A Theory On Mutant Powers, Mutants, Super-Powered Humans, and the X-Factor

While Marvel has never explicitly said so, the things they *have* said,
plus real-world genetics, make it fairly clear in my mind how mutant
powers, and all other "altered human" powers work.

All human beings have the genetic potential for superpowers. I assume
that there are varied power complexes within each person, and that the
number of genes which code for aspects of power and the ways in which
they can recombine is truly staggering. While certain combinations do
re-occur (telepathy, telepathy with TK), most powers are unique. Probably
you are as likely to have the same potential for power as someone else as
you are likely to look just like them.

It is possible, in fact, that most people carry latent complexes for many
powers.  When we look at several mutants who manifested under extreme
life-threatening stress, we can see that each got a power well-suited to
the specific stress:

- Magneto manifested magnetokinesis (the ability to manipulate magnetic
  fields as if telekinetically) while being shot at with ferrous bullets.
  (NM #49, UXM #274) The fact that the power then went dormant under the
  stresses of life in a concentration camp indicates that this is a
  high-maintenance power, well-suited to bailing yourself out of
  immediate danger but no so good with starvation.

- Amara Aquilla (nee Allison Crestmere?) manifested earth-affinity, to
  the degree of being immune to the extreme heat of lava, upon being
  flung into a pit of lava.

- Samuel Guthrie manifested his "blasting"-- an ability to fly coupled
  with great kinetic output and invulnerability-- in the midst of a cave-in.

Had Sam manifested telepathy under the stress of a cave-in, we wouldn't
be seeing him today. On the other hand, if we turn this argument around
perhaps these fortuitous manifestations *are* coincidences, as we can't
very well see or count the number of mutants who manifest the *wrong*
power under life-threatening stress.

In any case. Powers are governed by a lot more than one gene. A mutation
as extensive as Magneto's, for instance, involves numerous physiological
subsystems. Someone like Marrow must have a radically different skeletal
structure than human. Even simple telepathy probably requires massive
alterations to the brain.

However, the genes for the *powers* are found in almost every homo
sapiens (this includes the subspecies Inhumans, Atlanteans, Eternals, and
others.) What is lacking in 99% of homo sapiens sapiens is an
*activator*. The genes for the powers do not achieve expression without
an activator.

Let me give two examples. We have 99% of our genome in common with
chimps. What differs between us and chimps is almost all regulatory
genes, determining when specific genes turn on or turn off.

But can just one gene produce a radical difference? Certainly it can.
Current science believes that the Y chromosome differentiates between men
and women largely through the action of one gene or a very small number
of genes. Both men aand women have the ability to produce testosterone,
and testosterone production in embryoes causes the development of male
genitalia. The gene on the Y chromosome activates the production of
testosterone.

So the subspecies homo sapiens superior (as it's classified in MU terms)
differs from human in terms of *one* gene-- X-factor. It must be one
gene, because it arises from spontaneous mutation too often. In fact,
very likely it's one base pair removed from the human version. One single
molecule changes in the genetic structure of the parent, and the child's
latent superpowers are activated.

X-factor must be a dominant allele. The moment it appears, it codes for a
mutant. If X-factor was recessive (the way most mutations are), mutants
would be much, much rarer (as both parents would have to have
spontaneously given rise to X-factor) and most children of mutants would
be non-mutants, unless they were from a mutant/mutant pairing, where they
would *always* be mutants. This is not how mutant inheritance behaves. We
see that two mutants can produce:

- an ordinary human (Graydon Creed)
- a mutant of extraordinary power, who first manifests in infancy (Nathan
Summers)
- a mutant who does not manifest in infancy, who is presumably of power
levels expected from parental contributions (Charles Xavier Lehnsherr)

(There have to be other examples of that last, but I can't think of any...)

This implies to me that two copies of X-factor produces an
early-manifesting child; one copy simply produces a mutant.

Now, how do we explain:

POLARIS: A "latent mutant" activated to her power by Mesmero and a
Magneto robot, it was stated in Polaris' origin story that she would
never have become a mutant if not specifically activated. Yet she is a
*mutant*, not just a person with superpowers. How do we explain?

Three possibilities:

1. The process Polaris underwent actually mutated her ordinary human
allele (we'll call it H-factor, for human) into X-factor. This is really,
really dangerous and unlikely. Spot mutations in sex cells cause the
children that grow from those cells to be mutants. Spot mutations in somatic
(body) cells in non-embryoes cause cancer. The likelihood of *every* cell
in Lorna's body being successfully mutated is low.

2. Magnetism is a really high-maintenance power, and requires extreme
stress or some other external force to cause it to manifest. If this is
true, Lorna was always a mutant, but simply had no powers. This implies
that Magneto's late adult manifestation wasn't solely due to retardation
of powers caused by deprivation in the camps, but actually the power
might have manifested late anyway-- or, without the stressor of that
early abortive manifestation, not at all.

3. Lorna doesn't have X-factor, exactly. She has something else, which
behaves like A-factor (see below) in its ability to make people manifest
powers (that is, it mediates power manifestation in the presence of a
chemical or radioactive stressor, but not otherwise) but like X-factor in
its alteration of the brain (producing the "mutant brain waves" Cerebro
uses.)

ALTERED HUMANS? The Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spiderman-- all of them got
their powers from stressors that should have killed them or done nothing
more than made them sick. (There's so little venom in a spider,
radioactive or not, that it could not possibly have caused a whole-body
mutation in Peter Parker.)

All of them possess A-factor. A-factor is another allele of X-factor's,
which mediates the development of power in the presence of a chemical or
radioactive stressor. A person with A-factor who is exposed to gamma
radiation turns green and gets supwerpowers; those without, die. A
stressor such as being about to be shot cannot activate A-factor; only
X-factor can activate under the stress of adrenaline. A-factor requires
chemical stress or radiation, or both, to activate.

The other difference between A-factor and X-factor is that X-factor has
some effect on brain chemistry; an active mutant generates a recognizably
different telepathic pattern than an altered human. (Otherwise Cerebro
would pick up Spiderman.)

A-factor may mutate into X-factor more easily than H-factor. Certainly
Franklin Richards shows all the signs of being a double mutant, despite
being the child of two humans. Perhaps A-factor spontaneously mutated
into X-factor in the sex cells of *both* Reed and Sue Richards, an
occurrence that would be awfully rare for H-factor to do.

So, to reiterate:

- All homo sapiens have genetic complexes which code for superpowers.
- Only homo sapiens which possess an activating gene manifest such powers.
- X-factor, the activating gene found in all or almost all homo sapiens
superior, is a dominant allele. Thus mutants have a somewhat less than 50%
chance of producing non-mutant children (somewhat less than 50% because
many humans possess spontaneous occurences of X-factor in their sex cells)
- X-factor is likely to be a very simple mutation from H-factor, the
human version of the allele (which does nothing.)
- X-factor causes an alteration to brainwave patterns (detectable via
telepathy) and activates power at puberty, or under stress, or both.
- Most mutants have one X-factor and one H-factor in their genome.
- When mutants have two X-factors (usually coming from two mutant
parents), it may cause early manifestation. This may explain
pre-pubescent powers such as those exhibited by Franklin Richards, Nathan
Summers, Leech and Artie Maddicks, and may also explain gross somatic
mutations seen in childhood (Kurt Wagner, Leech, Artie Maddicks.)
- A-factor is closely related to X-factor, and may give rise to it more
easily than H-factor does.
- A-factor does not cause brain chemistry changes.
- A-factor requires some sort of chemical or radioactive stressor to
activate power.

The distinction between possessors of X-factor and A-factor:

1. X-factor individuals *will* develop a power, almost certainly.
A-factor individuals probably won't.

2. X-factor individuals can be singled out by telepathy and technological
means. A-factor individuals cannot be so determined.

3. X-factor usually causes manifestation in puberty, resulting in fear
and consternation from parents. A-factor manifests in adulthood, and
usually in scientists, military people or others who are more likely to
be exposed to chemicals or radiation. Thus, A-factor indivudals usually
don't develop power until they have social status.

4. For the above reasons, A-factor individuals are classified as human,
while X-factor indivudals are not. In fact, genetically they are both as
far, or as close, to human as each other.

5. We would expect to see a sex imbalance in manifested A-factor
individuals, since the stressors that trigger A-factor manifestations
usually involve danger to H-factor individuals (who all humans are
assumed to be unless tested otherwise), and men occupy more dangerous
jobs than women. We would expect to see no sex imbalance in manifested
X-factor individuals. This seems to be borne out by the patterns we see
in the MU.

So, there we have my theory. Does any of this mean mutants really are a
different species than human? I still don't think so. They're just much
more easily distinguishable from humans than "altered humans" who haven't
been altered yet are.