Marvel Comics has made it known that there are millions of mutants in existence. At one time, over 16 million mutants lived on the mutant island nation of Genosha before Cassandra Nova destroyed it. That said, there are many heroes and villains in Marvel Comics who most people don’t associate with mutants as much as they do members of the X-Men and their sister teams. At least one of these mutants predates Marvel Comics entirely, and several of them were later revealed as mutants after their initial introduction and origin stories. This is good and bad, as they don’t always have the support of the mutant nation, but also are not as persecuted as mutants who operate openly.
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From kings and secret agents to beloved heroes who didn’t even know they were mutants for several years, here is a look at Marvel Comics characters you might not know are mutants.
10) Namor
Namor is one of the oldest characters in Marvel Comics in terms of his publishing history. He first appeared in 1939 in the pages of Marvel Comics #1, which was a book published by Timely Comics at the time. When Marvel Comics officially launched, Namor was one of the old characters brought over, along with Captain America. He made his Marvel Comics debut in Fantastic Four #4 in 1962, where he was revealed to be the King of Atlantis and a classic hero from the older comics. In X-Men #6, it was hinted that Namor was a mutant when both Charles Xavier and Magneto tried to recruit him, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Marvel calls him the first mutant in the line, although there were several mutants before him in history (such as Apocalypse).
9) Red Guardian (Vanguard)
The Red Guardian from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Alexei Shostakov, and he is a super soldier, not a mutant. However, he also isn’t the only person to take on the role for Russia. Another Red Guardian is Nikolai Krylenko, who has also gone by the name of Vanguard. He also joined the Soviet super soldier program and soon became a member of the Winter Guard, Russia’s superhuman team, their version of the Avengers. However, while he was part of the super soldier program, he also had mutant powers. He can create an energy field that repels all electromagnetic, kinetic, and gravitonic energy, allowing him to redirect it.
8) Cloak & Dagger
Cloak and Dagger are former teenage runaways who gained powers when they were kidnapped and trafficked by the Maggia. While there, the Maggia tested a new experimental drug on them (as well as another teenager who later became Mister Negative). This gave them the powers of lightness and darkness, which turned them into superpowered vigilantes. It turns out that Cloak and Dagger were mutants, and would have been activated naturally if not for the drugs, which artificially activated them prematurely. The demonic D’Spayre even told them their powers would have been drastically different if not for the drugs (Cloak and Dagger Vol. 3 #19)
7) Firestar
Most fans really got to know Firestar the best thanks to the old cartoon Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. This is because she was an original character for the cartoon before Marvel Comics brought her in to be a character in the books. She was a mutant in the cartoon and a former girlfriend of another former X-Men member, Iceman. However, after making her comic book debut in Uncanny X-Men #193 in 1985, she has rarely been associated with the X-Men or the mutant nation. It wasn’t until 2013 that she became a member of that team. She spent as much time in groups like the New Warriors and Avengers as she ever did with the mutants, making her mainly an outsider to the mutant nation. She also struggled with alcoholism thanks to her PTSD from a mix of her fear of Ultron and the persecution she faced as a young mutant.
6) Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan is another superhero whose origin has changed over time. At first, she was a massive Carol Danvers fan. When the Inhumans released the Terrigen Bomb, her Inhuman powers manifested themselves, giving her the ability to stretch and shape her body in any way imaginable, along with a healing factor. However, it turns out that the Terrigen Mist didn’t just release her Inhuman abilities. It also helped trigger Kamala’s mutant powers, making her a rare mutant-Inhuman hybrid, which allowed her to be resurrected in the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols. Those mutant powers finally manifested in a battle against Legion, which is the creation of hard-light constructs similar to her Disney+ series powers.
5) Abigail Brand
Abigail Brand is a half-alien, half-human agent of SWORD. This is a big reason why the fact that she is a mutant remains easy to forget, since she doesn’t openly use her powers and remains an off-planet agent most of the time. She is also only a begrudging ally of the X-Men and the mutants on Earth. Brand wasn’t even raised on Earth, but her mother is an Earthling, and that is where she got her mutant powers. She is also a rare mutant because she is also a half-alien. Brand can generate heat with her hands using her mutant powers and can light a person on fire with just a touch. Her alien genetics allow a healing factor.
4) Madame Webb (Cassandra Webb)
The current Madame Webb is Julia Carpenter, but the original was Cassandra Webb. For much of her existence, it seemed that she had her precognition powers thanks to her connection to the Spider-Totem. While she did have that link, she is actually a mutant. While most of the spider-characters in Marvel Comics got their powers from the spiders, Webb was born with her clairvoyance gifts, and her mutant powers allow her to see the future. She even had at least one mutant adventure when Black Tom Cassidy and the “mutant-adjacent” Juggernaut tried to use her mutant powers for their own goals.
3) Kraven the Hunter
The original Kraven the Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff, was not a mutant, and any powers he had were from chemical and magical enhancements. However, he had a son with a mutant woman who ended up taking his dad’s place. After Kraven died by suicide following his battles with Spider-Man, Alyosha Kravinoff took his place, and he was a mutant. While his father was a trained hunter, one of the best of all time, Alyosha’s mutant powers made him equal to his dad without needing the chemical assistance. His main mutant power was that he could silently communicate with animals, while also having a healing factor.
2) Typhoid Mary
Typhoid Mary has almost nothing to do with other mutants. Instead, she has almost always been an enemy of Daredevil and Elektra and an associate of Kingpin. However, while she is an assassin for Kingpin with a fractured psyche creating multiple alters, she is also a mutant. Typhiod Mary has low-grade psychic abilities, and she can disturb the minds of others, although this has contributed to her own struggles to maintain her sanity. As with most psychics, she can also move small objects with telekinesis and can also start fires with her mind.
1) Santa Claus
Not only is Santa Claus someone that most fans don’t know is a mutant, but he is also someone many people don’t know is a Marvel Comics character. This is the real Santa Claus from Christmas myths, and he is someone who has crossed paths with Spider-Man, the X-Men, SHIELD, Doctor Octopus, She-Hulk, and more. Santa Claus’s mutant powers involve magic, which gives him a long lifespan. He can teleport across the world, which is how he delivers his presents all in one night. Like Deadpool, Santa also knows he is a comic book character and also breaks the fourth wall at times.
Do any of these choices surprise you? Who is your favorite mutant who isn’t openly known among the X-Men and their various team? Let us know in the comments below.
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