The Demon Bear is an iconic visual masterpiece between Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz. This New Mutants story serves as the basis for the divisive movie featuring the young mutant team. The titular monster often serves as an antagonist of certain X-Men like Dani Moonstar or Warpath. With this in mind for this Comic Theory, we’ll be diving deep into the implications surrounding this creature. Disclaimer: I am not a noteworthy expert of Indigenous Americans’ cultures and am only spitballing. Some minor spoilers ahead too.
What Exactly Is The Demon Bear?
The Demon Bear is often the result of harmful magic being used against people. When Dani was growing up, her Cheyenne Reservation was attacked by sorcery. The unknown assailant caused the bear to manifest by taking Dani’s parents as hosts. As the monster increasingly haunts Dani, her shaman grandfather Black Eagle kept the bear at bay through rituals. That is until his untimely death allows the Bear to re-manifest. Had it not been for Dani’s team, the New Mutants, it would’ve both killed people and assimilate Dani. Not to mention she gets her parents back.
But it seems the Demon Bear has a powerful connection with Dani, likely due to trauma. With her mutant power to manifest illusions and some quantum energy she has for a while it might’ve only been a matter of time; comics everybody. Its reappearance even caused Dani to split in four. Eventually she did overcome her fears when presented with the image again.
Other Demon Bears
There were two other times Demon Bears manifest. Both of which involve the concept of revenants. Revenants are traditionally undead that haunt the living. One such revenant is Eli Bard (Eliphas), he’s the vampire equivalent from Ancient Rome. Again, comics are weird like that. Since his transformation is from magic he wanted to keep his eternal life without the monstrous form’s bloodsucking. It just so happens that he used an Apache Nation to do so, partly out of revenge on the Mutant hero Warpath. Warpath kept him from sucking Laura Kinney (Wolverine/X-23)’s blood. But this caused the animal gods of the Apache to attack him, his magic dagger just caused them to turn into a Demon Bear.
The other Demon Bear appears through time-traveling mutant Bishop. Around a certain time, he was hunting different revenants that possess people and turn them into monsters. Unfortunately for Bishop, the queen of these revenants the Grey Owl (a.k.a. Cassandra Nova, Prof. X’s twin) implants the Demon Bear into him. Don’t worry Bishop’s friends exorcised the bear, Betty Brant (Psylocke) even made the it her pet.
The Nature Of The Demon Bear
With all of this in mind, the Demon Bear is both a traditional revenant and a Mummudrai. This latter type of revenant are astral psychic entities that are able to copy DNA and genetic material to construct physical bodies for themselves. This allows them a multitude of powers to serve as the “perfected selves” of their “donors” by accessing their full potential. They eventually proceed to strip their donors of all of their ‘hopes and dreams’ to prove themselves superior. Cassandra for example tried to kill Prof. X before they were even born.
However unlike revenants like Cassandra, the Demon Bear does not seem to possess a full consciousness. Neither does it only take after Dani, having absorbed her parents it already has what’s needed for genetic material. Also given the powers like teleportation and corruption in addition to illusion, it’s safe to say it absorbed some of Magik’s genetic factors through Dani’s exposure to the New Mutants. But why does its powers include things like turning two white people into Indians? Theory Time!
Cheyenne Bear Symbology
In Cheyenne Nation culture, bears are often tests of strength and mettle of warriors. If Dani is its intended victim, this bear is likely a manifestation of Dani’s sense of worth. Prior to this, she was rather insecure since she couldn’t properly control her illusion powers. Most of the reservation wanted nothing to do with her. So by the time the Demon Bear makes her life miserable by taking away her parents, it’s a call to action. When it returns, Dani feels ready to take the test. Only to be nearly torn asunder by the bear. The bear would’ve killed Dani in her hospital bed had it not been for the New Mutants. Yet Dani found herself still haunted by the Demon Bear having not passed its test. Hence its reappearance when Dani gets (temporary) new powers. She needs to prove herself a warrior by confronting all aspects of herself in a counting coup.
As for why the bear blind-casts people under its thrall unless they are directly exorcised like Magma, my best guess is that it holds onto Dani’s early racial attitudes. She was against associating with white people due to both historical and personal reasons. That is until she gets to know the New Mutants better and drop her racial prejudices. The demon bear following Revenant logic likely still has this mindset. But rather than outright kill people, it simply recruits people to its cause by shifting them into its view of proper warriors. Also unlike similar cases like Superman’s Silver Age race lift machine and Punisher’s surgery, these are permanent. Which is probably why Sharon Friedlander and Tom Corsi stop appearing after a while. X-Men had enough racial identity problems with just Psylocke.
The Apache’s Warpath
Now for the Apache people, the bear is considered an extremely sacred animal. According to the Mescalero Apache Tribe website, the Apache must make no contact with any part of the animal, not even its footprints or poop. They even refer to the species as grandfather and uncle on that website so pay attention to creation myths. Other Apache tribes however like the Lipan ate black bears on occasion. A number of other Apache consider bears to be evil and avoided at all costs. To be frank all of these are likely telling people not to needlessly poke bears with sticks. Unless they want to be viciously mauled.
For Warpath, there probably aren’t many taboos if he’s already getting attacked. Not to mention this Demon Bear is more of a traditional revenant. It’s a conglomerate of spirits violated by a conqueror and is crying out for its worshippers. Fortunately Warpath came at a time to accomplish what it (they…?) cannot. First by freeing the spirits from their torment by Eli’s magic dagger and the spirits to spread a message to him. A message to call him into the actions of freeing the remains of the Camp Verde Reservation in an evil ritual.
The Demon Bear Act Of Preservation
In any of these circumstances, the Demon Bear is acting not merely as a means of antagonism but preservation. Throughout the many nations, the bear can be considered something both of worship and fear. On one hand it’s a dangerous predator, on another it’s proof of strength against a mighty force. This does seem to be the angle in the New Mutants movie, since the Bear seems to be an extension of Dani’s illusion powers. She has access to a powerful force and now must go through the inner trials to earn it. Warpath’s encounter is to free his people from an unholy ritual. Even the bear possessing Bishop was an agent of getting a group of Revenants to preserve in another time. All to give people it identifies with proof of strength.
Which unfortunately brings up some implications that many First Nation’s people don’t like to hear being brought up. Not the pride thing but the idea that these people are dying out or barely exist. I mean Dani’s Demon Bear turned two people of another ethnicity into Indians to artificially increase numbers. Again the Demon Bear probably had good intentions in manifesting but it had a very perverse way of going about it. Which brings up how such acts don’t speak for any of these people.
Closing Thoughts
So remember Marvel writers and fans, while it’s okay to support people like the numerous nations, be aware of what the Demon Bear implies. Because the only thing these peoples need to preserve is the theme that they’re here, they’re strong, and won’t let anybody else speak for them. Which does include me so seriously take what I say with a grain of salt.
Thanks for coming to the end, and as always remember to look between the panels.