X-Men: Days of Future Past introduced two new mutants from the New Mutants era to the cinematic Children of the Atom. With the news that X-Men: Apocalypse will be set in 1983 I couldn’t help but think of popular mutants born in the 80’s.
In Days of Future Past, Sunspot (Adan Canto) got to use his solar energy powers against the Sentinels. Producers chose to amp the Brazilian mutant’s power beyond just super strength. Roberto Da Costa could fly and blast heat at the relentless robots. Sunspot was one of the founding members of the New Mutants.
Warpath (Boo Boo Stewart) used his tracking ability, super strength and fighting skills with big — knives against the Sentinels. Warpath actually started out as a Hellion (a student of Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club.) James Proudstar blamed Professor X for his older brother’s death and joined the Hellions in his quest for revenge by taking his brother’s X-Men code-name Thunderbird. James would later reform and join Cable’s original X-Force then become an official X-Man.
Could more third and fourth generation X-Men join the next sequel in the fight against Apocalypse?
For your consideration….
What about the other New Mutants?
Danielle “Dani” Moonstar is a Native America like Warpath. Dani used the code-name Mirage because of her mutant power to create illusions based on her opponent’s fears or desires. Dani would later develop more psionic powers and became a Valkyrie during an adventure in Asgard. Dani lost her mutant powers but her experience as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative and former team leader make her a strategic asset to the team.
Sam Guthrie aka Cannonball (seen above fighting Gladiator) is a country boy from Kentucky with the power to blast through the air and he’s nearly invulnerable when he’s flying. Sam and Dani shared leadership of the New Mutants. Sam would later join the X-Men. Sam and Roberto recently joined the Avengers.
Rhane Sinclair is one of my personal favorites. She’s not a werewolf and her powers are not a magical curse. The young mutant from Scotland could shapeshift into a wolf-like creature and actual wolf and use the code-name Wolfsbane. Rahne would later join X-Factor Investigations.
Xi’an Coy Manh aka Karma is a Vietnamese mutant with the power to possess the minds and bodies of others. Karma is a founding member of the New Mutants after Professor X helped her find her young twin brother and sister. Karma is one of the first major lesbian characters in a mainstream comic book and the focus of a major storyline in Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men.
Magik (Illyana Raputin) is the younger sister of Colossus and has one of the most complicated origins and histories in comics. Illyana is a mutant with the power to create teleportation discs. As a child Illyana was kidnapped by the demon Belasco and raised in the Limbo dimension where she became a master sorceress and conquered the realm. Illyana was trapped in Limbo for years but it seemed like only minutes so she reappeared as a teenager armed with her mutant powers to send enemies to Limbo and a Soulsword. Magik and Kitty Pryde would develop a strong friendship due in part to Kitty’s crush on Colossus. Illyana was turned back into the child, died from a mutant virus, was resurrected and regained her magical abilities. Magik is currently part of Cyclops’s revolution team in Uncanny X-Men and a student of Dr. Strange.
There are so many more: Doug Ramsey, Skids and Rusty, Magma, Boom Boom and Rictor to name a few but these are the original New Mutants (except Magik) from a classic graphic novel by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod that introduced a bold new generation of mutants to the X-Men legacy.
Producers have given X-fans of every era great moments from mutants from all eras so here’s hoping we see more mutant heroes bamf, leap or blast into cinemas.
By Editor