Should we get a in depth explanation on how the x gene works ?

[Cane_danko]

Star wars tried this with the force and it ruined a bunch of fan boys childhoods.

[Baron of Faltine]

Star wars tried this with the force and it ruined a bunch of fan boys childhoods.

Yes. The base thought came from good place, trying to add something new while explaining the old. But the effort is pointless and not worth it. It was not for Star Wars, nor would be for X men.
Yes you add some pseudo science explanations, but being a fictional universe with blurry very elastic law of physic that pass through dozens of different authors with different view and backgrounds eventually you end up with a complete convoluted mess.

I would add that trying to explain in detail the X gen would eventually lead to trying to explain how superpowers works(how wingless flight work? How shrinking powers work!? If you are small as electron, how you can think? If you are made of clay where you mind reside? Do you have a mind? Or are you a golem tha tbelieve it was the old you? Why speedsters can run faster than sound and still be humanoid shaped and still stick to ground? Wait gorillas can lift tanks? Wait how are you invulnerable? If Cyclops blast is pure kinetic energy Where the recoil energy goes? Do the Inorganic elemental characters still have biological functions in their elemental form. Someone those eat and drink in their other form, stand reason that they have to....Wait when you teleport what exactly happen to you? ....and so on and on is spiral you never get yourself out. A logical trap that is not worth it.

[Mutant 77]

I liked the older comics calling it an "X-factor" rather than an "X-gene" myself. Instead of being one random gene in mutants' DNA, it was more of a unique sequence or sequences in mutant DNA compared to "baseline" human DNA that gave them their powers. Made more sense to me.

Has the pineal gland ever been mentioned in the past?

[Mutant 77]

I agree with the theory that mutants are all "selective" reality-warpers.

[Spiderfan001]

If it plays a big part in the story then Yes, otherwise and it's just "science" that gets ignored by other writers

[jwatson]

No. People will take it way to far if the decription is too detailed. It gives powers is enough though the dampener thing i think needs to go or make more sense. How can you turn off genetics. Also dampeners if they do have them shiuldnt work the same on all mutants like dampening anole shouldnt be as easy as dampening magneto or cyclops. Like are you blocking cyclops concussion dimension from coming out his eyes? How?

[80sForever]

Has the pineal gland ever been mentioned in the past?

Generation X Film (1996)

"Mutation: n. 1. The act of being altered or changed. 2. The illegal genetic condition [US Statute 5504178], first apparent in puberty, caused by the X factor located in the pineal gland of the brain."

Also, Morrison probably believes it.

[Mutant 77]

Also, Morrison probably believes it.

Really? Where?

Maybe we can assume that it's a DNA sequence contained by genes inside the pineal gland which triggers the mutant genes featured on the entire organism.

[myownlittleusername]

No. People will take it way to far if the decription is too detailed. It gives powers is enough though the dampener thing i think needs to go or make more sense. How can you turn off genetics. Also dampeners if they do have them shiuldnt work the same on all mutants like dampening anole shouldnt be as easy as dampening magneto or cyclops. Like are you blocking cyclops concussion dimension from coming out his eyes? How?

The x-gene can produce any random power (that the writer can think of).
The dampener can dampen any power.
Both seems to make as much sense to me.

And if we're talking about "normal" dampeners that just dampen powers when they are active (instead of re-writing the DNA like some of the cures) then they don't really "turn off genetics", all the genes are still there, they only prevent the mutant from accessing whatever power they have.

[jwatson]

The x-gene can produce any random power (that the writer can think of).
The dampener can dampen any power.
Both seems to make as much sense to me.

And if we're talking about "normal" dampeners that just dampen powers when they are active (instead of re-writing the DNA like some of the cures) then they don't really "turn off genetics", all the genes are still there, they only prevent the mutant from accessing whatever power they have.

Which doesn't really make sense for mutants who powers are always active like anole or can work subconsciously like Storm or Jean so if your cutting off their access shouldn't their power go out of control or something since they aren't actively able to control it.

[myownlittleusername]

Which doesn't really make sense for mutants who powers are always active like anole or can work subconsciously like Storm or Jean so if your cutting off their access shouldn't their power go out of control or something since they aren't actively able to control it.

For mutants where the activation of the X-gene has changed their physical appearance, I would imagine that those changes remain when the dampener is active, as long as they don't depend on channeling external power (like Blob's mass apparently does). It's probably not always consistent though, writers are gonna write and editors are usually not gonna fact-check.

For powers like telekinesis and hydrokinesis I don't see any issues with dampeners, as both of those powers obviously require channeling external power which the dampener would prevent.
Dampeners also block Wolverine's healing factor just fine, and it also does not require conscious control on Wolverine's part.

Now there might exist other types of dampeners that only stops active power use, but that would be more like a telepath preventing the mutant from using their power, rather than switching the power off like a "true" dampener.

[dragon1440]

Should we get a issue were we get a in depth look in to how the x gene really works or keep it as a hand wave. Personally I'd love if they established what makes a omega different from a normal or what determines what powers will be developed.

Unless your in the genetics job field, many many dont understand how real genes work. Like do you know how the gene works that decides eye color? We dont need a scientific explanation that the average reader would not understand to take up five issues, because that is how much time at the minimum and how much background knowledge you need to understand genetics....

[Mutant 77]

For mutants where the activation of the X-gene has changed their physical appearance, I would imagine that those changes remain when the dampener is active, as long as they don't depend on channeling external power (like Blob's mass apparently does). .

In "X-Men: The Last Stand", the Cure makes Mystique look like a normal brunette woman. I guess that maybe, in the XCM, Mystique was born with a human appearance, and then turned into the blue form when she was 6 or so. It would also explain how she managed to survive in her first years of life so easily and reach Xavier in 1944.

[Force de Phenix]

The Celestials came to Earth and experimented on proto-humans making eternals, deviants, and humans. The Kree experimented on proto-humans and skipped the evolutionary phase and made the inhumans.

Mutants are just humans that slowly evolved and randomly are born with the X-Gene. The X-Gene is just a gene that is needed to manifest evolved human power. If a human isn't born with the "power" gene, they have no power. Mutant is just another name for "evolved human." That's why they labeled themselves the superior race - Homo Superior. They're like the Eternals, but it just took longer to reach that power level. And the writer can choose to make them stronger depending on how much they like the character.

That's how it works.

[dragon1440]

Also Genes are not just on off switches like people think of them. The eye gene for instance to determine eye color is decided by a combination of many genes and the way they are organized, not just one gene. Genes are more like systems then on off switches. That why the x "gene" is able to produce so many different variations because its not just one gene, it a combination of different gene systems to decide if your a mutant or not.