From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mutants appearing in fictional stories
The concept of a
mutant
is a common trope in
comic books
and
science fiction
. The new
phenotypes
that appear in fictional mutations generally go far beyond what is typically seen in biological
mutants
and often result in the mutated life form exhibiting
superhuman
abilities or qualities.
DC Comics
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In
DC Comics
, the term was first used in the 1980s by a fictitious race of
extraterrestrials
known as the
Dominators
when they appeared in the
Invasion!
mini-series.
[1]
For instance,
Captain Comet
manifested his powers at the birth when a comet activated his "metagene", gaining his abilities by the time he was eight.
Marvel Comics
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In
Marvel Comics
, genetic mutation has been used as an explanation for super-powers since the 1950s.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Mutants have played a major role in Marvel Comics, particularly the
X-Men
and related series. In the
Marvel Comics Universe
, they are a heavily persecuted minority where most people fear and hate them. Marvel Comics redefines the term to beings who are in a higher stage of evolution known as "
Homo
superior" and are not yet accepted by the human race.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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]
In the universe of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, Mutants are essentially creatures with the genetic traits of two different animals. Usually, the mutations are caused by interaction with Mutagen, an alien ooze.
In other media
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Literature
[
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]
- In
Foundation and Empire
(1952) by
Isaac Asimov
, a "mutant" named
The Mule
possesses the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He uses this unique ability to subjugate people in his attempt to conquer the galaxy.
- Children of the Atom
(1953) by Wilmar H. Shiras. The children of workers who were exposed to a radioactive explosion give birth to children with a high intelligence.
- In
The Hunger Games
, the mutants bred by the Capitol are called "muttations" or “mutts”. They include jabberjays, birds that can copy speech, tracker jackers, a vicious wasp specimen, orange monkeys with claws like switchblades, and wolf mutts, creatures with humanoid faces to mock the previous who died in the 74th Hunger Games. Also, there are mockingjays, hybrids of jabberjays and mockingbirds that can copy songs.
- In
The Chrysalids
by science fiction author
John Wyndham
, a post-apocalyptic, fundamentalist society views genetic mutation as a blasphemy and the work of the Devil; not realizing it is the result of radiation from a world-wide nuclear war that occurred over a thousand years before. In order to prevent another tribulation, they follow a strict eugenics policy. Individuals considered deviations are either killed or sterilized and banished. The protagonist, a boy named David, can communicate telepathically with a small group of children. However, David and his friends must keep their abnormal abilities secret or risk death or banishment.
- In the espionage novel
Performance Anomalies
,
[5]
[6]
by Victor Robert Lee,
[7]
the protagonist Cono 7Q is investigated by geneticists at
Stanford University
who determine that his accelerated nervous system is due to
mutations on the long (q) arm
of his
seventh chromosome
. They cite mutations in the brain-related genes
timeless
,
FoxP2
, and
STX1A
,
and perhaps others as underlying Cono 7Q's ability to perceive high-speed events and react to them with a rapidity not seen in normal humans.
[8]
Films
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- In
Total Recall
the early settlers of
Mars
who were exposed to space radiations because of cheaply-made domes gave birth to mutants, and many of them have gained supernatural powers, including psychic ability. The mutants fight against the forces of planetary administrator Vilos Cohaagen, and organized a rebellion led by Kuato, a humanoid psychic who hides in the belly of his conjoined brother.
- In the
remake series of
The Hills Have Eyes
, the Mutants or Hill People are humans who have been given misshapen bodies due to radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing.
- In
Chernobyl Diaries
, the Mutants were the results of humans who were exposed to the radiation leaked during the
Chernobyl disaster
. The Ukrainian government has been keeping quiet about the incident and would often dispose of any surviving witnesses by locking them up in a room containing one of the mutants as seen at the end of the movie.
- In
Judge Dredd
, set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, the Angel Gang is composed of religious and cannibalistic mutants affected by the radiations of the atomic wars. In the
2012 reboot
the parents of
Cassandra Anderson
died of cancer from the exposure to the Cursed Earth's radiations while she was born physically healthy with innate telepathic powers, which granted her the recruitment in the Justice Department, since mutants are generally banned from becoming Judges.
- The Mutants are among the creatures that appear in
The Cabin in the Woods
. When it came to the five college students finding the assortment of different items in the basement, one of them contains a gas mask and tonics that if tampered with can summon the Mutants. The Demolitions Department of the Facility bets on them.
- In
Pandorum
the "Hunters" are revealed to be the mutated offspring of the passengers of a deteriorating
generation ship
that have been prematurely awakened from
suspended animation
and forced to cannibalism. The mutation is attributed to an
enzyme
the passengers were given which was intended to help them adapt to the life on a new planet, instead they adapted to the savage conditions on the dark ship, making them similar to the
Morlocks
.
- In
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
mutants are the children of the survivors of the
nuclear holocaust
that turned the Earth into the planet of the apes, and they live under the Forbidden Zone and worship the Alpha-Omega bomb, a
doomsday device
. Due to the radiation exposure, the mutants developed telepathic powers which they use to create hallucinations to scare the apes off and alternatively force their prisoners to fight to death against their will.
- In
The Toxic Avenger
and the animated
Toxic Crusaders cartoon
, "
Toxie
" and his friends are deformed mutants of super-human size and strength whose mutations are the results of exposure to toxic waste, radiation, and other environmental pollutants.
- In the
Bollywood
film
Krrish 3
, many mutants appeared. These mutants were called Maanvars, created by an evil scientist named
Kaal
.
- In
Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes
, the mutants happened to be deaf and have
superhuman powers
through the use of
sign language
. The leading character
Tom Clerc
is the fourth great-grandson of the legendary
Laurent Clerc
, the father of
American Sign Language
.
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
- In the 1955 science fiction film
This Island Earth
, the character Exeter is badly injured by a Mutant while fleeing the planet Metaluna aboard a flying saucer, accompanied by other characters Cal and Ruth. The Mutant has also boarded the saucer and attacks Ruth, but dies as a result of pressure differences on the journey back to Earth.
Print media
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- A December, 1953 article in
Mechanix Illustrated
Magazine called "How Nuclear Radiation Can Change Our Race", warned that in the event of an "Atom War", a mutant species of supermen might arise to assist?or to dominate?humanity. The article was written by "
O. O. Binder
", and opened with a two-page illustration drawn by comic book artist
Kurt Schaffenberger
, which shows bald, large-craniumed mutants either helping humanity with their superior intellects (in a small section of the picture) or dominating mankind as slavemasters (in the much bigger splash image).
[13]
- The
Mutant Chronicle
novels are based on a
tabletop role-playing game
originally published in 1993. It was made into a film (which has very little to do with the novels or the RPG) entitled
Mutant Chronicles
in 2009.
See also
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References
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