A blast from X-Book comic book past hits THE GIFTED.
The X-Men television series on Fox teased the past of the Strucker family and the obsession of an anti-mutant scientist but fans got a major payoff this week.
When Andy and Lauren Strucker manifested mutant powers they went on the run with their parents. The Struckers found refuge with the Mutant Underground. They are all being hunted by Sentinel Services. There was a HUGE revelation about the Strucker kids that propel the action…and make you look for some old school X-MEN issues.
Before we continue here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not seen this week’s episode stop reading now.
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
The Strucker kids’ father was an attorney who prosecuted mutant criminals. Grandpa Strucker worked for Trask Industries. Trask should inspire chills in X-Fans. Bolivar Trask is the scientist who developed the Sentinels, mutant hunting robots seen in comics and on screen X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.
Sentinel Services is working with a Doctor Campbell who is turning mutants into sleepers to infiltrate and attack the Mutant Underground. Campbell could be based on Ahab, a scientist from DOFP who turns mutants into his Hounds to stalk runaway mutants.
Campbell is particularly interested in the Struckers because of his research on twins.
In this week’s episode the headlines in the doctor’s files are the subject of a full on flashback in 1952 with twins. The sister calling her brother Andreas. When authorities confront them, the twins give wicked smiles, grab hands, light erupts and the men scream.
The unusual suspects: Andreas and Andrea Von Strucker, twin mutants who emit powerful blasts when they touch. In the comics, the twins are the children of Hydra’s Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker and go by the code-name Fenris. The twins attacked Magneto out of revenge for their father and later joined the Upstarts, rich mutants in a game of killing other mutants for sport.
The Von Strucker twins were created by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr. way back in UNCANNY X-MEN #194.
When Reed confronts his father and reveals Andy and Lauren’s powers, the grandfather says, “I failed. It came back.”
Grandfather reveals his father was Andrea Von Strucker and he name drops Fenris. Together the twins had the same powers as Lauren and Andy but together had an even bigger power.
He also confesses he developed a way to suppress the mutant gene. He injected it into his own son. Yes, Reed Strucker was born a mutant but his genes and powers were suppressed. Mutant power has jumped into the next generation.
The big question: Will Andy and Lauren have the same devastating power if they use join like their great grandparents? Are they destined for madness and villainy like them too?
Will Reed’s mutant genes comes back and manifest?
THE GIFTED returns in two weeks on Fox.
By Editor