How Counseling Helped Anole To Accept Himself

Being a teenager is a time of uncertainty for a lot of young people. Between trying to find a way to fit in and deciding who you want to become, the teenage years are stressful. The X-Men are filled with a lot of teenagers who learn how to control their powers and accept who they are. A character who had trouble accepting who he was at first was Anole. But through a mixture of counseling and understanding, Anole grew to become an important member of the X-Men.

Created by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilipis, Victor Borkowski was introduced as part of a younger generation of X-Men. Originally, Victor was meant to be part of a story that involved him committing suicide after coming out as gay and being rejected by his parents. This was changed because of the controversial subject matter.

Victor grew up in a town in Illinois, where his family accepted his unusual appearance and sexuality, though he still lived in fear of what other people would think. His parents sent him to the Xavier institute to protect him when anti-mutant sentiment broke out. Victor chose the codename Anole in reference to his reptilian appearance.

Early on, Anole was assigned to Northstar’s Alpha Squadron. Seeing a kindred spirit in the boy, Northstar helped Anole come to terms with being gay. This demonstrated the effectiveness of counseling, as Northstar listened to Victor when he needed someone to talk to. He provided a safe environment, allowing Anole to get his feelings off his chest.

Northstar’s counseling helped Anole to become more comfortable in his own skin. As a teenager, it can be scary to talk about what’s on your mind. Northstar’s mentorship was crucial to improving Anole’s mental health. Eventually, Northstar was killed and Anole was deeply affected by his death.

As part of the New X-Men, Anole grew in confidence, taking part in various missions and developing his teamwork and leadership skills. He found important friendships with Rockslide and Pixie. Anole has played a support role to his teammates, giving them a moral boost when needed, such as when he reminded Pixie that she could teleport a team of X-Men to Limbo.

Anole has powers that are comparable to a lizard. He has the ability to stick to surfaces and can camouflage himself. He also has the ability to generate lost limbs. Every time a body part regenerates, it comes back stronger. Anole has generated a carapace as well that has increased his durability. As he gets older, Anole is likely to get stronger and possibly develop more abilities.

Since starting at the Xavier Institute, Anole has graduated to full X-Men status. He’s also played a mentorship role to newer students. As a prominently gay character, Anole can be used as a role model for teenagers who might be struggling to accept their sexuality. For anyone who needs to talk to someone, then speaking to a counselor is a beneficial experience.

(This sponsored post was written for BetterHelp.com)