Summary
Warning: Contains spoilers forX-Men #2!!The X-Gene can manifest seemingly any type of ability, allowing theX-Mento exercise a wide range of powers in their roster. From the recognizable super strength and telepathy to unique power sets like Glob’s waxy skin, they’ve covered nearly every base. Now, they’ve discovered a new mutant manifesting similar abilities toScarlet Witch’s reality warping, possibly making him an incredibly powerful addition.
InX-Men#2 by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, Marte Gracia, Fernando Sifuentes, and Clayton Cowles,Cyclops and his teamfollow Cerebro’s signal to a newly emerging mutant. Instead, they encounter a deadly alien invasion, complete with massive spaceships. Yet not everything is as it seems, and Psylocke determines that the aliens (and the entire invasion) are merely hollow constructs. They’re not battling aliens to reach their new mutant; their new mutant is creating the aliens.
After fighting their way through the fake space invaders,the team finds a man named Ben, a new mutant warping reality to match his fears of being “taken” and hurt again by aliens.
The X-Men Discover a New Mutant With Out-of-Control Reality Warping Powers
X-Men#2 by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, Marte Gracia, Fernando Sifuentes, and Clayton Cowles
The X-Gene often manifests explosively, as many mutants have their powers triggered by puberty or traumatic events in childhood. Ben is already an exception, as he’sbeyond the usual agewhen new mutants emerge, but his powers still allow him to react to something frightening.He repeatedly mentions being taken by aliens and seems at least partially unaware that he’s forcing reality to match his nightmare scenario. Luckily for the X-Men (and the whole city), his reality warping is currently limited to illusions. The aliens he manifests disperse after being attacked, which is not the case for more advanced reality warping.
In comparison to the Marvel Universe’s most famous reality warper - the Scarlet Witch - Ben is still a complete novice. Wanda Maximoff is able to change the world with a few words, but she hasn’t always been so strong. In her early days with the Avengers, she often spent her time doing things like changing bullets into flowers, but grewsignificantly more powerfulin the years that followed. The same may be true for Ben.He can already create city-wide illusions, even in an unfocused and untrained state, meaning he has serious potential if he hones that skill.
Ben Needs the X-Men’s Guidance and Training
Untrained mutants are a potential danger to themselves and others, especially when operating on a large scale like Ben’s reality altering. The X-Men reach Ben before too much damage is done and safely remove him, but he’ll need the unique brand of guidance they offer new mutants. Not only is he an exception due to his age, but he’s clearly suffering in some capacity. Regardless of whether he’s true teammate material, Ben needs their help to navigate and control his power, because theX-Menjust discovered a mutant reality warper with the potential to rival theScarlet Witch.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
