Marvel Comics

In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men franchise, a mutant is a human being who is born with genetic modifications that allow for abilities not possessed by regular humans. Although mutant powers vary greatly, telepathy, flight, the ability to project energy and enhanced strength, agility or senses are common mutant powers. 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 sapien” (homo sapiens sapiens). Marvel Comics, sometimes called by the nickname The House of Ideas, is an American comic book company. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τηλε, tele, distant, and πάθεια, patheia, feeling, is the claimed innate ability of humans and other creatures to communicate information from one mind to another, without the use of extra tools such as speech or body language. ... Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ...

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. Stan Lee and his most famous co-creation, Spider-Man. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... The Green Goblin, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Toro (comics) - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... For the Fantastic Four member of the same name, see Human Torch (Johnny Storm) The original Human Torch is a fictional character who was created in 1938 by Carl Burgos for Timely Comics first comic book, titled Marvel Comics. ... In the context of fiction, the canon of a fictional universe comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. ...

The X-Men, founded by Professor X (who is likely inspired by Martin Luther King), are mutant superheroes 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 if the metaphor is solid would be inspired by Malcom X), 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. Professor X (full name Charles Francis Xavier) is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ... Magneto (real name unknown, alias Erik Magnus Lehnsherr) is a comic book character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Malcolm X (pronounced Malkolm Eks, May 19, 1925–February 21, 1965 – also: Malcolm Little, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, and Omowale) was a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and a founder of both the Muslim Mosque, Inc. ... The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, or the Brotherhood, is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in Marvel Comics universe who are devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. ... The word militant can refer to any individual engaged in warfare, a fight, combat, or generally serving as a soldier. ...

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 toting a reverse racism mentality. Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur from Egyptian for The First One) is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics universe. ...

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 and X-Force are now defunct as Marvel editors have recently taken a different approach to the X-Men franchise, replacing superhero series with more dubious groups like X-Statix and Weapon X. The New Mutants #1. ... X Factor may refer to: X-Factor for the comic book superheroes owned and published by Marvel Comics The X Factor (album) for the 1995 album by Iron Maiden The X Factor (television series) for British singing talent search television series, also franchised to Australia ... Excalibur is the title of three Marvel Comics series, each offshoots of the popular X-Men franchise. ... Variant cover to X-Force #50 (1995), pencils by Rob Liefeld. ... Generation X was a Marvel Comics superhero team, featured in an eponymous monthly series from November, 1994 until June, 2001. ... X-Statix was the name of a fictional team of mutant superheroes in Marvel Comics, specifically designed to be ironic media superstars. ... Weapon X was a fictional clandestine government project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Governments Department K (and secretly funded by the US government) which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. ...

In the Marvel universe, the collective setting of most Marvel comic books, ordinary people often hate and fear mutants because they are afraid they may make normal humans extinct, because they simply fear what they fail to understand, or simply because they are jealous of them having natural superpowers, which would make living along with them unfair. Typical bigotry and xenophobia are also given as reasons for hatred of mutants and normal humans alike by some in the other group. In the Marvel universe, anti-mutant sentiment has lead to the alienation of mutants from society, mob violence, and a few government sponsored attempts to fight mutants, such as the robotic mutant-hunting Sentinels and the anti-mutant military group "Operation Zero Tolerance". The Marvel Universe is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place. ... This page relates to the use of the word bigot to refer to a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own. ... Xenophobia denotes a phobic attitude toward strangers or of the unknown and comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning foreigner, stranger, and φόβος (phobos), meaning fear. ... A humanoid robot playing the trumpet In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated physical tasks, either according to direct human supervision, a pre-defined program, or a set of general guidelines using artificial intelligence techniques. ... The X-Men fight two giant Sentinels. ...

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:

• Magneto, an Austrian Holocaust survivor who once lived in Israel has attempted to create a “mutant home state” similar to Israel. His first attempt was the fictional South American nation of San Marco. Later he became ruler of Genosha, a fictional island off the coast of Madagascar, recognized by the United Nations as a mutant state.
• The 1981 dystopian future storyline Days of Futures' Past portrays a mutant Holocaust, where mutants are herded into concentration camps and massacred.
• Senator Robert Kelly has proposed a “Mutant Registration Act,” that would force mutants to reveal their powers and identities to the federal government, similar to McCathyism and other Red Scare-era acts of Congress that effectively outlawed the American Communist Party.
• The anti-mutant hate group The Friends of Humanity was inspired by the Aryan Nations.
• The X-Man Iceman has had a difficult relationship with his father, who is often portrayed as a bigot. This storyline has paralleled the lives of gay people who often find difficulty being accepted by their families (especially in the movie with the "Have you tried not to be a mutant?" line).
• The Legacy Virus storyline of the 1990s was often seen as a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic. The Legacy Virus was a mysterious and deadly pathogen that affected mutant genes, however the larger world was not concerned about it until the first human victim was made public. Also, Genosha, the aforementioned island nation, was particularly affected, mirroring the spread of AIDS in Africa.

Writer Grant Morrison made significant changes to the nature and status of mutants in the Marvel Universe, during his stint on New X-Men, from 2001 until 2004. Morrison introduced a mutant “baby boom” that could potentially make mutants the dominant species on Earth within five generations. Meanwhile, the growing mutant youth population have developed a subculture with mutant bands and fashions. Children survivors of the Holocaust before their liberation For more background on this topic, see Adolf Hitler. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A dystopia (alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia or anti-utopia) is the antithesis of a utopian society. ... Robert Kelly is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... This article contains information that is not verifiable. ... The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is one of several Marxist-Leninist groups in the United States. ... Aryan Nations (AN) (also known as the Aryan National Alliance) is a right-wing anti-Semitic White supremacist anti-government group based in the United States. ... Iceman (Robert Louis Bobby Drake) is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and an original and current member of the X-Men. ... In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds, and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well, until it was cured almost overnight by the sacrifice of Colossus. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... The Red Ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with HIV positive and people living with AIDS. The Red Ribbon was created by singer/songwriter Paul Jabara AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is defined as a collection of symptoms and infections... Grant Morrison (January 31, 1960 - ) is a Scottish comic book writer and cartoonist best-known for his non-linear narratives and counter-cultural leanings. ... New X-Men is a superhero comic book published by Marvel Comics, a spinoff of the hugely popular X-Men franchise. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The Avengers are a Marvel Comics superhero team, comprised of many of the Marvel Universes most popular and powerful heroes and the Marvel Comics counterpart to DC Comics Justice League of America. ... The Defenders was a comic book series about a loosely-organized team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Mister Fantastic is a Marvel Comics superhero who is the leader of the Fantastic Four. ... The Invisible Woman, real name Susan Richards, née Susan Storm, formerly the Invisible Girl, is a fictional superhero who is a member of The Fantastic Four in the Marvel Universe. ... The Fantastic Four are a Marvel Comics superhero group. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

DC Comics

Mutants play a smaller, but still substantial role, in the DC Comics universe, where they are known as metahumans. Mutants also are a frequent topic in other comic books, and in many science fiction stories. The current DC Comics logo, adopted in May 2005. ... Metahuman is a term, coined by the fictitious alien Dominators (in DC Comics Invasion! miniseries), 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... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ...

Mutants in video games

• The first Fallout game features an army of super mutants as well as mutated animals and humans.

• The Resident Evil/Biohazard series features Hunters and other mutants created by viruses along with zombies.

• In Timesplitters 2 they feature mutants in the Siberia level(the first one). They didn't explain why they were there though.

• In Timesplitters Future Perfect they feature mutants with the ability to shoot a bit of electricity and turn invisible for a little bit. They are a prototype of the Timesplitters.

• Cold Fear features zombie like creatures that are originally humans but a creature goes into the hesd through the mouth. This game also features failed dog experiments, invisile experiments, and giant behemoths that resemble Tyrants (creatures from Resident Evil).

Fallout is a computer role-playing game produced by Tim Cain and published by Interplay in 1997. ...

Novels

Mutant is a novel by Peter Clement exporing the dangers of genetically modified foods. DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... A genetically modified food is a food product containing some quantity of any genetically modified organism (GMO) as an ingredient. ...