8 More New Mutants We Want Back at Marvel Comics

The New Mutants are back! That’s a phrase that raises equal levels of excitement and confusion. New Mutants is a title with a very devoted fan base, especially those that fell in love with the first volume of the comic written by Chris Claremont or Louise Simonson. For many it’s the X-title that got them hooked into Marvel Comics during the heyday of mutants. However, it’s also a title that has gone through some strange changes and diverse lineups over the years, including its reimagining as X-Force by Rob Liefeld.

New Mutants: Dead Souls, the new six-issue mini-series debuting this week, appears to be primarily focused on the classic lineup. Writer Matt Rosenberg and Adam Gorham have assembled a team including Magick, Wolfsbane, Rictor, and Boom Boom. Strong Guy is also featured, even though he’s much more strongly associated with X-Force. In any case all five of these characters have deep roots within the X-Men universe, and Magick and Wolfsbane are undoubtedly two of the most popular New Mutants ever.

Their return to the face of Marvel Comics has us considering what other characters from the multiple iterations of New Mutants we would like to see make a return. Whether they’re dead, disappeared, or simply existing in obscurity, there are a lot of young mutant characters who deserve more time on the page. Here are eight of the best characters from New Mutants that we want back in the pages of Marvel Comics, sooner rather than later.

Cypher

Created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 1) #13

There are few characters from New Mutants with a more devoted cult following than Doug Ramsey. He’s the everyman that allowed readers to imagine joining on adventures without being invulnerable or throwing fireballs. It was his cleverness, heart, and extremely adaptable translation abilities that made him an invaluable part of the team. Ramsey has returned from the grave, but been missing from X-comics for the past few years. It’s time he rejoined the fight for equality on a new team.

Warlock

Created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 1) #18

It would be unreasonable to bring Cypher back without having him be accompanied by Warlock. One of Bill Sienkiewicz’s greatest designs, Warlock also has a heart every big as Doug Ramsey’s. It’s what made them fast friends and literally inseparable at times. Warlock is a delight to watch in everyday interactions or battling supervillains. There’s simply no reason not to have him as a regular part of the half-dozen mutant related teams currently in publication. Every month where Warlock is nowhere to be seen is a wasted opportunity.

Mirage

Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants

Mirage is the only founding member of the New Mutants without a home. Her powers and experiences make her every bit as unique as Karma, Sunspot, or any of the other original members though. Dani Moonstar has been both a mutant and valkyrie over the years, waging war on both Earth and Asgard. She’s also at the center of the best New Mutants story ever told: “The Demon Bear Saga”. Whether she’s slinging arrows or crafting illusions, Dani is a valuable teammate and one of the most underrated X-persons in existence.

Magma

Created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 1) #8

Magma was one of the first new additions to the original New Mutants team and offered one of their most confusing origin stories. That doesn’t matter as much as the heart of this character, which is exceedingly clear: an outsider with good intentions and the ability to control lava. No matter where Magma goes, she remains a charming firebrand, both literally and figuratively. Creators ought to ignore whatever parts of her past that confuse the character and focus on a personality that warms up a room even more than her powers might.

Blink

Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #317

This pick may soon be rectified depending on which version of Blink is featured in the upcoming revamp of Exiles. While we know a Blink will be present on the multiversal team, it’s unclear which reality she is from. We would love to see Blink become one of the leading mutants in the core Marvel Comics universe again though after she first joined the New Mutants in the wake of “Schism”. Whether she’s with the Exiles, stuck in the Age of Apocalypse, or helping the New Mutants, Blink is a consistently positive character whose teleportation powers benefit any team. Keeping her away from the rest of the X-Men is a genuine shame.

Copycat

Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 1) #98

Copycat holds an exceptionally strange place in New Mutants history. She was introduced to the series as Domino only a few issues before it ended. After a couple of years it was revealed that Copycat had been imitating the luck-based assassin in the pages of X-Force #19. While Copycat never was a very popular character in comics, she’s set up for a comeback. She was portrayed by Morena Baccarin in the 2016 film adaptation of Deadpool, and has been revealed to still be alive in comics. It sounds like this is one mutant in need of a profile boost at Marvel.

Elixir

Created by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Keron Grant

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 2) #5

Elixir began his career as the resident healer for a group of inexperienced mutants who regularly faced dangers far out of their league. It was soon revealed that Elixir’s ability to heal was far greater than simple repairs. He can manipulate biology, for good and ill, and has become essentially immortal. As Elixir’s powers are expanded, so is his worldview and potential. It’s something worth continual exploration in future X-Men comics.

Prodigy

Created by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Keron Grant

First Appearance: New Mutants (vol. 2) #4

Prodigy is another new New Mutant who saw his powers and role expanded only to be quickly forgotten about. In the pages of the most recent volume of Young Avengers, Prodigy played a key role due to his incredible reserves of knowledge. Even in spite of having lost his mutation on M-Day, Prodigy was still a capable team member in the face of multiversal disaster. There’s no reason to keep this character depowered or out of the limelight. Just like Cypher, he’s a valuable new perspective with a very unique ability that any clever writer would relish utilizing in superhero adventures.