not believe things just because he wants to. Even if he believes it at first, he would have mentioned it to Reed, who would surely be curious.
- Being a monster is of great interest to Ben, yet we are to believe that despite easy contact with the Inhumans, he never followed up?
- Most important, Ben has spent more time than any other human with Lockjaw. He would have a much better idea than any of us if this turn of events made sense. He soon realized that it was perfectly logical.
The large problems are:
- A joke like that would have been entirely inappropriate at such a serious moment
- If Quicksilver knew it was a joke, why did he believe it at the time?
- It invents a power - controlling Lockjaw's mouth by controlling his antennae - that has never been demonstrated before.
- Lockjaw did not only speak when the guys were all standing around together, but later, when Ben and Lockjaw were alone, finally leaving the Great Refuge, and Lockjaw utters the immortal line "never had anything to say, Ben."
- Finally, it requires Gorgon to be in two places at once (see graphic).
Scenario 2. Lockjaw can talk, and Quicksilver was covering up the great secret.
Occam's razor states that we should not multiply conditions: when there is more than one explanation, the simplest one would be chosen. The simplest explanation is that Quicksilver was covering up the great secret. This explanation is simple and straightforward, and does not involve the problems created by Quicksilver's suggestion. However, later stories (especially Son of M) show that Quicksilver genuinely believes that Lockjaw is stupid.
Scenario 3. Lockjaw can talk, but Quicksilver refuses to believe it.
The more we learn about Quicksilver, the more likely this third scenario becomes. In particular, the Son of M series indicates that Quicksilver believes Lockjaw to be stupid. Why would he believe that, if he had really heard Lockjaw speak? Cast your mind back to the events that prompted Lockjaw to speak. What should have been Quicksilver's greatest moment - the decision to send his firstborn into the Terrigen mists - became his greatest humiliation. Lockjaw practically accused him of being a bad father who did not care for his child's welfare. Clearly Quicksilver would rather not believe this. Would Quicksilver lie to himself in order to avoid humiliation? Yes he would. This is how he reacted when Crystal left him, from FF 304-306. .  
Do you think Quicksilver would swallow his pride regarding Luna?
Do you think he would admit that the Inhumans had been right and he was wrong?  
If Quicksilver's joke story is correct, then Karnak and Gorgon are his friends -
they let him in on their secret, but keep it from the Thing.
But in reality they are not his friends. They are far closer to the Thing. +  In summary, Quicksilver is not a reliable witness in this case.
Scenario 4. Lockjaw cannot talk, but the trick was aimed at Quicksilver, not the Thing.
This is from David Hine, the writer of Son of M:
"Let’s accept for the moment that Lockjaw is indeed a dog. So what’s with the whole scene where the ‘joke’ was played on The Thing? This relates to the earlier scene with Reed Richards. Right from the start there was a conspiracy against Pietro. Everyone knew that he would want Luna to be exposed to Terrigenesis, despite the dangers. So from the beginning, Reed cooperated with The Inhumans to persuade Pietro that Luna would be harmed by the process. His suggestion that Luna was human was not enough to dissuade Pietro, so the elaborate hoax was set up to suggest that Lockjaw was an Inhuman who’s Terrigenesis went tragically wrong. It was Pietro, not The Thing who was the target of this hoax. This was a last-ditch attempt to dissuade him from exposing Luna to a dangerous process, which could kill her or permanently damage her DNA. I believe that last scene with Madrox was Pietro finding a way to persuade himself that there was no danger to Luna. Pietro is a fantasist and a borderline sociopath. Here we see him rewriting history to suit himself, removing the last objection to Luna undergoing Terrigenesis. The disastrous results can be seen in Son of M." In this scenario the joke was not funny, it was deadly serious. Gorgon and Karnak did not laugh, but Quicksilver just assumed that they did. This is plausible, but problematic. First, there is no need for this explanation. All the other evidence suggests that Lockjaw is more intelligent than many other speaking characters, so there is no reason to doubt that he could talk. Second, there is no evidence for this explanation, either direct or indirect.
Scenario 5. Lockjaw can talk, but it embarrasses the other Inhumans
If we accept that the Inhumans can be Inhuman, but we accept that Quicksilver was telling the truth as he heard it, then there is another possibility, suggested by a poster calling himself "rk02920 the Fist of Khonshu"
"How about this, Lockjaw is a dog now and being so proves the Inhumans greatest untold weakness, the Terrigen Mists cause unstable mutations. The Terrigen Mists don't just cause a mutation, but start one. When Lockjaw first came out of the mists he was more doglike but walked on two legs. Over the years his mutation worsened until he became the doglike creature we know today and the Inhumans decided to cover their tracks by telling 'so and so' it was a joke that one time he talked."
This is most likely the truth,. especially in the light of Jenkins' classic Inhumans miniseries. In that series we have numerous clues that indicate that Black Bolt and Lockjaw share a dark secret, and that the Inhumans cannot face up to it.
"He must be just a dog because most of the writers say so."
Welcome to the writers' paradox. In interviews they may say that Lockjaw was just a dog. But the comics will always contradict them. Even the stories they write themselves! Dann Slott is a good example of this. When a fan asked him at a convention, he said that he followed the "just a pet" theory. But then he wrote The Thing (volume 2) issue 4, in which Lockjaw acts just as smart as any human, completely unlike a dog, and even talks to Black Bolt! The writer's paradox - the irony of the "just a pet" theory - is that writers and editors have the job of creating interesting stories. Pets and transport, in an action oriented comic, are BORING. Nobody wants to read about a superhero's pets or how they get from A to B. So as long as Lockjaw appears in comics, he will be painted as intelligent and creative, just like the human characters. So the writers are trapped in the great irony: they SAY that Lockjaw is just a pet but they always write stories that show the opposite!
“Stan and Jack never hinted that he could talk”
- It is said that Byrne contradicted Lee and Kirby, but this claim just does not hold water. Byrne's run on the FF showed that he understood and was consistently faithful to the Lee-Kirby FF.
Stan and Jack had Lockjaw understand complex sentences, even when not aimed at him. Other characters would often discuss something then say something like, "You hear that Lockjaw? Let's do it!" Since he can understand language it is a small step to being able to respond if he wanted to. And Stan and Jack showed that even ants can talk, so it is very hard to argue that Lockjaw could not do it if he wanted to. it is true that they never showed him with a “thinks” balloon, but Black Bolt and many other characters never had “thinks” balloons either.
Even if he had shown no language skills, this objection would be a red herring. Stan and Jack never imagined ANY of their great origin stories until they wrote them. They did not have vast files called "the history of Marvel characters" - they made it up as they went along! And they were not afraid to retcon when they needed - hence Captain America and the Sub-Mariner for example. Creating a cool and unexpected back story for an existing character is exactly the kind of thing they did all the time.
Is Lockjaw more intelligent than some humans?
Some comic book humans seem very unintelligent. Some villains have henchmen who's only job is to be quickly defeated. Heroes with secret identities are surrounded by people too stupid to work it out. "Gee, Peter Parker, how come you are the only person who can get photos of Spiderman? And he's about your height and build too. And why do you make an excuse to run away when there is trouble, just before Spiderman appears? I just can't figure it out." And that's just in Marvel. In DC we have Superman who's disguise is... he takes off his glasses! Comic books are full of really dumb people. A lot of the villains are especially dumb. How many times do they have to be beaten before they realize they're in the wrong job? Even super intelligent villains (The Wizard) or heavyweight powerhouses (the Super Skrull) may talk smart but they act dumb.
An experiment you can try yourself
Here's an exercise to prove that the average superhero is dumber than Lockjaw. Read a team book like the Fantastic Four, Avengers, X-Men, etc. But this time just look at what happens - don't read any of the worlds. You will see that the average hero just stands around doing nothing most of the time. Occasionally he might hit someone, but (especially in the early Avengers books) mostly they just look self-important or stupid. But compare this with Lockjaw: he just has fun! When you see Lockjaw he's either the physical center of the team (they all rely on him to et places) or else he's sleeping, sniffing, playing games, just having a great time! And yet still he saves the world. When you turn off the sound who looks smarter? It's like Douglas Adams said about the dolphins. Humans think dolphins are stupid because all they do is have fun, eat, go where they want, and play in the water all day. Whereas humans worry and fret and live often miserable lives. So who is really more intelligent?
Words or deeds?
I think we would all agree that a smart talker who always fails is really not very smart. But someone who appears dumb but gets results is really very smart indeed. Columbo, anyone? When you compare human actions to Lockjaw's actions, Lockjaw is more intelligent than a lot of humans. Just look at the very sweet life he has: total freedom, adored by his friends, no responsibilities... objectively he must be the smartest character in all comics.
The page about Lockjaw's adventures shows that he wins time and time again. And he wins because he uses his brain, he does not rely on luck. The page about Lockjaw's brain shows his intelligence in more detail. The page on the dog philosophers shows how acting like a dog does not imply low intelligence Conclusion: Since Lockjaw is intelligent, and demonstrates more ability than many humans, we must conclude that he has at least human level intelligence.
“Sure, Lockjaw seemed as smart as a human, but so did other fictional dogs.”
Let's be consistent here! Any dog who is acts as smart as a human should be treated like a human. It doesn't matter if Lockjaw is the only one, or if other fictional dogs do the same. If they act like they have human brains, then they should be treated as such. Anything else is blind prejudice.
“Son of M issue 4 says Lockjaw is not intelligent”
There is a statement in Son of M issue 4 that, on a superficial reading, appears to contradict this. However, the statement in question does not come from the narrator but from Quicksilver, and it is contradicted by the facts. For more details, see Quicksilver and Son of M.
In Paul Jenkins' Inhumans we see that Lockjaw does not think in complex words. He prefers simple ideas like "play" or "sniff" or "sleep." But we also learn that Triton has problems speaking as well. We cannot judge someone's intelligence by how fluent they are in one language. Lockjaw thinks with emotions more than words, and he values fun. But his actions make clear that he is highly intelligent. Some very intelligent people do not think in words, and may not even know how their minds work, yet they are able to perform amazing feats. They can use language when they need to but prefer not to. Some are called Autistic savants. For more details, see the key to understanding Lockjaw's mind.
“Why didn't Lockjaw use language when it would have helped him?”
In Dan Slott's Thing issue 4, Lockjaw gets a sliver of marble stuck in his skin. He does not ask for it to be removed, he instead visits various friends and hopes they will notice. Why? Look at it from Lockjaw's point of view. He can teleport instantly. He can show two people his problem in less time than it takes to describe it to someone. Besides, speaking is excruciatingly painful for him, so why add to the existing pain? Also, it is well established that Lockjaw is a little stubborn. He does his own thing. If one friend cannot see that he is in pain he will not beg, he will simply go to a better friend. In general, Lockjaw does not think in terms of language, so forming words will always be slower than going to where he is needed. Although comic readers see his travels as taking several panels, we saw when he captured Quicksilver that he travels incredibly quickly, much faster than anyone could talk. Finally, much of his usefulness comes from people thinking he is stupid. This allows him to move freely in dangerous places - for example, when Maximus is around - and never be suspected. So he has no doubt trained himself to avoid speech wherever possible. Lockjaw's silence has never placed him or his friends in danger. In every case he was able to achieve his objectives without giving his secret away. His policy of silence has been extremely successful. It has allowed him to save his friends' lives on numerous occasions, usually because he can pass by and be ignored by others who think he is "just" a dog. If he had spoken earlier he would be treated as more of a threat, and his friends would probably be dead by now. The silence is explained in the classic issue of the Thing. First, Lockjaw's condition is a great secret. A secret is a secret. Second, it was extremely painful for him to talk. The only time he did it was because of beloved Crystal - Quicksilver was planning something that threatened the life of her baby. Emotionally, this was a unique situation.
Trivia
Lockjaw appears to be closest to a bulldog in appearance. The animal psychologist S. Coren, author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", ranked 79 breeds of dog according to intelligence. The border collie is number 1, and afghan hound is number 79. The bulldog is number 77 - one of the least intelligent of all dogs. The bulldog needs 80 to 100 repetitions or more, just to learn anything new, and obeys the first commands less than 25% of the time. Lockjaw, in contrast, even at the lowest estimate of his intelligence, is many times smarter than the smartest collie. Compared with an ordinary bulldog his intelligence increase is incredible.
Did the Inhumans treat him badly?
The Inhumans are a monarchy. In a monarchy, the royal family treat others as inferior - it is a fact of life. This is not bad behavior, it is just how the system works. If you don't like it, then you don't like monarchies. Don't blame the Inhumans for acting within their established culture.
As CapnVball pointed out, if the Inhumans treat Lockjaw badly, then Dr Strange treats his servant Wong just as "badly." Why don't we consider the possibility that they are happy being servants? It's not as if anyone is forcing Lockjaw - he can leave whenever he wants to. And if we insist on calling Lockjaw a dog, why don't we insist on calling other humans hominids or primates?
"I also don't really see how Lockjaw has been treated like a dog. This is a human perspective on Inhumans. Why can't Lockjaw just be happy enough to be a servant, companion, etc. Why don't we call Wong Dr. Strange's pet monkey?"
Lockjaw is given the highest honor of any inhuman
Lockjaw is not a member of the royal family, yet is allowed to live with them. Not only that, he is much loved (see below), he is central to their frequent traveling, he is given space on whatever royal table or platform they occupy, and is allowed access to anywhere he wants. He thus has greater privileges than any other inhuman. And unlike the royals he did not attain his position by birth but by merit. Not only does Lockjaw have nearly all the privileges of his royal friends, but he has almost none of their obligations. He can come and go as he pleases, and act and have fun as he pleases. In this respect he is rather like the fool in Shakespeare's historical plays, though with greater freedom. And as everyone Shakespeare buff knows, the fool is often the smartest person in the court.
“The Inhumans treated Lockjaw like a slave”
That is impossible. His power to cross dimensions means that nobody could ever trap Lockjaw against his wishes. And he would always have somewhere to go and find like-minded friends. Yes, he was a servant, but he seemed to like it, or he wouldn't stay. It is true that they treat him like a servant. A royal family are not on the same level with their servants. The only crime is in having a monarchy, and we are stuck with that. But not being peers is itself not an ethical problem. They may have found that the hierarchical structure, given their own circumstances, actually works. As for the claim that he is a pet, since when did the Inhumans keep pets? What other pets are there? One Inhuman has power over Falcons, but they are hardly pets. The pet claim is problematic, but there are plenty of non-human Inhumans, looking like trees, snakes, fish, etc.
What's this about being a "pet"?
When it was revealed that Lockjaw can speak, it was stated that Lockjaw's condition was a great secret. It seems that Inhumans sometimes call Lockjaw a "pet" in front of others, in order to maintain that secret. But think about it - how many superheroes have pets? When you look at what Lockjaw does, he has more freedom than the others, and time and again he rescues them. So it might be more accurate to say that the other Inhumans are his pets! The only time in (in the pre-Byrne days) that I have ever known Crystal to call Lockjaw a "pet" was in front of the Fantastic Four when a whole TV studio audience (and cameras) might have been listening - FF annual 12, page 18 (see page 14 for the audience). She tells how she was frozen in a tube, by a villain who was ready to kill anyone who tried to escape. Lockjaw distracts the villain, then rescues her in a split second, then takes her straight to the Baxter Building (home of the Fantastic Four). His initiative, skill and planning mean he is anything but a pet! When he was first introduced, it was clearly stated that Lockjaw serves Black Bolt, even though he is usually seen with Crystal. This is apparently confirmed in FF annual 21, where the Inhuman royal family fights against Crystal, and so Lockjaw sides with Black Bolt. This would not happen if he was simply Crystal's pet. So Black Bolt is Lockjaw's master. Black Bolt's only relationship with Lockjaw is as his king. So when the word "master" can only mean master and servant, not master and pet. Black Bolt is king, and probably master of many servants. But none of them is as loved - or as faithful - as Lockjaw. A good servant obeys, anticipates needs, and does not speak unless he has to. Lockjaw is the perfect servant. Of course, the "no talking" thing goes further - it is extremely painful for him to talk, but it is probably a deliberate policy as well. Lockjaw is able to teleport to anywhere from anywhere, listen to and watch anything, manipulate things with his antennae, and grab and return any item in his amazing jaws. The cover story of being "just a dog" would prevent people from being suspicious - he is the perfect spy.
According to Crystal, Lockjaw is second only to Black Bolt
At his first appearance, Crystal says that Lockjaw is "almost as powerful, and as wonderful, as Black Bolt himself" She seems to be putting Lockjaw on a higher level than herself.   
Sometimes friends hug. Sometimes they act very friendly. It doesn't mean "you are an animal."
Crystal likes to get physical. Sure, she hugged Lockjaw and called hi "puppy boy" when she hadn't seen him for a long time. She also hugged Johnny Storm. Heck, she even hugged Sue Storm! And she hugged Quicksilver (and married him). And she hugged another guy and then had an extramarital affair. She just likes hugging - it doesn't mean that Lockjaw and Johnny and Sue and Quicksilver and that other guy are all her pets. Or at least I hope it doesn't.
  
All this says more about Quicksilver than it does about Lockjaw. "Puppy" is a term of affection, just like calling a human friend "baby." Johnny Storm calls Crystal "baby." Terms of affection like "baby" or "puppy" do not mean "only a puppy" or "only a baby," they are not condescending, and they say nothing about real intelligence. Maybe Crystal went too far with her servant, or maybe that's normal in Inhuman culture. Sometimes in the Marvel Universe, Princesses fall in love with their servants. For example, in Savage Tales 1-2, Princess Lyra (of Earth-Femizonia) fell in love with her servant Mogon. Hey, it happens.
Who is prejudiced here?
Yes, the Inhumans call Lockjaw a dog. What is wrong with that? How is that an insult? To a human this sounds like an insult, because we treat dogs as our moral inferiors. It is we, the humans, who have the problem. Inhumans have learned not to judge by appearances, but by behavior. There is nothing morally inferior about being a dog, particularly a dog with human intelligence. Moral value depends on what we do, not on what we look like.
The other view: the Inhumans are inhuman. It's well established.
This is from David Hine, the writer of Son of M:
"Marvel’s official stance is ‘Yes, he’s a dog dammit!’ and I’ve gone along with that in my treatment of the character in the Son of M series, but unofficially, as a reader and a fan, I still have niggling doubts. ... it is not inconsistent for The Inhumans to show disrespect for an Inhuman who’s Terrigenesis goes wrong. In The Inhumans series Sonic Youth, written by Paul Jenkins, the Inhuman, Woz, comes out of Terrigenesis with the appearance of an Alpha primitive, the sub species that slaves away underground to maintain the machinery that keeps the Inhuman city of Attilan going. The Inhumans had no scruples about banishing Woz to the Underworld to live with the Alphas. Later it was discovered that, despite his appearance, Woz still had Inhuman attributes and was reinstated in Inhuman society. But his treatment is proof that The Inhumans can be, for want of a better expression, brutally inhuman. In a sense the result of Terrigenesis is seen as a judgment on the worthiness of those who undergo it. It is quite possible that even if Lockjaw was in fact a member of the Inhuman Royal Family, they would lose respect for him if the process of Terrigenesis turned him into a dumb animal."
"What after all is the alternative? Whatever Lockjaw started out as, it is certain that he was exposed to the Terrigen Mists. But we know that no species apart from Inhumans is allowed to undergo the process. Certainly not a dog. So there are two possibilities. Lockjaw was an Inhuman, and Terrigenesis made him a mutant who resembles a dog. Or he was a dog who somehow, accidentally entered the Mists. Maybe he sneaked in with his master Black Bolt. They both have the same antenna on their heads. An antenna which no other Inhuman possesses. That suggests they may have been in the same chamber at the same time and undergone a similar mutation. "
The reason why...
When Stan and Jack wrote the book, the Inhumans always treated Lockjaw with respect. (Readers should allow for the fact that Lockjaw is a servant and he likes to have doglike fun.) However, long time readers, including many of the present editors and writers at Marvel, have a vague memory that Lockjaw was treated badly. Why do they think this? This is why: when Stan and Jack wrote the books, the Inhumans treated Lockjaw well, but ordinary humans often treated Lockjaw very badly. Perhaps the best known example of this is from FF 55-58 (including annual 4). Wyatt and Johnny treat Lockjaw shamefully, they treat him like he is an idiot, when in fact Lockjaw is saving his people. Wyatt and Johnny insult and demean Lockjaw, but he responds with affection. He shows far more wisdom and maturity than his young 'friends.' Yet they treat him as inferior and stupid. This is especially shocking coming from Wyatt, because his own people were victims of similar prejudice in days gone by. Notice that the less people know about Lockjaw, the more they assume he is just a dog. Wyatt knows him least, and talks of training him like an animal. But Crystal knows him best, and treats him as her equal, or her superior.
Wyatt insults and demeans Lockjaw, but if you follow the story in FF 55-58, you will see that Lockjaw is the hero, and everyone else is incompetent by comparison. Here is the sequence of events:
- Maximus, the mad genius, imprisons the Inhumans. None of them, not even Black Bolt, can escape. The obvious solution would be for the Royal Family to use Lockjaw to escape, but it appears that even Lockjaw is trapped for some time. Obviously Maximus understands Lockjaw's powers, and restrains him. If he were just a dog, that would be the end of the story.
- There is no indication that he is commanded to do anything - the rest of the Inhumans, despite their superpowers and advanced science, are helpless. But Lockjaw, under his own initiative, works out how to overcome whatever restraints are in place, and escapes. Please note that this must be due to his intelligence, as Maximus was clearly able to restrain his physical power.
- Whatever Maximus did, Lockjaw was unable to teleport far beyond the walls of the Great refuge, and needed food as a high priority. At this point, he finds Johnny and Wyatt. (And grabs Wyatt's gun to disarm him- another example of tool use.)
- Wyatt and Johnny do not understand the situation - they do not know the extent of Maximus' power, or what Lockjaw had to do to escape. They want to just rush in and be captures. Lockjaw has more sense. His first teleport stop is to regain his energy. All this time his foolish human companions think he is stupid and try to "train" him.
- Having refueled, his next stop is to gather reinforcements - he takes them to the Fantastic Four.
- After this, he has one more brief stop in a world of giants. It is not clear why - Johnny is too stupid to work it out. Perhaps there was something there to help? We will never know. Or perhaps it was to get Johnny prepared for the dangers to follow. Or perhaps it was to remind Johnny and Wyatt that they were entirely dependent on Lockjaw, and should stop acting like they were in charge.
- Finally, when Lockjaw senses an even greater danger (Dr Doom with the surfer's power) he gives up any hope of Johnny helping him, and returns Johnny home. At every stage, his actions have beer rational and helpful, but he is treated like a fool. Lockjaw has driven the course of the action, and the bumbling humans take all the credit as usual. Shades of Dastardly and Muttley?
Lockjaw is treated well by the Inhumans, and badly by humans. It is typical human arrogance to blame the Inhumans, when only the humans are at fault. Even great lights like Peter David and Kurt Busiek say the Inhumans have treated Lockjaw badly, but they cannot produce a single example. In their memories they confuse humans with Inhumans.
FF Plaza is the world's number one Fantastic Four website. It covers every issue and every character and all the news - a must read for FF fans! But because it deals with so much material, sometimes it does not give topics the depth that obsessive fanboys like myself would like. In particular, the article on Lockjaw by Sean Kleefeld contains a number of errors that I will try to address. The article begins with a red herring:
"Lockjaw, since his introduction, had been considered a dog. A large dog with unique teleportation abilities, but a dog nonetheless."
This is true but is misleading because it ignores Lockjaw's greater than canine intelligence. Saying that Lockjaw is a dog is like saying that Reed Richards is a primate. True, but highly misleading. The article then sums up the later errors:
The Byrne story merely confirmed what was already known about Lockjaw's brain. However, the attempted "fix" caused the very problems it sought to avoid, as I will show. Kleefeld continues:
"If Lockjaw is indeed an Inhuman as he says here, that means that the Inhuman Royal Family are willing to subject their peer (and relative!) to his inhumane treatment based on his appearance alone."
When Byrne wrote his story the Inhumans had always treated Lockjaw with the greatest respect. Kleefeld is probably confusing Inhumans with humans. He continues:
This statement is wrong on at least three counts. First, the Inhumans are technologically superior, not socially superior. They are a monarchy, based (for centuries) on slavery (of the Alpha Primitives). They have never been portrayed as socially superior, though they may be superior in some ways.
Second, this would not make them "even worse than humans" since humans do worse than this to their own kind.
Third, even if Inhumans treated Lockjaw as dirt, and even if all humans treated each other as equals, it would still not imply that Inhuman society was worse than human society. There could be numerous factors that we do not know. Or our whole concept of individualism and social equality may be flawed. There are many cultures, including many western religions, where "knowing your place" is considered a good thing. So we cannot assume that an advanced society would treat people as equals.
Kleefeld then refers to
But Lockjaw has never been described as a member of the royal family. When Crystal first introduced Lockjaw she referred to Black Bolt as his master. This allows the possibility of pet or servant, but not royalty. It is possible that she was hiding his true nature, but the evidence indicates that he was never a human. However, the fact that he lives alongside the royal family indicates that they treat him better than any other member of their race.
"Another problem is that Luna is, as stated above, human. If Reed's analysis is correct, that would mean that exposing her to the Terrigen Mists would only kill her, as it only mutates Inhumans and, to a lesser extent, Kree.. Luna's death should have been more than enough of a threat to halt Quicksilver's actions, but no one mentioned that her humanity could have easily killed her in the Mists."
This could be a problem but on balance is not. The Inhumans understand the mists far better than Reed does. If they did not mention any mortal danger then the simplest explanation is that Reed was mistaken. This was confirmed in Son of M 3, where Quicksilver finally succeeds in exposing Luna to the mists, and this did not kill her.
"Peter David, with some suggestions from Kurt Busiek, found the situation unpleasant"
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but we should not confuse opinions with facts. Peter David and Kurt Busiek evidently felt that the Inhumans had treated Lockjaw badly, but the comics do not support that view.
"In the pages of X-Factor #71, we find a retcon to bring Lockjaw back to his dog status..."
This is often referred to as a retcon (RETrospective CONtinuity change) but technically it was not, since the events did not change previous history. In X-Factor #71 Quicksilver simply made a statement. It is highly unlikely that his statement was literally true.
"Although the idea of Lockjaw's voice being a joke played by Karnak and Gorgon is by far not the best solution..."
A solution implies a problem. But there was no problem in the first place.
Ironically, X-Factor #71 has caused exactly the upheaval it sought to avoid. Before X-Factor #71, Lockjaw was always treated well. But after that issue, writers began to have the Inhumans treat him badly. Take Dan Slott’s otherwise excellent story for example. In it, Medusa says "Bad dog! How dare you disturb Lord Black Bolt while he is attending to affairs of state!" and she whips him with her hair. That would never have happened before X-Factor #71. Sadly, a problem that never existed is now in danger of being created. An intelligent Lockjaw makes their culture exotic and challenging. But a "dumb pet" Lockjaw turns the Inhumans into little more than a superhero family sit-com. A complex character who was once on a par with Galactus or Dr Doom, and regularly saved the world, is being reduced to the role of slapstick comedian.
Finally, "Who cares? It's just a comic!"
Why should anyone care about a minor comic book character? And why should anyone care if he can talk or not? It comes down to why we read comics. Or graphic novels. Or even books. I read fiction to explore interesting ideas in an entertaining way. I don't read them to see men in silly costumes hitting each other (though that can sometimes be fun). The ideas we enjoy reveal how we really think. And they influence us, whether we like it or not.
Lockjaw brings some really interesting ideas: here is someone who is a superhero (he has super powers and often saves the world) yet he looks and acts like a dog. This challenges our prejudices. I like that. I think it is good to have our prejudices questioned. Why does someone have to be human to be a hero? What's wrong with being a servant if you like your particular arrangement? Shouldn't we judge people by what they do and not by their similarity to us? And if the Inhumans act inhuman, that's interesting too. Ever been to Japan? Or the Amazon? Their cultures also contain things we may find hard to accept, but we can learn from them. I love stories like that.
When people say "no, he acts like a dog so he must be stupid" I want to say "wait a minute, why can't he act like a dog if he wants to?" And if other cultures don't have the same standards as us, should we reject them as unworthy of consideration? Lockjaw, as an intelligent being, opens up some really interesting ideas. I don't want those ideas shut down simply because they offend someone.
|
