The New Mutants are a group of<!--Do not add "fictional" as it is tautological; superheroes (and characters in general) are by definition implied to be fictionalized to some extent.--> mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subsequent stories have depicted the characters as adult superheroes (in their eponymous series as well as in related titles such as X-Force and The Avengers) or as teachers and mentors to younger mutants.
The team first appeared in The New Mutants (September 1982) by Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, part of the Marvel Graphic Novel line, followed by the ongoing series The New Mutants which ran from 1983 until 1991. Like the X-Men parent title, also written by Claremont, The New Mutants featured an ensemble cast, with stories often focused on interpersonal relationships and coming-of-age arcs, blending teen drama with action and adventure. The title was taken over by writer Louise Simonson, ultimately taking a more action-oriented focus under artist Rob Liefeld, who relaunched the characters as X-Force following the series' end.
Since their inception, several New Mutants series have been published, either focusing on the continuing adventures of the original lineup, new groups of young mutants, or some combination of both. Individual characters have appeared in various film, television, and other media adaptations of the X-Men franchise, while most of the original lineup of the New Mutants was featured in the 2020 20th Century Studios film of the same name.
Original run
By the early 1980s, The Uncanny X-Men (under the authorship of Chris Claremont) had become one of the comic book industry's most successful titles, prompting Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to launch The New Mutants, the first of several X-Men spin-offs. X-Men editor Louise Simonson recalled "Neither Chris [Claremont] or I really wanted to do it. We wanted X-Men to be special and by itself, but Shooter told us that if we didn't come up with a new 'mutant' book, someone else would." The name was a modification of Stan Lee's original name for the X-Men, "The Mutants". These students resembled the "all-new, all-different X-Men" of their era in terms of ethnic diversity.
The original team consisted of:
- Cannonball (Samuel Guthrie), a mild-mannered 16-year-old coal miner's son from Kentucky, United States New recruits included:
- Cypher (Douglas Ramsey), an otherwise ordinary young man who could learn to read or speak any language rapidly, whether it was human, alien, or machine, making him an unmatched computer expert.
- Magik (Illyana Rasputina), younger sister of the X-Man Colossus and long-time resident of the X-Mansion, an accomplished mystic who can open "teleportation discs" allowing travel to Limbo and any point on Earth.
- Magma (Amara Aquilla), a fiercely tempered native of a secret Roman society in the Amazon who can control lava. saw Mirage inducted into the Valkyrior and Cypher and Warlock merging into one body for the first time. A 1987 issue of Comics Feature called The New Mutants Special Edition #1 "the single finest New Mutants tale to date and one of the best comics published in the past decade", citing Claremont's penchant for fantasy, artist Arthur Adams's depiction of Warlock, and the strong individual development of all the characters. Magneto became the team's longest-running headmaster, holding the position from The New Mutants #35 through to #75. Fiercely overprotective of his students, particularly after the events of the "Mutant Massacre" and "Fall of the Mutants", he was increasingly used as an uptight foil for the adventurous New Mutants, setting rules that they would inevitably break in the interests of helping their friends.
During Simonson's run, Magma is written out of the book, and Magik is de-aged back to childhood. Due to his unpopularity with readers and artists, Cypher is killed off in The New Mutants #60 (February 1988). Simonson recalled, "He wasn't fun to draw. He just stood around and hid behind a tree during a fight... Every artist who ever did him said 'Can't we kill this guy?' We would get letters from fans about how much they hated him."
The X-Terminators added to the team were:
- Boom-Boom (Tabitha Smith), a teen runaway who could create "plasma bombs."
- Rusty Collins, a pyrokinetic wanted by the U.S. government.
- Rictor (Julio Richter), a young Mexican who could create shock waves.
- Skids (Sally Blevins), a former Morlock who could project a frictionless force field around her body.
In 1989, Simonson crafted a saga in which the team journeyed to Asgard, the home of the gods of Norse mythology. The storyline wrote Mirage out of the series, as she joined the Norse pantheon as one of the Valkyrior. The New Mutants #64 deals with the team's mourning of Cypher, and includes a scene in which Warlock attempts to resurrect Cypher by taking his corpse out of its coffin and showing it to Cypher's loved ones. Simonson holds it to be her favorite New Mutants story, though she acknowledges that many readers found it too morbid.
New X-Men: Academy X
The second incarnation of the New Mutants debuted in 2003 with an ongoing series of the same name, written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. The series continued for 13 issues, until June 2004. Following the end of Grant Morrison's New X-Men, New Mutants was then relaunched as New X-Men: Academy X. who later kills him.
- Prodigy (David Alleyne) – David was the team's co-leader who could temporarily gain the knowledge and skills of those near him. Although he was de-powered after "M-Day", he has retained all the knowledge he had acquired prior to the "Decimation".
- Surge (Noriko Ashida) – Noriko is Japanese. She absorbs electricity from her environment which she can discharge as powerful electric blasts or utilize as superhuman speed. She requires mechanical gauntlets to prevent overcharge. Surge was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain her powers after "M-Day".
- Wallflower (Laurie Collins) – Laurie is a shy girl who generates highly potent pheromones that influence people's emotions. She was one of the 27 students at the Xavier Institute to retain her powers after "M-Day". Laurie was later killed by one of William Stryker's men.
- Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) – Sofia was the other co-leader and was a temperamental aerokinetic who was particularly adept at using this power to manipulate sound. She was depowered after "M-Day" and joined a group of fellow ex-mutants as part of the New Warriors. Donning a variety of mechanical gear, she took up the codename Renascence before the group disbanded.
- Wither (Kevin Ford) – Kevin could cause organic material to decay with his touch. He eventually switches to the Hellions squad. He is later killed by Elixir.
Another such group, advised by Emma Frost, was known as the Hellions and, like their predecessor, was the arch-rival of the New Mutants. Whereas the original New Mutants series revolved around battles with world-threatening menaces, New Mutants volume 2 focused on the characters' personal relationships and struggles with controlling their powers.
After "M-Day", the cataclysmic event that decimated the world's mutant population, only 27 of the 182 students enrolled at the Xavier Institute retained their powers. The New Mutants and the other training squads were disbanded, and the remaining students were folded into a single junior team, the New X-Men.
Original team reunion
In May 2009, a third volume of New Mutants was launched. The team is a reunion of the cast from the first volume, consisting of Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Magma, Danielle Moonstar, and Sunspot.
The reunion is spun from events from the limited series X-Infernus. Magik shows up at the X-Men headquarters in San Francisco, claiming to be from the future and warning that Dani Moonstar and Karma are in danger. Once tests show that Illyanna is not an imposter, Cannonball leads a rescue mission with her. They are joined by Magma and Sunspot. They end up taking on Legion.
In a later issue, Warlock returns to Earth and Cypher reappears alive, under the control of Selene. After Warlock frees him from Selene's control, Cypher joins the team.
During "Siege", Hela empowers Dani (now going by her old codename Mirage) as a Valkyrie to bring the souls of the fallen Asgardians to her. During "X-Men: Second Coming", Karma loses her leg after being stabbed by Cameron Hodge.
Magik leads the team to Limbo as part of her plan for revenge against the Elder Gods. Cyclops has her imprisoned for her actions. When the X-Men split in the "Schism" storyline, the majority of the team sides with Cyclops and stays on Utopia, while Cannonball and Karma side with Wolverine and leave to join the new Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
Cyclops tasks the remaining team with closing off some of the X-Men's 'unfinished business', and they ultimately recruit:
- X-Man (Nate Grey), an alternate version of Cable from the Age of Apocalypse timeline, who joins the team after they rescue him from Sugar Man.
- Blink (Clarice Ferguson), a pink-skinned mutant who can create portals.
Dead Souls
A six issue mini-series The New Mutants: Dead Souls was launched in March 2018, written by Matthew Rosenberg and pencilled by Adam Gorham. The new team is a corporate-sponsored squad employed by former New Mutant Karma, who has inherited the multinational Hatchi Corporation. The team consists of other former New Mutants Magik, Wolfsbane, Rictor, and Boom-Boom, alongside:
- Strong Guy (Guido Carosella), a mutant with the ability to rechannel kinetic energy into physical strength, who was first introduced during Claremont's run of The New Mutants as a bodyguard to Lila Cheney.
The team investigated paranormal and magical threats, ultimately realizing Karma had sent them on a hunt for her brother Trân Cao Mạnh, whose soul had escaped her body and was seeking a way to restore his own. The series ended on a cliffhanger, where Karma, Magik, Wolfsbane and Strong Guy, along with Mirage, were infected by the Transmode Virus via Warlock. Rosenberg carried the unresolved plot threads across to his contemporaneous run on Uncanny X-Men, folding the remaining members of the New Mutants team into the X-Men, led by Cyclops.
Krakoan Age
New Mutants was relaunched in November 2019 as part of Dawn of X. There were initially two teams who appeared in rotating issues. The first was a reunion of the original New Mutants team, featuring Mirage, Karma, Magik, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, and Cypher, as well as:
- Chamber (Jonathan Staresmore), a mutant originally from Generation X, whose body is a chamber for psionic energy.
- Mondo, another mutant originally from Generation X, who has the ability to take on the properties of any organic or inorganic material he comes into contact with.
The second team featured Boom-Boom and, later, Magma, alongside:
- Armor (Hisako Ichiki), a Japanese mutant who can generate an impenetrable psionic exoskeleton body armor.
- Glob Herman (Robert Herman), a mutant with a transparent, wax-like body.
- Manon and Maxime, two young twins from an alternate timeline who can manipulate memories and emotions respectively.
These two teams ultimately merged into one under writer Ed Brisson, in which they rescued a young mutant from the fictional European nation Carnella and took on the online hate group DOX.
When Vita Ayala took over as writer, a new team featuring older New Mutants Karma, Magik, Mirage, Warlock, Warpath, and Wolfsbane acted as teachers and mentors to a new group of younger students known as the Lost Club. This new group of students (which at first includes Anole, Scout, Rain Boy, Cosmar, and No-Girl) falls under the influence of and later into conflict with the Shadow King, culminating in an adventure through the astral plane.
In the concluding mini-series New Mutants Lethal Legion, a group of students from the Lost Club join the New Mutants in an adventure that pits them against Count Nefaria and the Lethal Legion. This includes:
- Escapade (Shela Sexton), a transgender mutant who can switch locations or trade possessions and abilities with anyone within seven feet.
- Scout (Gabby Kinney), a clone of Laura Kinney who shares her regenerative powers, as well as natural strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reflexes.
- Cerebella (Martha Johansson), the telepathic mutant formerly known as No-Girl, who was reborn into a new body after spending years as a disembodied brain in a capsule.
- Galura (Gabrielle Diwa), a Filipino mutant with the ability to fly and who had entered into a romantic relationship with Karma.
New Mutants members
In 1982, the original New Mutants team debuted in Marvel Graphic Novel #4. Originally led by Professor X, and later by Magneto, the lineup gradually expanded to include additional recruits, with subsequent volumes and titles have features a variety of team members and associated characters.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|+ Original members
! style="width:20%;"| Character
! style="width:20%;"| Real name
! style="width:20%;"| Joined in
! style="width:20%;"| Notes
|-
| Professor X
| Charles Xavier
| rowspan="6" | Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (1982)
| Team founder
|-
| Karma
| Mạnh Cao Xuân
| Original team leader
|-
| Wolfsbane
| Rahne Sinclair
|
|-
| Psyche / Mirage
| Danielle Moonstar
| Eventual co-leader
|-
| Cannonball
| Samuel Guthrie
| Eventual co-leader
|-
| Sunspot
| Roberto Da Costa
|
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|+ Later recruits
! style="width:20%;"| Character
! style="width:20%;"| Real name
! style="width:20%;"| Joined in
! style="width:20%;"| Notes
|-
| Shadowcat
| Katherine Pryde
| The Uncanny X-Men #167 (1983)
| Leaves to rejoin X-Men team in The Uncanny X-Men #168
|-
| Magma
| Amara Aquilla
| The New Mutants #13 (1984)
|
|-
| Magik
| Illyana Rasputina
| The New Mutants #14 (1984)
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Warlock
| rowspan="2" | The New Mutants #21 (1984)
|
|-
| Cypher
| Douglas Ramsey
|
|-
| Magneto
| Max "Magnus" Eisenhardt
| The Uncanny X-Men #200 (1985)
| Headmaster (replacing Xavier)
|-
| colspan="2" | Bird-Brain
| The New Mutants #55 (1987)
|
|-
| Firefist
| Russell "Rusty" Collins
| rowspan="4" |The New Mutants #77 (1989)
|
|-
| Skids
| Sally Blevins
|
|-
| Rictor
| Julio Richter
|
|-
| Boom-Boom
| Tabitha "Tabby" Smith
|
|-
| Cable
| Nathan Summers
| The New Mutants #89 (1990)
| Leader (replacing Magneto)
|-
| Warpath
| James Proudstar
| The New Mutants #99 (1991)
|
|-
| X-Man
| Nate Grey
| New Mutants (vol. 3) #28 (2011)
|
|-
| Blink
| Clarice Ferguson
| New Mutants (vol. 3) #45 (2012)
|
|-
| Shatterstar
| Gaveedra Seven/Benjamin Russell
| rowspan="5" | Cable #150 (2017)
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Longshot
|
|-
| X-23
| Laura Kinney
|
|-
| Armor
| Hisako Ichiki
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Doop
|
|-
| Strong Guy
| Guido Carosella
|The New Mutants: Dead Souls #1 (2018)
|
|-
| Chamber
| Jonothon Starsmore
| rowspan="2" | New Mutants (vol. 4) #1 (2019)
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Mondo
|
|-
| Glob
| Robert Herman
| New Mutants (vol. 4) #6 (2020)
|
|-
| Escapade
| Shela Sexton
| New Mutants (vol. 4) #31 (2022)
|
|-
| Cerebella
| Martha Johansson
| rowspan="3" | New Mutants Lethal Legion #1 (2023)
| Formerly known as No-Girl
|-
| Honey Badger / Scout
| Gabrielle "Gabby" Kinney
|
|-
| Galura
| Gabrielle Diwa
|
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|+ New Mutants Squad (New X-Men)
! style="width:20%;"| Character
! style="width:20%;"| Real name
! style="width:20%;"| Joined in
! style="width:20%;"| Notes
|-
| Psyche / Mirage
| Danielle Moonstar
| rowspan="8" | New X-Men (vol. 2) #2
| Team Advisor
|-
| Wind Dancer
| Sofia Elizabeth Mantega
|
|-
| Wallflower
| Laurie Collins
|
|-
| Prodigy
| David Alleyne
|
|-
| Surge
| Noriko Ashida
|
|-
| Elixir
| Josh Foley
|
|-
| Wither
| Kevin Ford
|
|-
| Icarus
| Joshua Guthrie
|
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|+ Lost Club (Students of New Mutants on Krakoa)
! style="width:20%;"| Character
! style="width:20%;"| Real name
! style="width:20%;"| Joined in
! style="width:20%;"| Notes
|-
| Anole
| Victor Borkowski
| rowspan="5" | New Mutants (vol. 4) #14 (2020)
|
|-
| Honey Badger / Scout
| Gabrielle "Gabby" Kinney
|
|-
| Rain Boy
| Carl Aalston
|
|-
| Cosmar
| Natashia Repina
|
|-
| Cerebella
| Martha Johansson
| Formerly known as No-Girl
|-
| Escapade
| Shela Sexton
| rowspan="2" | New Mutants (vol. 4) #31 (2022)
|
|-
| Leo
| Leo Eng
|
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|+ Notable allies, honorary, and reserve
! style="width:20%;"| Character
! style="width:20%;"| Real name
! style="width:20%;"| Active in
! style="width:20%;"| Notes
|-
| colspan="2" | Brightwind / Darkwind
| The New Mutants Special Edition #1 (1985)
| Danielle Moonstar's Steed
|-
| colspan="2" | Gosamyr
| The New Mutants #67 (1988)
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Artie Maddicks
| rowspan="2" | The New Mutants #77 (1989)
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Leech
|
|-
| Copycat
| Vanessa Carlysle
| New Mutants, Vol. 1 #98 (1991)
|
|-
| Feral
| Maria Callasantos
| The New Mutants #100
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Maxime
|
|-
| colspan="2" | Manon
|
|}
Other versions
Rahne of Terra
The 1991 graphic novel Wolverine: Rahne of Terra, by Peter David, is set in a heroic fantasy universe in which Wolfsbane's counterpart is Princess Rain of Geshem. Other denizens of Terra include Rain's lady-in-waiting Tabby (Boom-Boom), the knights Richard (Rictor), Robert (Sunspot), and Samuel (Cannonball), and the peasant boy Douglas (Cypher). The Terrans all duplicate the powers of their counterparts in one way or another.
The New Mutants: Truth or Death
In 1997, a three-issue reunion series written by Ben Raab and illustrated by Bernard Chang, The New Mutants: Truth or Death, featured the young New Mutants traveling forward in time to meet their older, jaded selves in X-Force.
Worst X-Man Ever
Here the New Mutants consist of X-Ceptional, who can explode permanently, Riches, who turns whatever he touches to gold, Minerva, who can manipulate reality, and Riches' sister Rags. Riches kills Professor X and takes over the world. Rags begins a relationship with Gambit, and Minerva goes to pure idea. X-Ceptional grabs Riches and explodes, killing them both.
Ultimate Marvel
In Ultimate X-Men, the Academy of Tomorrow (previously called New Mutants) is founded by Emma Frost. It is loosely linked to the X-Men via Emma Frost's professional relationship with her former lover and teacher Charles Xavier. This Academy accepts any talented students, regardless of their genetic status. The team is headed by Frost and field leader Havok. During Ultimatum, the Academy of Tomorrow is destroyed in a terrorist attack by Multiple Man. Former members include Angel, Beast, Cannonball, Dazzler, Karma, Northstar, Polaris, Sunspot, and Cypher.
In other media
Television
The New Mutants, based on the first comics incarnation, appear in X-Men: Evolution, consisting of Boom-Boom, Cannonball, Magma, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Berzerker, Iceman, Jubilee, and Multiple.
Film
A self-titled film adaptation of the New Mutants was released on August 28, 2020. The film was directed by Josh Boone, with a script written by Boone and Knate Gwaltney, and stars Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair / Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin / Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie / Cannonball, Blu Hunt as Dani Moonstar / Mirage, and Henry Zaga as Bobby da Costa / Sunspot.
References
External links
- New Mutants at Marvel.com
- X-Men Diaries article on the original Hellions and New Mutants
- X-Men comics at Marvel.com
- The New Mutants at Marvel.com
- New Mutants (vol. 2) at Marvel.com
- New X-Men (vol. 2) at Marvel.com
- New Mutants (vol. 3) at Marvel.com
- The New Mutants: Dead Souls at Marvel.com
- New Mutants (vol. 4) at Marvel.com
- New Mutants Lethal Legion at Marvel.com
- Academic Podcast Analyzing New Mutantsat ComicsVerse.com