Mutant (fictional) 1003628 225110842 2008-07-11T22:46:54Z Gamer93 6059312 The idea of a '''mutant''' is a common trope in [[comic books]] and [[science fiction]]. The new [[phenotype]]s that appear in fictional mutations generally go far beyond what is typically seen in biological [[mutant]]s, and often result in the mutated life form exhibiting [[superhuman]] abilities or qualities. ==Marvel Comics== {{main|Mutant (Marvel comics)}} In [[Marvel Comics]], genetic mutation has been used as an explanation for super-powers since the 1950s([http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/weirdwomanadc.htm],[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/lestrontedjim.htm],[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/farnsworthvincenttos]). 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. The Marvel Universe redefines the term to beings who are in a higher stage of evolution known as [[Homo sapiens]] superior and are not yet accepted by the human race. ==DC Comics: metahuman== {{main|metahuman}} Mutants play a smaller, but still substantial role, in the [[DC Comics]] universe, where they form part of the population known as [[metahuman]]s. DC Comics does not make a semantic or an abstract distinction between humans (or superheroes/villains) born with mutations making them different and humans mutated by outside sources. All humans with powers are simply referred to, and treated as, one group collectively known as [[metahuman]]s. The term mutant does still exists for humans born with actual powers instead of attaining them. For instance, a select group of minor characters in groups such as the ''[[Team Titans]], [[Justice Society]]'' and ''[[Infinity Inc.]]'' are seldom referred to as mutants, not metahumans. Those who gain powers after their birth may be called as metahumans, but in the ''[[Justice League (animated series)|Justice League]]'' cartoon, the [[Royal Flush Gang]] were called mutants by [[Joker (comics)|the Joker]] because they were born with superpowers. Likewise, the mid-50's DC superhero [[Captain Comet]] was born with his powers and was described as a mutant. Batman's enemy [[Killer Croc]] has also been called a mutant. Usually writers tend to use the term for parodying purposes. [[Doom Patrol#Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol|Doom Force]], a mutant group which mimics the Marvel Universe at the time, toils with the fact that X-Force is a revamped Doom Patrol. Another group of Mutants are the Outcasts. Much like the X-men, [[Outcasts (DC Comics)|Outcasts]] are a group of mutants in a dystopian future struggling to survive. Also characters who were transformed through radiation or a mutagenic gas are sometimes identified as mutants instead of Marvel's term, 'mutates'. In the [[Static Shock]] animated series [[Virgil Hawkins]] was first described as one before introducing the term metahuman. Mutants in the DC Universe use the traditional terminology of there being a genetic deformity. ==Judge Dredd== In the [[Judge Dredd]] comic stories Mutants are caused by the effects of radiation after the [[Nuclear War|Atomic War]]s. All Mutants are banned from [[Mega-City One]] and are deported into the [[Cursed Earth]] Wasteland. This policy has left the mutants resentful and they often attack the city. Dredd himself has voiced doubts about the policy and when on duty in the Cursed Earth treats mutants the same as any other beings. He will however carry out the law when they enter the city. In at least one version of this world's future, (see ''[[Strontium Dog]]'' and ''[[Durham Red]]'') this will lead to the normals attempting [[genocide]] against mutants in the mid 2160's, and a long war called the Bloodshed in the 24th century. ==Mutants in other media== Mutants also are a frequent topic in other [[comic books]], and in many science fiction stories. ===Films=== * The movie version of ''[[This Island Earth]]'' (1955) features a mutant, not present in the original novel, as a menace to the film's heroine. Its large-brained appearance is now somewhat of a [[cliché]] of how mutants look. * ''[[World Without End]]'' (1955) portrayed one-eyed mutants who dominated the primitive remnants of humanity. * The original ''[[Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes]]'' (1968) film series is about a world where mutated apes replaced humanity as the dominant species. * ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]'' (1970) features radiation-scarred mutants with [[telepathic]] powers who worship an unexploded [[cobalt bomb|nuclear bomb]]. * ''[[The Toxic Avenger]]'' (1985) is another mutated character. * ''[[Hell Comes To Frogtown]]'' (1987) features a post-nuclear world in which humanity is endangered by a race of mutated [[frog]]s. * The ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (1990) franchise involves mutants as both heroes and villains. * In ''[[Total Recall]]'' (1990), mutants are the descendants of Martian colonists inadequately shielded against [[cosmic rays]]. Some, such as Kuato, have [[psychic]] powers. * The Spanish film ''[[Acción mutante]]'' (1993) is a dark comedy about future mutants who take up arms (those who have them) against "beautiful people". * ''[[Freaked]]'' (1993) revolves around a bunch of mutated people in the form of freaks. * [[Bill Plympton]] made an animated film called ''[[Mutant Aliens]]'' (2001). * ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) features a race of mutant humans that share an extra DNA base with the aliens and most monsters. Many of them acted as soldiers for the Earth Defense Force's M Organization, but when the Xilians arrived, the leader managed to take control of them, having telepathic power over those with the extra DNA base. [[Godzilla]] himself is also a mutant. * The remake of ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (2006) and its [[The Hills Have Eyes 2|sequel]] portrays the films villains as [[List of Mutants in The Hills Have Eyes|mutants]] who are the result of nuclear testing and radiation. * The Mariner of ''[[Waterworld]]'' is a mutant born with functioning gills. *''[[Aberration (film)|Aberration]]'', a low-budget film about mutant lizards. *[[I Am Legend]] (2007) film is about humans infected by a 'retrovirus' engineered from measles which has the effect of turning them into bloodthirsty mutants. ===Television=== * ''[[The Tomorrow People]]'' featured a ''homo superior'' race born to humans, that manifested [[psionic]] powers in adolescence and were discriminated against. *In the television series ''[[Futurama]]'', there is a race of [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#Sewer mutants|mutants]] living in the sewers of New New York City. In this setting, the mutations are the result of exposure to "radioactive waste, chemical runoff and good old American feces." The mutants are normally confined below ground, in a [[caste system]]. One of the main characters in the series, [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]], is eventually revealed to be a mutant. *[[James Cameron]]'s television series ''[[Dark Angel (TV series)|Dark Angel]]'' featured a large cast of "mutant" [[supersoldier]]s created by ''Manticore'', a military genetic engineering project (while often referred to as mutants, most were in fact genetically engineered [[Parahuman|human/animal hybrids]]). *[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated series]] and [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)|recent animated series]] *In the Japanese anime and manga series [[Naruto]], some special abilities referred to as {{nihongo|"''[[Jutsu (Naruto)#Kekkei genkai|Kekkei Genkai]]''"|血継限界||"Bloodline Limit"}} are caused by genetic mutations/traits. *[[NBC]]'s series ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' is based on the theory of evolutionary mutation in individuals, who can be traced through an equation which shows their [[DNA]] to be one with abnormalties. *''[[Godzilla: The Series]]'' had the original characters as well as the offspring of the creature from the 1998 film ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' battle various mutant monsters around the globe. See [[Monsters in Godzilla: The Series]]. *The animated series ''[[Thundarr the Barbarian]]'' portrayed many mutant races and monsters in a post-apocalyptic world. *On the series ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', the [[Goa'uld]] [[Nirrti (Stargate)|Nirrti]] used an alien device called a [[DNA Resequencer]] to mutate human beings, as part of an experiment to produce a superior host body for her [[symbiote]]. Though most of these subjects were severely deformed, some developed abilities such as [[telepathy]], [[telekinesis]] and [[precognition]]. *On the television series ''[[Mutant X (TV series)|Mutant X]]'', a group of genetically engineered [[superhuman]]s are referred to as "New Mutants", presumably to distinguish them from naturally occurring mutations. *The popular manga and anime series [[Dragon Ball Z]], various villains and heroes are mutants. *''[[Genesis II (film)|Genesis II]]'' was a television film by [[Gene Roddenberry]] which portrayed genetically advanced humans enslaving normal humans 150 years in the future. *The short-lived series ''[[Prey (TV series)|Prey]]'' was about a new offshoot of humanity called the [[Dominants]]. *The enemies of the ''[[ThunderCats]]'' were animal-like mutants from the planet Plun-Darr. *An episode of the original ''[[Outer Limits]]'' series called, appropriately enough, ''[[The Mutant]]'', showed a bug-eyed, telepathic psychopath born after a radiation storm. *A ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial called ''[[The Mutants]]'' was about humans on a distant planet who found themselves transforming into strange creatures. Recurring villains the [[Dalek]]s are mutants created through genetic tampering by [[Kaled]] scientist [[Davros]]. *The animated series ''[[Mutant League]]'', based on the videogames [[Mutant League Football]] and [[Mutant League Hockey]]. *[[Street Sharks]] *[[Extreme Dinosaurs]] *The show ''[[Power Rangers: Time Force]]'' used mutant characters as their monsters-of-the-week. (See [[List of Mutants in Power Rangers: Time Force]].) *The television series ''[[The X-Files]]'' features several mutants over the course of the series, such as [[Eugene Victor Tooms]] and [[Flukeman]]. There are also numerous characters in the series with various unusual characteristics or paranormal powers whose origins are unexplained, some of whom may in fact be mutants. *On the ''[[Adult Swim]]'' live-action series ''[[Saul of the Mole Men]]'', there is a mutant Mole Person named Fallopia (played by [[Irina Voronina]]) who is lacking in fur, fangs, claws, and whose unusual body proportions and coloration make her a hideous freak by Mole Men standards, and a blonde, voluptuous knockout by human standards. *In the 1994 ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'', an anti-mutant scientist named Dr. [[Herbert Landon]], after falling into his liquid batch of "mutant disposal" serum, turned into a four-armed mutant that needed to feed off of electricity to survive. When he was defeated by [[Spider-Man]] and the [[X-Men]] with the help of Landon's mutant assistant, he remained a "half-mutant" (i.e. his body was normal on the right and mutant humanoid form on the left). *In the Japanese manga and anime series ''[[Elfen Lied]]'', ''[[Diclonius (Elfen Lied)|diclonius]]'' is a very dangerous, heavily discriminated against mutant race. Due to the abuse that most humans subject the diclonii to, they tended to develop sociopathic, homicidal tendencies. ===Video games=== *[[Baraka (Mortal Kombat)|Baraka]]'s race from the [[Mortal Kombat (series)|Mortal Kombat]] series was referred to as mutants before the creators of the game gave them the designation of [[List of Mortal Kombat species#Tarkata|Tarkata]], human/demon hybrids. * The first ''[[Fallout (computer game)|Fallout]]'' game features an army of super mutants as well as mutated animals and humans. The sequel, ''[[Fallout 2]]'', also features mutant beings. * The ''[[Resident Evil (series)|Resident Evil]]''/Biohazard series features Hunters and other mutants created by viruses along with [[zombie]]s. * ''[[Timesplitters Future Perfect|Timesplitters: Future Perfect]]'' features mutants with the ability to attack by projecting an arc of electricity and turn invisible for a short time. They are a prototype of the [[Timesplitters (Race)|Timesplitters]] race. ''[[Timesplitters 2]]'' features mutants in the Siberia level who were created by exposure to the Timesplitter remains. * ''Cold Fear'' features [[zombie]]-like creatures that are originally humans, but are mutated by a [[parasite|parasitic]] creature that goes into their heads via the mouth. This game also features failed mutated dog experiments, [[invisibility]] experiments, and giant behemoths that resemble Tyrants (creatures from [[Resident Evil (series)|Resident Evil]]). * ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' & ''[[Spear of Destiny (computer game)|Spear of Destiny]]'' features mutants created by the manical Doctor Schabbs. These mutants had white skin, green clothes, black hair, red eyes, held cleavers in both hands, had a gun lodged into their chests, had black boots on and had purple blood. *''[[Battletoads]]'' * The [[MMORPG]] ''[[City of Heroes]]'' and its stand-alone expansion ''[[City of Villains]]'' allow the player to choose "Mutant" as an origin for their hero or villain. * The game ''[[Command & Conquer: Renegade]]'' features a Nod plot to use [[Tiberium]] and biochemistry to make mutant [[supersoldier]]s. Another game in the Tiberium universe, ''[[Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun]]'', features mutants as part of the storyline. * The Game ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' features a group of mutated humans who have had the Furon (alien) DNA in their brain stems unlocked, giving them powers similar to that of the Furons. *''[[Tomb Raider|Lara Croft: Tomb Raider]]'' and ''[[Tomb Raider Anniversary|Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Anniversary]]'' both have mutants in the form of Atlanteans, with many variations, including crawling Atlanteans, flying Atlanteans, Centaurs and a giant legless Atlantean - known as ''Torso'' or ''The Abombination'' . *''[[Tomb Raider 3|Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Three; The Adventures of Lara Croft]]'' features an evil scientist, bent on turning the human race into mutants with the power of the Meteorite artefacts. He believes that it is a natural excelleration of growth advancement and had [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] discovered this angle on evolution - he too would have done the same. *In ''[[The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants]]'', Bart Simpson defends Springfield against the titular squishy beings. *In the turn based strategy game ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]'', Homo Superior is a technological breakthrough that implies human evolution (mutation) in the form of complete symbiosis between the biological and mechanical, via centuries of nanocellular human-cybernetic integration. This mutation results in keener senses and heightened abilities, such as improved night vision and more rapid muscle response. * The ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' series features [[Headcrab#Headcrab zombie|zombies]], mutated by alien parasitoids called [[headcrabs]] which attach to the heads of humans. * In ''[[Ape Escape Million Monkeys]]'', there are a number of mutants lead by the cyborg Burobukoa And Mother Tenntakuru, and lesser mutants: Burobu, Tentakuru, infant Tentakuru and the Giant Burobu * In [[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl]] there are featured many creatures that are result of radioactive poisoning and are referred as mutants. *In [[Resistance: Fall Of Man]] the Chimera are speculated by some characters to be mutated humans, originally created by the [[Russian Empire]]. *In [[Rampage: Total Destruction]], 30 people had drink scum-soda, then they mutated themselves into monsters. ===Comic books=== In addition to the above Marvel, DC and 2001 mutants: *[[Cyberforce]] is a group of mutant [[cyborg]]s in [[Image Comics]]. *[[Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] *In [[Larry Hama]]'s comic ''[[Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja]]'', the American Midwest is struck by a DNA-altering bio-weapon which turns ordinary humans into pale, fanged, boil-covered psychotic creatures called "moots", who crave human flesh. *Several super-powered characters in the [[Justice Machine]] comic are said to be mutants. *''[[Mutant, Texas: Tales of Sheriff Ida Red]]'' tells of a town populated by bizarre mutant creatures. *''[[Ex-Mutants]]'' tells of a group of post-nuclear mutants surgically altered to look like "normal" humans. ===Music=== *The [[David Bowie]] song "[[Oh! You Pretty Things]]" contains the repeated line "You gotta make way for the Homo superior." *The [[Pete Shelley]] song "[[Homosapien (song)|Homosapien]]" has the line "Homo superior / In my interior / But from the skin out / I'm Homo sapien too" *The Mutants ([[Os Mutantes]]) were a Brazilian rock band of the 1960s. There are also several punk and rock bands called [[The Mutants (San Francisco)|The Mutants]]. *[[Mutant Pop]] was a short-lived pop/punk record label in the '90s. ===Books=== * [[The Amtrak Wars]], a [[post-apocalyptic science fiction]]/fantasy series by [[Patrick Tilley]], features a race of mutant survivors called Mutes who suffer physical deformities and poor memory living as warring tribes. *[[Slan]] is about a race of evolved superior humans and the persecution by ordinary humans in fear of their perceived potential dominance. *In [[The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray]], [[wych-kin]] hunters such as Thaniel Fox are described as being mutants. *In the pulp series [[Perry Rhodan]] many mutants where the children of survivors of [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]. *In the science fiction novels [[Deathlands]] and many others, mutants with unusual abilities are the result of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]]. *In the science fiction novel [[A Canticle for Leibowitz]], mutants are the often deformed humans as a result of a nuclear war. *In [[The Foundation Series]], [[Mule (Foundation)|The Mule]] was speculated to have developed his powers because he was a mutant. This was later revealed as a deception. *In ''Tarzan Alive'' and ''[[Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life]]'', [[Philip Jose Farmer]] theorize that [[Tarzan]], [[Doc Savage]], [[Sherlock Holmes]], and other fictional characters were part of a mutant family known as the [[Wold Newton family]]. * A clan of golden-eyed mutants with limited psychic powers are the stars of a 4-part novel series written by [[Karen Haber]] and [[Robert Silverberg]], starting with ''The Mutant Season'', followed by ''Mutant Prime'', ''Mutant Star'' and ''Mutant Legacy''. * The [[Psi-Man]] series written by [[Peter David]] describes mutant characters, some with [[psychic]] abilities. * [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s fictional character [[Lazarus Long]] is said to derive his unusual longevity from a mutation. * In [[Stephen King]]'s [[The Dark Tower (series)|Dark Tower]] series, a group of creatures called [[slow mutant]]s are the result of a long-past nuclear war. * In [[John Ridley]]'s novel [[Those Who Walk In Darkness]] and its sequel [[What Fire Cannot Burn]], super-powered mutants are called "metanormals" and have been officially banished from the United States by an executive order. Those who stay are hunted down by an elite police force called MTAC. * ''[[Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb]]'' by [[Philip K. Dick]] has several post-nuclear mutants, including some with [[telekinetic]] powers. *''Mute'', by [[Piers Anthony]], involves a future galaxy-spanning society where mutants, while socially shunned, are found useful for [[terraforming]] and other dangerous or specialized work; a rare few have powerful [[psionic]] abilities, and there are also hidden societies of mutant animals who have achieved (near) human intelligence. *''[[The Chrysalids]]'' by [[John Wyndham]] is a novel portraying a long post-apocalyptic world. It involves a society that purifies and isolates the many mutants they create in attempt to create a perfect community. Amidst this, a group of children develop telepathic powers unknown to the other people of their community. ===Role playing games=== * ''[[Gamma World]]'' was a [[post-apocalyptic]] gaming system which allowed characters to be mutated humans, animals, or plants. * ''[[Mutant (role-playing game)|Mutant]]'' (1984) (with the later versions [[Mutant (role-playing game)#Mutant RYMD|Mutant RYMD]] (1992) and [[Mutant Chronicles]]), [[Kult]] (1991) are role playing games from [[Target Games]]. * ''[[Mutants and Masterminds|Mutants & Masterminds]]'' is a [[superhero]] [[role-playing game]] by [[Green Ronin Publishing]], based on the [[d20 System]] created by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. * Mutants are essential to the ''[[Paranoia (role-playing game)|Paranoia]]'' [[role playing game]]. * In the [[StarCraft (series)|StarCraft]] series of games, mutants (along with other "undesirables" such as criminals and dissidents) have been exiled to the Koprulu Sector, becoming the ancestors of the [[Terran Confederacy]] and other factions, whose mutant potential for psionic powers makes them a target for the [[Zerg]]. The Terran Ghosts are a commando unit who also incorporate those born with psychic genes. === Wargames === * In the game ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', the many "impure" mutant offshoots of humanity such as [[abhuman]]s are regularly persecuted and killed by the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Imperial [[Inquisition (Warhammer 40,000)|Inquisition]], aside from the occasional useful [[psyker]]. ===Other=== * 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 writted 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).[http://www.finkbuilt.com/blog/mutant-human-species-imminent] [[Category:Comic book terminology]] [[Category:Human-derived fictional species]] [[es:Mutante]] [[he:מוטאנט (קומיקס)]] [[pt:Mutante (banda desenhada)]]