Warning: SPOILERS for Excalibur #4
Marvel’s X-Men comics are rewriting the history of the mutant race. Tini Howard and Marcus To’s is proving to be the unexpected star of the X-Men relaunch. It’s transformed Betsy Braddock into the new Captain Britain, with her brother Brian now under the control of Morgana Le Fey. The establishment of the mutant nation has caused chaos in the mystical realm of Otherworld, according to the magical principle of “as above, so below,” and war is brewing.
But Excalibur has also been subtly rewriting the history of the Marvel Universe, revealing that mutants have existed for longer than anyone previously thought. Previously, it had been believed that mutants were rare until the twenty-first century, with ancient mutants such as Exodus and Selene serving as evolutionary precursors for a global boom in mutant numbers. But Excalibur has suggested mutants have always been around, confused as witches and wizards.
This week’s Excalibur #4 further extends that idea, revealing that the ancient British order of druids are derived from mutants who possess the ability to manipulate the ground. The issue sees Gambit and Rictor tasked to steal gemstones from a hidden subterranean kingdom that they discover is controlled by a group of druids. To Rictor’s surprise, when he uses his own powers against them they embrace him as their brother. The conversation clearly suggests that the druids are mutants, of a type known as Changelings, whose powers manifest from birth.
It’s a fascinating idea, because it has profound implications for how mutation works. Presumably there’s something in ancient Anglo-Saxon genes that makes it more likely for a specific powerset - the ability to manipulate the Earth - to develop. At some point, a group of mutants with that specific ability gathered together, developing their own community and training one another in the use of their powers. Interbreeding between mutants with this particular powerset would have naturally meant it became inherited, from one generation to the next, and perhaps became stronger with every generation. They finally retreated from the surface world, most likely to protect themselves from prejudice, in exactly the same manner as a contemporary sewer-dwelling tribe known as the Morlocks.
But if these principles are true of the druids, are they true of other legends and myths in history as well? And are there other ancient communities who have secreted themselves away, believing themselves to be mystics, but in truth being mutants? Excalibur is quite tightly focused on the United Kingdom and the relationship between Krakoa and Otherworld, so it’s unlikely to explore these broader questions. Still, the potential is clearly there for Marvel to write more mutant tribes into their history books.
More: Yes, The X-Men Are Creating Another Mutant Nation Already
