Line #25 Main/RadiationImmuneMutants


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7	->''"We are the children of the atom. Radiation gave birth to mutants. What will kill the humans, will only make us stronger."''
8	-->-- '''Sebastian Shaw''', ''Film/XMenFirstClass''
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10	Say you have a character hosed with enough radiation to [[DisintegratorRay turn a person into a carbon shadow on a wall]]. This being a {{Comic Book\|s}} or ScienceFiction story, odds are it turned them into a {{Mutant\|s}}, [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombie]], [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot mutant-zombie]] or just [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers plain gave them superpowers]]. The other upside? Radiation is now nearly harmless to them.
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12	Much like a (highly accelerated) version of how some food tasters slowly build up tolerance to poisons, characters who survive exposure to deadly amounts of radiation usually also [[TheImmune adapt a resistance to it]]... heck, they may even [[EnergyAbsorption start absorbing it]] and using it as their PhlebotinumBattery. It may also result in FeedItWithFire and trigger a HealingFactor, HyperactiveMetabolism, or the like.
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14	Sometimes they develop a [[HorrorHunger dependence on the radiation]] and need to live in (or make trips to) radioactive places or die. Alternately, they may start to ''generate'' the radiation themselves [[note]](or more likely leak through PowerIncontinence)[[/note]] as a kind of organic atomic reactor, and they [[PowerIncontinence might not]] be able [[WalkingWasteland to contain it]]. It may be possible for this immunity to be [[ScissorsCutsRock overcome]] with sufficiently overwhelming radiation sources.
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16	Compare CurseThatCures, when a supernatural condition that is BlessedWithSuck has a silver lining. Also compare SheepInWolfsClothing.
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18	----
19	!!Examples:
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21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
24	* ''Manga/{{Coppelion}}'': The eponymous Coppelions are genetically engineered to be immune to radiation, allowing them to enter post-nuclear-meltdown Tokyo without a HazmatSuit or [[PostApocalypticGasmask gasmask]].
25	* In ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', the mutant plants, fungi and insects of the toxic jungle known as The Sea of Corruption are the only things that can survive in regions that have been contaminated with nuclear fallout left over from the atomic war known as The Seven Days of Fire, and in fact have become a bigger threat than the radiation itself, as their spores will infest and kill any human who breathes them in. In the manga, this is revealed to be because [[spoiler:they are not, in fact "mutants", but rather [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke the product of genetic engineering,]] designed to absorb fallout particles and other pollutants into their bodies and process them into an inert form in order to restore Earth's environment. As it turns out, this also applies to seemingly normal humans like Nausicaa herself as well, as they have also been genetically engineered to survive in a radioactive world and, ironically, will get sick and die if exposed to regions The Sea of Corruption has already purified. The reason its spores are so infectious to humans is because they are trying to consume the radionuclides already absorbed into their flesh.]] What's also interesting is that this trope does ''[[AvertedTrope not]]'' apply to the direct cause of the aforementioned fallout, the [[HumongousMecha gigantic]], biomechanical nuclear weapons platforms known as the God Warriors, whose organic components have an unfortunate tendency to [[BodyHorror melt]] from the radiation given off by their own inbuilt arsenals, likely designed that way as a form of planned obsolescence.
26	* It's not certain whether ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'' is a mutant or demon or [[HumanoidAbomination something else entirely]], but she is known to be extremely radiotrophic. In an early manga story, some doctors try to kill her with a radiotherapy machine, but this only accelerates her HealingFactor. This also gives a neat justification for the whole ShapeshifterBaggage problem, since her (usually painfully slow) regenerations are presumably fueled by background radiation under normal circumstances.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Comic Books]]
30	* In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManJMichaelStraczynski'', ComicBook/SpiderMan defeats Morlun by exposing himself to radiation that he's immune to after being bitten by a radioactive spider, meaning that Morlun just absorbs deadly radiation instead of Spidey's powers.
31	* ComicBook/CaptainAtom's origin story has him ''worse'' than mutated -- his body is vaporized by an atomic blast while inside an alien spaceship. His soul/mind somehow manages to bond itself to an alien metal alloy, turning him into an {{Energy Being\|s}} inside a ChromeChampion metallic shell. This transformation renders him effectively immune to radiation and able to manipulate energy. In a bit of a reversal, while the metal skin is tough and does protect him from radiation, it also protects ''everyone else'' from him suffering a SuperPowerMeltdown or generally irradiating everything.
32	* ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'': In the "Iron Dominion" universe, Tony Stark successfully killed the Hulk by dropping a very big nuke on him. However, Wonder Man was standing next to Hulk at the time, and came out a new Hulk. Stark has decided to just leave Simon alone, because there is no nuke on Earth that can actually kill him.
33	* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': The Hulk and his gamma-radiation-empowered RoguesGallery have a higher resistance to radiation because of their mutations. In fact, the Hulk even ''emits'' gamma radiation as part of his transformation. In particular, the Red Hulk gains power not from rage, but from absorbing radiation.
34	** Bruce Banner's family and most other gamma powered characters were confirmed to have a genetic mutation that meant they got superpowers when exposed to radiation instead of cancer.
35	** Sometimes, the immunity comes and goes. It's often suggested that a sufficiently powerful nuke ''might'' kill the Hulk... but sometimes all it'll do is make him stronger and madder.
36	** Franchise/TheDCU has a similar concept called the metagene, where people with rare genetics can get superpowers when exposed to radiation or similar stresses. It was mainly a {{Retcon}} to explain why people got superpowers from dangerous radioactive accidents and why [[DisposableSuperheroMaker the events can't be replicated to give everybody powers]].
37	* ''ComicBook/Superboy1994'': One of the less intelligent and more dangerous [=DNAliens=] (creatures and individuals formed by experimenting with human DNA and sometimes mixing in alien DNA) Cadmus creates are the Four-Armed Terrors, which feed on nuclear radiation. Superboy has to fight one to try and prevent it from destroying all the safety and containment features around Cadmus's own nuclear power facility.
38	* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] and taken to further extremes than ComicBook/CaptainAtom in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. Dr. Manhattan was blasted into his component particles in a FreakLabAccident, after which his disembodied consciousness gained a sort of EnlightenmentSuperpowers and [[SelfConstructedBeing formed a new body]] through [[RealityWarper reality warping]]. This is played for drama when his ex-wife reveals that she got cancer from him. [[spoiler:She was actually secretly exposed to radiation sources by the BigBad just to make Dr. Manhattan start avoiding humanity.]] This is actually just a peripheral ability for his general immunity to ''all'' damage, [[spoiler:including disintegration]].
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Fan Works]]
42	* In ''Fanfic/TheBridgeMLP'', Godzilla Junior and Xenilla are this as per their mutations into {{kaiju}}. However, it's found that normal Equestrians are this as well naturally, due to living in a realm with so much free flowing magic that races have magical abilities biologically. Thankfully, this means that being around Junior or Xenilla won't give them radiation sickness.
43	* Peabody, an albino Deathclaw from the ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' parody comic ''[[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/deathclaw-desu-ga/list?title_no=82535 Deathclaw Desu Ga]]'', absorbs radiation with no ill effects. Her Pip-Boy states that "You should be dead from radiation poisoning." However, being an albino whose spent her whole life in a Vault, [[ProneToSunburn she sunburns within an instant]].
44	* In ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'', ghouls, phoenixes, and other creatures that survived the original nuclear fallout are resistant and even heal in the presence of radiation. By the end, [[spoiler:Littlepip gets the same benefit, even though she can still get radiation sickness]].
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
49	** {{Subverted\|Trope}} with Big G himself. While absorbing radiation does make him larger/stronger, he can also go into a nuclear meltdown if he absorbs too much radiation, as seen in ''Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah''.
50	** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', the Mutos are immune to radiation (and feed on it!) but are actually natural creatures, originally from a time when radiation levels on earth were much higher.
51	* ''Franchise/XMenFilmSeries'':
52	** In ''Film/XMen1'', Magneto's machine triggers mutation in normal humans but has no effect on mutants. Somewhat {{justified\|Trope}} in that it's implied to activate the dormant X-factor gene -- in mutants, said gene is already active.
53	** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' is a {{subver\|tedTrope}}sion, however. Despite delivering the page quote, Sebastian Shaw has no evidence that any mutant [[EnergyAbsorption other]] than [[ItsAllAboutMe himself]] would be unharmed by nuclear radiation. It's possible that this is part of why Magneto took several additional decades to work on his own plan, despite agreeing with Shaw's goals.
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56	[[folder:Literature]]
57	* In the ''Literature/NoonUniverse'', the Golovans (sentient canine species) evolved from common dogs on the irradiated post-nuclear war wastelands of Saraksh and are largely immune to radiation. But then again, so are [[WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture humans from Earth]] (though not the HumanAliens of Saraksh itself).
58	* ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'': Earth has become radioactive, and the humans still there are [[DownplayedTrope slightly more resistant to radiation]] than the rest of the Galactic Empire, but it's not statistically significant. [[spoiler:However, they are resistant to radiation-mutated diseases that are lethal to off-worlders.]]
59	* Chris Roberson's TieInNovel ''ComicBook/XMen: The Return'' implies that Creator/MarvelComics's mutate characters like [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]] and the ComicBook/FantasticFour are a different type of mutant who have their powers activate when exposed to radiation.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
63	* In ''Series/The100'', the Grounders (descendants of people who survived the nuclear war) and people from the Ark (who have survived exposure to high radiation levels in their orbital habitat) can endure the current levels of radioactivity on Earth's surface. The Mountain Men (descendants of people who took shelter in the Mount Weather facility) aren't so fortunate.
64	* In ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'', those who've gained superpowers from exposure to promicin become immune to it. Normally, though, exposure has a 50% chance of death.
65	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks the Daleks' debut]], they were the mutated descendants of a people exposed to too much radiation (hiding inside pepper-shaker shaped travel machines). Turns out, they didn't need to worry about the radiation and would actually die if the rads were turned off. This dependence on radiation was {{retcon}}ned or ignored entirely [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in every subsequent appearance by them]].
66	* Ted Sprague from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' accidentally killed his wife with cancer from his radiation emitting power. Fans noted that he seems to be immune to the effects of his power and came up with the term "Rule of Ted" for characters who are [[RequiredSecondaryPowers immune to the effects of their own abilities]].
67	* Like in the comics, ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw'' has the Hulk explaining that he and his cousin Jennifer have rare genetics that makes gamma radiation give them superpowers instead of poisoning.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
71	* In the ''Adventurer's Club'' magazine #2 ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' adventure "What Rough Beast!", a GENOCIDE laboratory mutates a bear into a monster that needs a continuous supply of radiation to maintain its special abilities. It is, of course, immune to damage from radiation. The {{Player Character}}s can most easily defeat it by shutting down the laboratory's malfunctioning nuclear reactor, which is releasing a high level of radioactivity.
72	* Mostly {{averted\|Trope}} in ''TabletopGame/GammaWorld''. A mutant could have a power that protected against radiation (e.g., Physical Reflection-Radiation), but most mutants had no more resistance against radiation than non-mutants.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Video Games]]
76	* In ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'', the there are plenty of poisonous gases on the planet that will kill an unprotected human. A faction following the Harmony path can eventually learn to heal in the gas.
77	* In the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' games, any mutated lifeforms resulting from the titular GreenRocks' spread across Earth are not only unharmed by Tiberium, but can heal in it.
78	* ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'':
79	** [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier Ghouls]] are "necrotic post-humans" who look like zombies and find radiation comfortably warm -- not only are Ghouls healed by radiation, it's possible that they're actually sustained by it, as seen with specimens active behind sealed doors two hundred years after the bombs fell. A rare variant called Glowing Ones emit radiation, and can release a pulse of energy that can harm enemies and heal, or even revive, their fellow Ghouls. On the downside, prolonged radiation exposure will eventually rot a Ghoul's brain, leaving them mindless Feral Ghouls.
80	** [[HulkMashUp Super Mutants]] are products of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, and aren't healed by radiation, but are immune or at least highly resistant to it. That said, the more exposure a person has to radiation before being dunked in FEV, the dumber the resulting Super Mutant.
81	** Some post-apocalyptic humans have developed a resistance or immunity to radiation, presumably a beneficial mutation from living in a nuclear wasteland, and with the right perks the PlayerCharacter can gain similar benefits as well. The Children of Atom, a CargoCult worshiping the personification of radiation, is mostly made up of people with "Atom's blessing" able to live in old nuclear silos or bomb craters without issue.
82	* The mutants in ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'', including those that comprise most of the roster of player characters, are of the "grow stronger with radiation" variety, as indicated by radiation pellets being used as a leveling-up system for all characters.
83	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/PokemonUranium''; Nuclear type Pokémon aren't immune to Nuclear type attacks, but they do resist them, which is still notable considering they're [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere weak to everything else]] (not accounting for second types and their match-ups).
84	* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' has two {{downplayed\|Trope}} examples with the Survivor trait, as well as the Tomb World climate preference. Survivor grants a bonus to their capabilities to survive on Tomb Worlds, and is exclusive to the populations of [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] empires. Tomb World climate preference allows a species to adapt to nearly any environment, though they do prefer Tomb Worlds. Beyond their ability to thrive in radioactive wastelands/everywhere (respectively), species with these traits do not have superpowers.
85	* In ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III'', the Undead faction have the Disease Cloud ability, which allows Meat Wagons and Abominations to deal additional damage over time via persistent clouds of noxious plague to their targets, which the undead are immune to (even the enemy).
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Western Animation]]
89	* In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'', the eco-villain Duke Nukem (not [[VideoGame/DukeNukem that one]]) loves radiation so much that he turned himself into a mutant. He even bathed in nuclear radiation as a mutant in one episode without ill side effects.
90	* Mutants in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' are immune to the effects of the [[MutagenicGoo mutagenic lake]] that spawned them. Leela is revealed to be a mutant when she is dropped in the lake and comes out unaltered.
91	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'', a scientist tries to irradiate the entire Earth because after an accident, he can't live without high radiation levels.
92	* {{Subverted\|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012''; in the second episode when the Turtles obtain a canister of the Kraang's mutagen, Mikey tries to drink some of it assuming that a second dose will make a mutant mutate further. He's proven right in season 2 when Dogpound falls into Baxter Stockman's mutagen vat and turns into Rahzar. Played straight with April O'Neal, as she's completely immune to the mutagen's effects.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Real Life]]
96	* There is a bacterium, ''Deinococcus radiodurans'', that can survive radiation, among a large number of other environmental stresses. It was discovered when food preservation scientists thought that irradiating canned goods would destroy every organism inside it, but found this creature alive and breeding. It can withstand up to 5000 Grays of radiation (for reference, about 5 Grays can kill a human). It is so tough that it has been nicknamed "[[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Conan The Bacterium]]". A subversion of this trope in some regards, since Conan the Bacterium didn't have to "mutate" to survive so much radiation; its radiation immunity comes from its ability to [[GoodThingYouCanHeal repair damage to its DNA very quickly]], and it didn't develop this skill from radiation stress, but from ''dehydration''; it was just lucky that both radiation and dehydration could be survived with the same strategy. If it ever ''does'' mutate into something that's not harmless to other life forms, consider the OhCrap potential.
97	* [[http://phys.org/news/2014-04-chernobyl-birds-ionising.html Chernobyl's songbirds]], to some extent. Basically, they're responding to higher amounts of radiation by producing more antioxidants, which help repair damaged DNA. This also has the side effect of prolonging their lives.
98	* Also in UsefulNotes/{{Chernobyl}}... there is a species of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiotrophic_fungus radiotrophic fungus]] growing in the remains of reactor 4. Not only does the huge amount of radiation there not harm it, it actually needs it to survive. This particular variety of fungus has a HUGE amount of melanin which converts gamma radiation into chemical energy for growth. The downside... if it's taken out of the radiation field, it dies. This has made research on these creatures very difficult.
99	** There are not now natural nuclear reactors on Earth; but high-melanin strains of fungus have also been found in natural environments with lots of ultraviolet light, such as high-altitude mountains. Similar to bacteria that had evolved traits that turned out to confer radiation resistance, UV survival turned out to make these fungi able to survive the far higher-energy gamma emission at Chernobyl.
100	* Tardigrades are naturally resistant to radiation thanks to a protein they produce that protects their DNA from being damaged by radiation. What's more, the gene for this protein [[https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12808 can be introduced into human cells]] (which could be considered a kind of controlled mutation) and this makes the human cells more resistant to radiation.
101	[[/folder]]

Context Main / RadiationImmuneMutants