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MARVEL COMICS In , flight, the ability to project energy, an accelerated healing factor, and enhanced strength, agility or senses. Most typically, mutant powers manifest during Puberty and, for some mutants, several years of self-discipline are needed before they can control their powers. Mutants are supposedly the next stage in Human Evolution and are often called "homo superior" (''Homo sapiens superior'') as opposed to "homo sapiens" ('' Homo Sapiens Sapiens ''). (The term "Homo superior" was originally coined by science fiction writer Olaf Stapledon in his 1935 novel " Odd John ".) The idea of genetic mutants was concocted by Marvel editor/writer Stan Lee in the early 1960s as a means to create a large number of Superheroes and Villains without having to think of a separate origin for each one. The most prominent vehicle for the mutant concept is the superhero series ''X-Men,'' which debuted in 1963, although a little known story in ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'' #14 (1962) was the first Marvel story to feature a mutant. There are some who feel that an also little known super-hero introduced in 1940, Toro , (the Original Human Torch 's sidekick and protegé), was in fact the first Marvel mutant super hero, and indeed, Toro is described in the Canon as a mutant. However, he has never been identified as the same type of mutant that would later abundantly populate the Marvel Universe. Officially, Namor is considered the first mutant, though he's actually a hybrid. It was later revealed that the ultimate source of all Mutations were the enigmatic Celestials , who had come to Earth one million years ago and performed Genetics Experiments on proto-Humanity that would allow future generations of humans to gain superpowers. Mutants as metaphor In the ". Throughout the history of the X-Men franchise, X-Teams have often been written as typical superhero comic books, featuring epic adventures and battles with super villains. Yet, the theme of mutants as a metaphor for real world minorities who face oppression has been a constant throughout the series. Some examples:
The X-Men The X-Men, founded by Professor X , are mutant Superhero es who defend a world that hates and fears them and who work for peaceful coexistence of the two races. Another primary character in the stories is Magneto who originally founded the Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants and later another villainous group called the Acolytes and, in Militant fashion, continually seeks ways to fight back against the normal humans' oppression of mutants, arguing that mutants must conquer or be conquered. Other villainous characters, such as Apocalypse , believe that mutants have a right to rule over ordinary humans, simply by virtue of being a more genetically advanced species. The extensive popularity of the X-Men has led Marvel to create several additional mutant superhero teams, including The New Mutants , X-Factor , Excalibur , X-Force and Generation X . However, of these, all but the X-Men, Excalibur and X-Force are now defunct. (The New Mutants has, in fact, evolved into ''New X-Men''.) Non-X-Mutants Outside the X-Men group of series, mutants play a smaller role in the Marvel universe. Most non-mutant superheroes are not affected by anti-mutant bigotry and mutants have been important parts of such traditionally non-mutant teams as The Avengers and The Defenders . Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four have a son, Franklin Richards , who is a mutant. Franklin's mutation may have come about due to his parents’ powers, granted by exposure to "cosmic rays." It is known that many of the genes which cause the particular types of mutation in the Marvel Universe are passed on through the parents' genes. Marvel editors draw a distinction between mutants born with the potential for powers, such as the members of the X-Men , and those persons who develop powers because of a Mutagenic event, such as Spider-Man or the Hulk . Such persons are referred to as Mutates , a shorthand term for "mutated human." Persons who use Magic , such as Dr. Strange , or who are granted powers because of magic, such as Juggernaut or the Absorbing Man , are different from both mutants and mutates. Some mutants in the Marvel Universe have received celebrity or even icon statues due to their involvement with certain superhero teams, such as the Avengers or the Fantastic Four . Mutants such as the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver for example, who incidentally are Magneto's children, haven't received the same treatment as other mutants have by the majority of the ordinary human population. This might be due to a number of possibilities. One possibility is that they have no physical deformities as a result of their powers, but are physically very attractive. In the Marvel Universe, a pleasant physical appearance often garners better treatment, just as it does in the real world. Another possibility is that they have both been renowned members of the Avengers, which is a team that has received praise and support from the government itself. Since the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver have been members of a government sanctioned team of superhumans, this gives them the appearance of being on the right side of the law or that they aren't involved in some conspiracy to take over the world. A considerable number of ordinary humans do fear a potential mutant/human war, partially due to the actions of mutants such as Magneto and Apocalypse. Since many mutants have joined various government recognized teams, the public at large view them as not being a threat to them or their existence. ''House of M'' and ''Decimation'' During the fall of 2005, the event House Of M , changed the face of the Marvel-616 Universe , and resulted into what is known as the Decimation . At present, the mutant population is downsized to only a few hundred individuals, with all other mutants, among them A-list mutants like Magneto and Polaris, losing their powers completely. Because of this, mutants are no longer the primary line of evolution, and because of their dwindled genepool, may be considered an endangered species, on the brink of extinction. Whether this latest development will stand the test of time, or if it will eventually be negated remains to be seen. ''Earth X'': Mutants as Planetary Antibody The ''Earth X'' series stated that the Celestials reproduce by implanting an "egg" at the core of the planet, and use the genetically modified dominant species (in Earth's case, Mutants) to protect the egg until it hatches (namely from Galactus ). However, Marvel editors officially declared that anything stated in ''Earth X'' would not be Canonical . DC COMICS Mutants play a smaller, but still substantial role, in the DC Comics universe, where they are known as Metahuman s. DC Comics does not make a semantic distinction between mutant humans and mutated humans. All humans with powers are simply referred to as Metahuman s. Those who gain powers after their birth may be called metahumans, but in the '' Justice League '' cartoon, the Royal Flush Gang were called mutants by 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 -- in fact, Captain Comet was the first comic book hero ever to be called a mutant, preceding the X-Men by over a decade. Batman's enemy Killer Croc is also a mutant. MUTANTS IN OTHER MEDIA Mutants also are a frequent topic in other Comic Books , and in many science fiction stories. Mutants in video games
Novels
Role playing games
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