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| Mutant | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #1 (September 1963) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| Characteristics | |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Notable members | X-Men X-Factor X-Force Dark X-Men New Mutants Brotherhood of Mutants Acolytes Morlocks Quiet Council of Krakoa Avengers |
In American comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is a human being that possesses a genetic trait called the X-gene. It causes the mutant to develop superhuman powers that manifest at puberty. Human mutants are sometimes referred to as a human subspecies Homo sapiens superior or simply Homo superior. Mutants are the evolutionary progeny of Homo sapiens, and are actually revealed to be the next stage in human evolution. The accuracy of this is the subject of much debate in the Marvel Universe.
Unlike Marvel's mutates, which are characters who develop their powers only after exposure to outside stimuli or energies (such as the Hulk, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Absorbing Man, and Captain Marvel), mutants have actual genetic mutations.