X-men question

[Majin Gojira]

Is the X-Gene an actual, defined gene or set of genes or is it a common, catch-all phrase for mutated genes that occur naturally in the marvel universe?

[Ghost Rider]

Is the X-Gene an actual, defined gene or set of genes or is it a common, catch-all phrase for mutated genes that occur naturally in the marvel universe?

Catch all for Marvel.

[Jason von Evil]

Someone at an X-Site wrote an article about how the powers mutants manifest could be dependent on their enviroment. For example, Scott manifested the optic blasts because he and his brother were plummeting to their deaths.

[Ghost Rider]

Someone at an X-Site wrote an article about how the powers mutants manifest could be dependent on their enviroment. For example, Scott manifested the optic blasts because he and his brother were plummeting to their deaths.

By that explaination shouldn't he have manifested flight?

Literally I have heard the pieon hole theories and the problem is easily spotted. Literally the powers don't match the situation, they just come to be.

[Jason von Evil]

Sam Gunthrie's (Cannonball) powers makes sense. He was trapped in a mine with an injured miner and didn't to get out, so he manifested the whole blasting thing.

I think the eye beams worked just as well as flight.

[Ghost Rider]

Yeah, but it makes no sense in the regard other then hindsight, with skewing.

Literally it's a two companies who try to use bizarro biology.

Orignally Marvel had no specfic gene and Mutants were an offshot of Homo Sapien...then DC around 1987~88 came out with the Meta Gene. Marvel liked it, altered it for their mutant population along with the piss poor analogy that doesn't work, and viola.

[General Zod]

if anyone's read earth X, it actually gives a plausible explanation for the x-gene. apparently these uber-powerful cosmic beings known as celestials came to earth billions of years ago, when it was still in its infancy, and 'altered' the original human template slightly, so that they would be more aggressive and eventually evolve into the mutants of today. why would they do this? well, the way celestials reproduce is by planting an unborn celestial in a planet, as a kind of egg. then they alter that planet's pouplation to act as 'antibodies' so they can fight off invasions, etc.

rather sums up the reason for things quite nicely, and ties in several various marvel events. the whole x-gene, and the very fact that humans have any kind of super powers whatsoever, is a result of the celestials planting their 'seed' inside humanity's genetic structure, with various agents triggering that seed to activate within individual humans. definitely recommend checking out the book, as it explains alot.

[Ghost Rider]

It also trieds to go into some bizarre explaination that Death can be destroyed later on and Galactus consumes planets that have the seed of the Celestials which was never brought up before.

It's a good what if, with a decent premise, but uses the hindsight bit when looking in the past, the writers had no such plan...especially when one mixes up Avenger's history in regards to humans and Kree.

[Smiling Bandit]

Is the X-Gene an actual, defined gene or set of genes or is it a common, catch-all phrase for mutated genes that occur naturally in the marvel universe?

Its a little bit of both.

Anyway, in Marvel, everyone is a mutant, at least in part: there isn't a real genetic difference (though they do contradict themselves on this point). But mutants actually have their genes activated, usually at puberty. There are also such things as mutant energy, which can be manipulated to bvlock or reinvigorate mutant powers (Magneto stole Angel's mutant energy once, after which he regained his magnetic power and angel was left very weak).

[Shortie]

It'd work if someone or something is directly altering individuals (A celestial AI say). Most mutations can be explained as either physical changes or specialised TK of some kind, and I'd guess that most are too specific to be genetic.

[General Zod]

It'd work if someone or something is directly altering individuals (A celestial AI say). Most mutations can be explained as either physical changes or specialised TK of some kind, and I'd guess that most are too specific to be genetic.

actually . . . .in EarthX the cause for all the superpower mutations given on the planet was a result of the tampering of the Celestial race over millions of years. . . .the various events just triggered those mutations to happen, while in other cases they occured naturally.

[Shortie]

It'd work if someone or something is directly altering individuals (A celestial AI say). Most mutations can be explained as either physical changes or specialised TK of some kind, and I'd guess that most are too specific to be genetic.

actually . . . .in EarthX the cause for all the superpower mutations given on the planet was a result of the tampering of the Celestial race over millions of years. . . .the various events just triggered those mutations to happen, while in other cases they occured naturally.

Yeah, you said. But I'm not convinced that almost any of them could occur naturally, or without direct intervention. It's things like Warren conveniently having not just wings, but also superhuman strangth in his flight muscles, superhuman vision, hollow bones (IIRC), the ability to breathe and survive at altitude, and so on. There's no way all of them are gonna spontaneously arise together from human-normal parents, or because of gene-tampering millennia ago.

Mutants are not 'the next stage of evolution', they're someone playing silly buggers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you look at even the 2nd gen mutants you can see that the Summers clan pretty much follow from their parents mutations, but Magneto's kids (say) are pretty random, presumably because of further interventions.