Are Franklin and Valeria Richards mutants or Inhumans?

[Riv86672]

I don't recall where it was established that one could have an X gene but not be a mutant, the idea that both Reed and Sue carry this X -gene, expressed earlier.

I can't recall anyone saying that both Reed and Sue had this? Anyone?

Mutants are born with an X gene, no matter when it activates.

That’s starting to sound more like DC’s metagene.

[JudicatorPrime]

I don't recall where it was established that one could have an X gene but not be a mutant, the idea that both Reed and Sue carry this X -gene, expressed earlier.

I can't recall anyone saying that both Reed and Sue had this? Anyone?

Mutants are born with an X gene, no matter when it activates.

I'm curious to know when it was established in print that Franklin was something other than a mutant. Whether we're talking about the old X-Men Days of Future Past storyline (granted, an alternate timeline Franklin, but Franklin nonetheless) or more recent stories, Franklin has typically identified as a mutant for some time now. But I haven't read every FF book over the last decade, so maybe something changed???

[Oberon]

Franklin is always a mutant. Technically the FF are mutates, beings that were exposed to radiations or substances that triggered their reactions.

But children of actual mutants, wasn't it once said, or did we discuss here earlier, that such children were not exactly mutants something else?

Because I recall there was a discussion about Siryn and her father Banshee both having identical/near powers (for that matter Magneto and Polaris)

so is that I guess mutants all, but I seem to recall a variant idea or explanation years ago.

[shooshoomanjoe]

When was the x-gene introduced in the MU as a concept? I remember that anyone born with powers was a mutant and if you're a mutant, your progeny as well as your younger siblings will be mutants (with the exception of Graydon Creed and Captain Britain, respectively). I believe this is the reason why Franklin was originally referred to as a mutant.

Edit: found this column from Marvel Age magazine that states mutants are those born with powers. The x-gene must have been introduced after the early 90s.

[PCN24454]

Franklin is always a mutant. Technically the FF are mutates, beings that were exposed to radiations or substances that triggered their reactions.

But children of actual mutants, wasn't it once said, or did we discuss here earlier, that such children were not exactly mutants something else?

Because I recall there was a discussion about Siryn and her father Banshee both having identical/near powers (for that matter Magneto and Polaris)

so is that I guess mutants all, but I seem to recall a variant idea or explanation years ago.

In real-life science, a child that inherits a mutation from a parent isn't considered a mutant. Other than that, I'm not sure.

[DrNewGod]

In real-life science, a child that inherits a mutation from a parent isn't considered a mutant. Other than that, I'm not sure.

I agree with you, but in the MU, the word morphed into a reference for a population sharing a common genetic characteristic decades ago. It just so happens that this common characteristic results in a wide variety of abilities and traits.

We also have to remember that Franklin's abilities debuted in the mid-1970s, when the term mutant didn't mean quite what it does in Marvel today. At that point, the X-Men were not only largely confined to their own corner of Marvel, they were out of print. So, at the time, where Franklin's nature fit in the rest of the MU's ecosphere didn't matter so much.

It seems to me he was intended as something distinct, and got conflated with mutants as they went from an obscure feature of the MU to a central one. By the modern definitions, yeah, I'd say he's a mutant.

[Mr_E_88]

What story is this from?

[Alan2099]

What story is this from?

It was an in-house ad Marvel put out. It was never featured in any actual story.

[Thundershot]

Man I remember those ads. I didn’t even read super hero comics back then... but my Marvel Transformers comics had them.

[shooshoomanjoe]

What story is this from?

Mutant Registration Act. I think it wrapped up with the Fall of the Mutants.

[Mike_Murdock]

When was the x-gene introduced in the MU as a concept? I remember that anyone born with powers was a mutant and if you're a mutant, your progeny as well as your younger siblings will be mutants (with the exception of Graydon Creed and Captain Britain, respectively). I believe this is the reason why Franklin was originally referred to as a mutant.

Edit: found this column from Marvel Age magazine that states mutants are those born with powers. The x-gene must have been introduced after the early 90s.

It feels like a 90s concept to me. I wouldn't be shocked if we're talking about something around the same era as the Legacy Virus.

[JudicatorPrime]

Not sure we need to make that big of a deal of the so-called "X-gene." After all, all of our genes have names, all acting on instructions from DNA. For example, the gene FOXP2 is believed to be the gene responsible for human development of speech and language. It is one of the primary genes that distinguishes humans from other primates.

Since the Celestials get all of the credit for human mutation, we have to credit them for introducing the latent gene(s) that makes superhuman abilities possible. That packet of latent genes includes the X-gene. If I recall correctly, the Celestials experimented on one group of early human ancestors, but produced three different subspecies. The first was the Deviants. The second was the Eternals. The third was a group that proved capable of mutation, a group that includes mutants, although mutants were themselves a further offshoot of this group. In the end when the First Host of Celestials left, the Earth was then populated by Eternals, Deviants, Humans without mutations and humans who were capable of mutation, which, again, includes the mutant strain.

[BroHomo]

It feels like a 90s concept to me. I wouldn't be shocked if we're talking about something around the same era as the Legacy Virus.

Having the "X-Factor" in their genetics that makes them mutants is an old concept in the 616

[Mike_Murdock]

I do remember that being the tagline for the original lineup of X-Factor. But was it described as part of their genes back in the 60s?