Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate (in the Marvel Universe) and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. See also Homo Magi. A superhuman is something exceeding normal human standards. ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ... It has been suggested that A-Z of mutants be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Earth-616 be merged into this article or section. ... Posthuman can have the following meanings: Posthuman (Human evolution), a hypothetical future being whose basic capacities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer human by our current standards. ... WildStorm WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, is an American publisher of comic books. ... The various characters of the Ultimate Marvel Universe, as seen on the cover to Ultimates (v2) #12. ... This article or section may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

Invasion!: Origins & Definition

Metahuman is a term coined by the fictitious alien Dominators (in DC Comics' Invasion! miniseries), and used to describe any human being with what are commonly described as "super powers". The justification for this alternate phrase is that "super" implies a value judgement—is super-strength somehow "better" than normal strength? Moreover, it implies that the ability is an enhanced version of a normal human ability—by which definition, telekinesis (for example), which is not possessed by normal humans, is not a superpower. These powers are referred to as metahuman abilities. The more common term for metahuman is superhuman. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, currently used by the SETI project in the search for extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth, the only place in the universe currently known by humans to support life. ... In the DC Universe, the Dominators are a fictional alien race. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Superhero fiction invariably features characters with superhuman, supernatural and/or paranormal abilities, often referred to as superpowers, also spelled super-powers. Below is a list of many of those that have been known to be used. ... Psychokinesis (literally mind-movement) or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally distant-movement). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone. ... A superhuman is an entity with intelligence or abilities exceeding normal human standards. ...

White Martians

Main article: White Martian

According to the storyline in Justice League of America (#4) by Grant Morrison, and the storylines in Martian Manhunter (#25 - 27) by John Ostrander, and Son of Vulcan (#5), the genetic potential for a future metagene was discovered in ancient human DNA by the White Martian race. The White Martians performed experiments on these primitive humans, changing the metagene. The White Martians are a fictional extraterrestrial races native to Mars in the DC Comics universe. ... The Justice League is a DC Comics superhero team. ... Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960, Glasgow) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ... now. ... John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. ... Vulcan, is a fictional character from DC Comics, he is the second character to star in a book titled Son of Vulcan. ...

Due to their experimentations, they actually altered the destiny of the human race. Whereas before evolution would have eventually made mankind into a race of superhumans similar to the Daxamites and Kryptonians, now only a select few humans would be able to develop metahuman powers. As punishment for this, the group of renegades known as the Hyperclan was exiled to the Still Zone, a version of the Phantom Zone. [1][2] The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media. ...

The White Martians also created a metavirus, a metagene that could be passed from host to host via touch. This metavirus was responsible for the empowerment of the very first Son of Vulcan. And from that time onwards the Sons of Vulcan passed the metavirus down in an unbroken line, sworn to hunt and kill White Martians.

The Metagene

The series provided a concept for why humans in the DC Universe would survive catastrophic events and develop "super powers." One of the Dominators discovered that some humans had a "biological variant" he called the meta-gene (also spelled "metagene"). This gene often lay dormant until a moment of extraordinary physiological stress activated it, and upon activation it would use the source of the biostress as a catalyst for "genetic change," resulting in metahuman abilities. The previous statement is a paraphrase of the explanation provided in the comic series. It should also be noted that DC does not use the "metagene concept" as a solid editorial rule, and several writers do not reference the metagene when explaining a character's origin. Superhero fiction invariably features characters with superhuman, supernatural and/or paranormal abilities, often referred to as superpowers, also spelled super-powers. Below is a list of many of those that have been known to be used. ...

DC also has characters born with superhuman abilities, suggesting the metagene can activate spontaneously and without any prior appearance in the ancestry. One well-known example involves Dinah Laurel Lance, the second Black Canary. Although her mother (Dinah Drake Lance, the original Black Canary) was a superhero, neither she nor her husband Larry Lance were born with any known metagenes. However, Dinah Laurel was born with a metagene; the famed ultrasonic scream known as the Canary Cry. Black Canary is a DC Comics superheroine character. ...

DC does suggest that some humans have inherent ability for magic, and these humans are part of a group of genetic offshoots referred to as the "Homo Magi." This article or section may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

The prefix meta-, in this context, simply means "beyond"—as in metastable, which is beyond regular stability and ready to collapse at the slightest disruption, or metamorphosis, which is the state of going beyond a single shape. In the DC comic mini-series Legends, the Dominators point out that the location of the Meta-gene is somewhere near the brain.^{[citation needed]} (Of course, in reality every cell in the body would contain this gene.) This article is about the word Meta. ... Metastability is the ability of a non-equilibrium state to persist for a long period of time. ... A Pieris rapae larva An older Pieris rapae larva A Pieris rapae pupa A Pieris rapae adult Metamorphosis is a process in biology by which an individual physically develops after birth or hatching, and involves significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ...

In the DC Comics universe, metahuman criminals are incarcerated in special metahuman prisons, like the one built on Alcatraz Island, which outfitted not only with provisions to hold criminals whose powers are science and technology-based, but even mystical dampeners to hold villains (Homo Magi) whose powers are magic based. Prisoners in this facility are tagged with nanobyte tracers injected into their bloodstream that allows them to be located wherever they are, as seen in Outsiders #12 (July 2004). for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... The following is a list of prisons, asylums, institutions, planets, and alternate dimensions which have been used to imprison humans, superhumans, and nonhumans in various fictional comic book universes. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a level of technological mastery sufficient to leave the surface of the planet for the first time and explore space. ... The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse Magic and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical or paranormal means. ... Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are present in the blood and help carry oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). ... The Outsiders are a DC Comics superhero group. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Population

The term "Meta" does not only refer to metahumans. Superman (an alien) and Wonder Woman (a god/god-like) are considered "honorary" Metas. It can refer to anyone with extranormal powers, no matter the origins and including those not born with such power.

According to Countdown to Infinite Crisis, there are roughly 1.3 million metahumans on Earth, 99.5% of which are considered "nuisance-level" (such as kids who can bend spoons with their mind and the old lady "who keeps hitting at Powerball"). The other 0.5% are what Checkmate and the OMACs consider alpha and beta level threats. For example, Superman and Wonder Woman are alpha level, while Metamorpho is a beta. Interestingly, Batman is classified by Checkmate as an alpha level metahuman, even though Batman has no genetic super-/meta-human abilities (all of Batman's abilities were developed through his rigorous training in varied skills). Powerball is an American lottery operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a consortium of lottery commissions in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ... Checkmate is a covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. ... OMAC or One-Key MAC is a message authentication code constructed from a block cipher much like the PMAC algorithm. ... Superman is a fictional character and one of the most famous and popular comic book superheroes of all time. ... Wonder Woman is a fictional DC Comics superheroine co-created by William Moulton Marston and wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston. ... Metamorpho (alias Rex Mason) is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still sometimes as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ...

Metas & Mutants

A common rule in some fandom is that Marvel has mutants, mutates, and super-powered beings, while DC has metahumans. The term metahuman was first used in the pages of the Invasion mini-series from 1988 as part of the main plot. It is believed that the term metahuman was coined as a way of describing the DC Comics universe's superpowered characters as different from those who are normal humans in the same way Marvel Comics describes its mutants -- superpowered beings born with their abilities. In actuality DC has had its own mutants; Captain Comet and Tempest I are two examples of DC comics characters initially described as mutants. It has been suggested that A-Z of mutants be merged into this article or section. ... Invasion! was a three-issue comics crossover event published in late 1988-early 1989 by DC Comics. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... It has been suggested that A-Z of mutants be merged into this article or section. ... Captain Comet is a fictional character and superhero who appears in stories published by DC Comics. ... DC Comics has featured two superheroes with the name Tempest. ...

However, it should be noted that the ACTUAL first usage of the term 'metahuman' was in the Marvel Universe, in the New Mutants Annual #3, from 1987 - a year before 'Invasion!' The scene was when the New Mutants were in the Soviet Union, in pursuit of their teammate Warlock and the Impossible Man, and security forces thought the Soviet Premier was under attack. One security officer is seen clearly stating 'that metahuman terrorists are attacking the Premier.'

Notable Uses in Comics and Other Media

Marvel Comics

In Marvel Comics, metahuman is a term used in the Marvel Universe to describe an attribute of a character that possesses a high degree of superhuman durability. A character possessing metahuman level invulnerability can withstand virtually all puncture wounds, temperature extremes of hot and cold, and corrosives without sustaining damage. The various tissues of their bodies; skin, bone, muscle, etc., are essentially as hard as a diamond. As a result, they are practically invulnerable to injury by conventional attacks or weaponry Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ...

City of Heroes

In the MMORPG City of Heroes, the Illuminati-like Malta Group refers to super-beings as metahuman. When spotting a player, its paramilitary operatives will often report an "MHI" or Meta-Human Incursion to their squad. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... City of Heroes (CoH) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing computer game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft. ... The Illuminati is the name of many groups, modern and historical, real and fictitious, verified and alleged. ...

Shadowrun

Metahuman is also used in the Shadowrun universe to describe elves, dwarves, and the like. These metahumans are described as being subspecies of Homo sapiens who began emerging following the return of magic in 2011 and generally have been the targets of racism throughout their existence. In game terms, metahuman characters generally have abilities beyond those of normal humans, such as increased strength or agility, improved vision, etc. Shadowrun is a cyberpunk-urban fantasy cross-genre role-playing game, set in the years 2050, 2053, 2060 or 2070 (depending on the game edition) following a great cataclysm that has brought use of magic back to the world, just as it begins to embrace the marvels (and dangers) of...

In Animation

In animated versions of the DC universe, the term metahuman is sometimes used, most commonly this is true for the animated series Static Shock (a series which intersects and interacts with the main animated DC Universe, including the Batman and Superman shows of the nineties, as well as the JLU). Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still sometimes as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Superman is a fictional character and one of the most famous and popular comic book superheroes of all time. ... A Justice League Unlimited promotional image. ...

Static Shock

Static Shock is a show in which all superpowered characters are granted powers by a large chemical explosion later nicknamed "the Big Bang" are dubbed "Meta-Humans" or "Bang-Babies". A few strange facts and differences are presented by this version of the term: Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. ...

• Despite being used regularly in the DC Comics universe, the term metahuman was not commonly used at the time Milestone Comics' first 4 books (Static being the fourth) were published (if at all).
• Metahuman applies only to peoples mutated by an outside force.
• Metahumans in this universe have no latent metagene, but rather a mutated genome due to a common chemical accident. These mutations often reflect previous attributes (many such attributes paradoxically personality related)
• "Metahuman" is first presented in the show by Virgil Hawkins the main character of the show Static Shock as an alternative to the word "Mutant" because it sounded "degrading."
• Metahumans can be cured by chemical antidote, a fact separating them from other Superbeings in the Animated DC Universe.
• The expression is rarely used in the show's sibling shows despite sharing the same continuity.
• It is suggested that metahumans' powers are subject to change due to the unstable nature of their origin.
• nonhuman lifeforms, including bacteria (one of which became 70ft tall) can be considered metahuman.

Milestone Media is a company best known for creating the Milestone comics imprint (that was published through DC Comics) and the Static Shock cartoon series. ... Static Shock is an animated series starring Virgil Hawkins as Static, a teenage African American superhero with electromagnetic powers. ...

Resources

• Monitor Duty: Profile on the Martian Manhunter
• DCU Guide History: 14 Million B.C.