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Mutant Defined: a Tentative Theory on Homo Superior and Marvel Mutation |
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By Omar Karindu This article is included by kind permission of the author. He wrote this without seeing my other pages, so it is interesting to see that we come to similar conclusions: that superheroes share the same basic power, but are not aware of it or able to control it in the same way. I have added some comments at the end. - Chris Introduction and Thesis Mutants, as portrayed by Marvel, have been paradoxically called both a species and "mutants." Further complicating matters is the fact that members of this "species," homo sapiens superior, seem to share few significant traits in common (beyond traits already common with homo sapiens sapiens). Wolverine is markedly different biologically than Nightcrawler, for instance. More difficult still, we have seen a number of superhuman beings who seem to fit most "mutant" criteria, but are not: these include hybrids like Blade, races like the Deviants, and unclassified beings like Cassandra Nova. But there have been a few stated principles that would seem to point to common features among mutants. The various iterations of Cerebro have worked from a principle that mutant brain waves are qualitatively different than those of non-mutants (and even mutates or non-mutant superhuman neonates like Blade). Secondly, mutant gifts apparently emerge at puberty or are innate at birth. Finally, several examples of extraordinarily powerful mutants we have seen (Franklin Richards, Proteus, Willie Evans) do seem to share certain traits in common with one another. Finally, we know that mutants are supposedly the next step in "human" evolution, and that human beings also have latent psionic capabilities -- the "Destiny Force" -- resembling the abilities of mutants like Franklin Richards (most graphically demonstrated by Rick Jones). However, in the case of homo sapiens sapiens, extraordinary outside factors must forcibly bring out the genetic potential; mutants have inborn skills in this arena. Hence, my thesis is this: all mutants, at some stage of gestation, share a common brain structure tied to the activation of the "Destiny Force." The wide variance of mutant bioforms and abilities can be explained by unwitting, even subconscious use and exhaustion of this latent Destiny Force on the mutants own bodies. In short, most of what are misnamed as "mutant gifts" are really mutate gifts; the source mutation in all cases is the X-gene's activation of the Destiny Force potential in each homo sapiens superior. Subconscious Vs. Conscious While the majority of mutants do not actively or consciously "recreate" themselves, there are isolated examples of mutants who do. One of the earliest such examples is perhaps a comical one: Frank Oliver, the Kangaroo (q.v. Amazing Spider-Man v.1 #81). Oliver was a loutish Australian who sought to emulate the leaping abilities of kangaroos by imitating their choices of food and habitat. Despite basic biological precepts precluding this, Oliver did indeed develop such abilities after a period in the Outback. We (and the OHOTMU [Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe] ) may speculate that Oliver was in fact a mutant, and that he triggered his abilities through this odd regimen. But where the OHOTMU was content to assume coincidence between Oliver's powers and his desires, we must go a step further and suggest that his desires correlated with his gifts. Unwittingly, Oliver used the Destiny Force to grant himself leaping abilities which he confused with those of a kangaroo (That Oliver was not intelligent is evident in the manner of his death; willful self-exposure to lethal radioisotopes in the course of a theft). There are also many cases of mutants whose gifts strangely befit their predicaments: Charles Xavier's mind-reading developed even as he had need of knowing the motivations of his new stepfather; the Dazzler's powers perfectly complement her show-business aspirations. Even En Sabah Nur's initial mutation, his long life and physical adaptability, seem linked to his desperate need to survive a hostile world. In these cases, we may postulate that an unconscious whim or even a strong conscious yearning acted on the inherent Destiny Force brain structures, altering reality and recreating the mutant with mutated abilities fit to their situation. What then of mutants whose gifts are hated, or unwanted? Two possibilities seem evident: 1) that such mutants' real ability acted on their unconscious self-loathing and various esteem issues, as in the cases of the Toad and the Blob, or 2) that such gifts are the result of imperfect, half-formed prenatal or neonatal minds. In the case of some mutants, self-image seems linked to superhuman powers: witness Kitty Pryde, a somewhat neglected child whose mutant gift may metaphorically be said to make her truly "nonexistent" in some sense. Again, we may speculate that intense emotional stress, especially about body type (as at puberty or birth, when awareness of the body peaks) seems to trigger the Destiny Force alterations. There are, in most cases, some physical traits of mutants linked to their parents' genetic codes, even when the parents are mutants; Siryn, Nightcrawler, and the Wyngardes indicate this. But in all such cases, there are signs of differing abilities from the parents, and the X-gene brainwaves were detected. It should be noted that many mutated humans, whose Destiny Force gene is triggered by outside sources (usually radiation) seem to adhere to the subconscious theory. Gamma-irradiation victims, in particular, are usually shaped by their self-images. Uber-Mutants: the Reality-Warpers and Psionics It seems thus fitting that the most powerful of mutants effectively possess either reality-warping skills all the time, or psionic powers (as the nature of the Destiny Force is the ability to psionically affect all reality). Psionic mutants, especially telepaths, may be said to warp the reality of the astral plane rather than the physical world. Telling, also, is the ability of many high-range telekinetics to alter matter at molecular levels, an ability very close to reality warping. The Wyngarde family, for instance, may be said to have a weak reality-warping power -- their changes to reality are limited, and as such are usually called sensory illusions. But Jason Wyngarde, in particular, required mechanical aid to limit his illusions to an individual's perception; in short, his illusions usually had a degree of objective reality, and are inextricably tied to powers resembling telepathy. Too, immensely powerful mutants such as Magneto seem to possess at least some purely psionic ability. Three particular mutants, Franklin Richards, Proteus, and Willie Evans (q.v. Fantastic Four v.1 #203, Iron Man Annual #8) have what can only be called reality-warping powers. In the first two cases, which are well-documented, the mutants in question possessed powers on both the physical and astral planes, and their abilities were largely indistinguishable from those of Destiny-Force powered humans like Rick Jones. In the case of Proteus, whose need to move between bodies seems unusual for a mutant with his powers (logically, he could have created bodies for himself using his powers), there was also a clear perception of the hatred between his father and mother than seems to have transmogrified into a complex self-loathing, and later world-hatred. The third, less-known example, Willie Evans, was able to create sentient or semi-sentient beings by pure will, one of which survived his death. Like Rick Jones, Evans was physically weakened by his use of the Destiny Force; such weakness, indeed, caused his death during an encounter with Iron Man and the original X-Factor. However, in his lifespan Evans also developed abilities allowing him to project energy and erect force fields, again resembling the versatility of Destiny Force wielders. But Evans was undeniably described as a mutant, not a human tapping evolutionary potential. Conclusions Mutants, by virtue of their generally unwitting abilities to willfully alter reality and especially their own bodies, may be the apotheosis of so-called "posthuman" theory -- the idea of a world in which everything from emotion to body type is manipulatable, and the very idea of "human" or "self" is no longer viable. Perhaps, at some level, it is this that makes mutants seem so threatening to others; not that they will be the physical end of the human species, but its conceptual deconstruction as well. ------------------------------------------------- My comments: All superheroes use the power cosmic, usually in relatively crude ways such as enhancing the normal behaviors of their bodies, emitting force blasts, etc. The defining feature of mutants appears to be that their unconscious minds are able to control the power cosmic in far more complex ways. Cosmic energy, also known as background energy or background mass, can in theory be used for anything that energy and mass can be used for. In other worlds, absolutely anything. The ultimate expression of this power is in warping reality, including creating entire new universes. But how can mutants do something so incredibly complicated? And why is it mainly mutants? Both questions share the same answer. Mutants are distinctive in that their power is expressed through brains and genes. The brain is the most complex organ known to man, and genetic code is the most complex form of connecting time and space. It is only natural therefore that the most complex expression of superhero power comes from the mutants. Note that the brain’s whole purpose is to model reality, so reality warping is the natural ultimate goal. And note that genes are used to transmit information across billions of years and countless light years. So if one advanced civilization (such as the celestials) stumbled across the most complex application of power cosmic, it is only natural that the secrets would be passed on in genes. Finally it could be asked, if mutant power is fundamentally more advanced than other power, why don’t mutants win every battle? The answer is to remember that all superheroes have the same fundamental limit: background energy is fundamentally too complex for any mortal brain to comprehend. Any control is always accidental and peripheral. Heroes with to much power destroy themselves (or their universes) early in their careers. Mutants with too much power would tend to accidentally destroy themselves before birth. Though they tend not to notice their powers until puberty, even the slightest flash of energy in a fertilized egg or the brain of a fetus would be enough to kill it. So in most cases only the (relatively) weak survive. - Chris |
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