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14[[quoteright:241:[[ComicBook/{{Marvels}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggiemarvels1_1352.jpg]]]]
15[[caption-width-right:241:[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Beware the mutant]].]]
16
17->''"Of course. ''Mutants are best equipped to deal with the world today.'' Who else? THE GHOULS? Please. NORMALS? They brought nuclear death to us all. This will be the age of Mutants! '''Mutants.'''"''
18-->-- '''The Master''', ''VideoGame/Fallout1''
19
20Mutants, also known as Deviants and Freaks, are, by general definition, organisms that have undergone a permanent change to their genetic structure relative to the norm for their species. Sometimes this results in a new race or breed, or even, as mutations accumulate over time, a new species (speciation), and sometimes it's a one-off that produces effects that don't breed true, or are so negative that they prevent the individual mutant from successfully surviving and breeding. Technically, any deviation in a person's genetic code that isn't a "simple" combination of their parents' alleles would be a mutation. On average, human beings have 150 to 175 mutations each (mostly minor transcription errors or swapped chromatid segments), the vast majority of which are undetectable. So technically, we're all in some sense mutants.
21
22Mutants in fiction follow this same basic idea (though normally portrayed in [[MagicGenetics biologically implausible or impossible]] ways), but have a much wider variety of phenotype effects than RealLife mutations because of HollywoodEvolution. Fictional mutants are often {{superhero}}es, because "mutation" is a [[MetaOrigin very easy way]] to get multiple [[StockSuperpowersIndex power sets]] from a single SuperheroOrigin (this is why ''ComicBook/XMen'', the first major comic to have lots of characters introduced all at once, starred a group of mutants). Just as often, humans or other animals are mutated somehow into [[PowerUpgradingDeformation hideous]] AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters for the heroes to fight, or [[TheGrotesque pitiful misunderstood freaks]]. Because even low levels of radiation can be deadly with prolonged exposure, it's common for stories to have RadiationImmuneMutants who can survive, thrive on, or ''require'' radiation to live.
23
24There are two different ways to use the word Mutant: it can refer to characters who were born with a mutation, such as most members of the ComicBook/XMen. Creator/MarvelComics, the storytellers that have to be the most specific about this kind of thing, refers to these as '''Mutants'''. The other definition is things that have had their genetic code changed after birth, whether by [[NuclearMutant radiation damage]], [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke gene therapy]], or a [[ThePlague pandemic disease]]. Marvel calls these '''Mutates'''. Usually in fiction, these after-market mutations also alter germ cells and [[LamarckWasRight get passed on to the mutate's kids]]. For clarity's sake (and in accordance with the [[SuperRegistrationAct Mutant Registration Act]]), we keep the examples of these two different kinds of mutation separate.
25
26The mutates variety (and certain mutants with an UnstableGeneticCode) are prone to experiencing TransformationHorror in some form or fashion.
27
28May overlap with EvolutionaryLevels if the mutants are "[[TranshumanTreachery superior]]" to mankind. A type of SuperheroOrigin. Very frequent targets for FantasticRacism. Outside the superhero genre, mutants are most often encountered AfterTheEnd.
29
30A large body of examples of fictional mutants can also be seen on Website/{{Wikipedia}}: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutant_%28fictional%29 Mutant (fictional).]]
31
32----
33!!Examples of Mutants
34
35[[foldercontrol]]
36
37[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
38* In ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', both the Iga and Kouga clan have been selectively breeding mutant members of their clans, resulting in powers and occasionally deformities. These in-bred abilities vary in how controllable they are (unlike say usual depictions of CharlesAtlasSuperpower or KiManipulation where characters who have them never seem to have control issues unless they go beyond their limits) and how potent they are.
39* The Contractors and Dolls of ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' probably count, being a DarkerAndEdgier take on the traditional comic books version, although other than the fact that they generally have a MetaOrigin, there's no indication of whether or not any genetic difference exists. It might even be a subversion; it's mentioned offhand that some government research organizations assumed it was genetic, tried eugenics programs to get themselves a superpowered army, and failed miserably.
40* One of ''Manga/DigimonVTamer01'''s protagonists is a PrehistoricMonster and every last mutant he encounters is antagonistic towards him, though some of them do become his friends later. For whatever reason, many of these monsters have their mutant status revoked in later Franchise/{{Digimon}} works.
41* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
42** An [[WordOfGod interview]] with Creator/AkiraToriyama years after the conclusion of the [[Manga/DragonBall manga]] revealed that Freeza and King Cold are mutants among their own race, hence why they are exceptionally strong compared to the vast majority of them. In the manga proper, the Ginyu Force are also confirmed mutants. [[Anime/DragonBallZCoolersRevenge Cooler]] and Kuriza (Freeza’s brother and son) are assumed to be mutants as well, [[StrongerSibling especially Cooler]] though they aren’t considered canon.
43** ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'': Broly's extreme power, even for a Saiyan, is explained as him being a mutant. He also has a superior version of the Saiyan's normal AdaptiveAbility. A normal Saiyan becomes stronger after recovering from an injury, but he can become stronger during a fight if he is being overwhelmed by his current opponent.
44* The diclonii in ''Manga/ElfenLied''. A particularly creepy example, given that after going through the motions of persecution and acceptance, [[spoiler:humanity exterminates them and this is [[EsotericHappyEnding considered a good thing]]]].
45* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', the second to last story arc in the series reveals this to be the case of [[spoiler:BigBad Utsuro and Kagura's mother, Kouka]]. They were born with the ability to absorb and store large amounts of their birth planets' [[LifeEnergy Altana]], giving them a HealingFactor, slow aging, and near immortality. If they leave their birth planets, they will have to rely on their large reserves until it runs out, greatly weakening them [[spoiler: as was the case with Kouka, combined with giving birth to two children.]]
46* ''Manga/InterviewsWithMonsterGirls'''s {{demihuman}}s are actually humans born with genetic mutations that cause them to exhibit traits of the monsters found in folklore.
47* Sein of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' was revealed in the [[AudioAdaptation third Sound Stage]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' to be one in addition to being a {{Cyborg}}. Unlike her sisters, she had an unexpected mutation when she was being born. This is the source of her [[{{Intangibility}} phasing abilities]].
48* The idea that Newtypes in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are a result of evolution or mutation is gradually debunked as the metaseries goes on. In the earliest shows, however, they are implied to be humans adapting to living (and dying) in space by gaining enhanced senses and low-level PsychicPowers. All related tropes about mutants being exploited, persecuted, and persecuting back apply in full, as well.
49* Any ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' character or clan with a "[[SuperpowerfulGenetics bloodline trait]]", such as the Uchiha clan and their Sharingan. At least, at first, the final arc in Shippuden suggests that all kekkai genkai are all specific residual traits inherited from a common ancestor, [[HalfHumanHybrid who was an alien]].
50* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', most of the strongest people get that way via training really, really, ''really'' hard, getting a Devil Fruit, or most likely both. Big Mom is neither, she's simply a freak of nature. She was ''born'' abnormally strong and despite not being a giant grew so rapidly she might as well be, and by age 5 was strong enough to seriously injure or kill ''[[OurGiantsAreBigger giants]]'' on accident. Deconstructed, as no one knew ''how'' to properly care for her due to her unique nature, which ultimately lead to her severe mental illness as an adult.
51* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' has the emergence of the NEXT 45 years ago. A mutation occurred in humans which led to certain people having superpowers.
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Comic Books]]
55* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
56** ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
57*** Killer Croc was originally conceived as just an unusually large and strong man with a skin condition not unlike epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, giving him a scaly, crocodile-like hide. Then, [[DependingOnTheArtist later artists]] and [[DependingOnTheWriter writers]] portrayed him with a bunch of other reptilian/crocodile-like traits such as the ability to stay underwater for long periods, a pronounced snout, reptilian eyes, an atavistic mindset, and sometimes even a tail. At least one writer has explained this as a a mutation in his disease (and possibly a [[MetaOrigin metagene]]) that was further worsened by [[ComicBook/BatmanHush Hush]] infecting him with a mutagenic virus. The end result is the crocodilian monster we all know and love.
58*** [[LegacyCharacter The fifth Clayface]], Cassius Payne, is the only Clayface born with his condition, being [[SuperpowerfulGenetics the product of two clay mutations marrying]].
59*** ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' has a massive teen gang called the Mutants terrifying Gotham. The leader is probably the only Mutant who might actually be a mutant. Well, that or a plain old sociopath with filed teeth.
60** Of note is the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] hero Captain Comet, described as a man [[EvolutionaryLevels born 1000 years before his time]].
61** ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'':
62*** Mano, one of the members of the Fatal Five, is one of the few metahumans explicitly mentioned as being a mutant, having been born with the ability to disintegrate anything he touched with his right hand. Notably, however, Mano is not human, but an ''alien'' mutant. As a response to the mistreatment that he received because of his mutation, Mano became a monster and used his anti-matter touch to destroy his own homeworld, afterward plaguing the galaxy at large.
63*** Another mutant from the ''Legion'' books is the hero Ferro Lad (or just Ferro, in the post-''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' version), who has the power to turn his body into steel.
64* ''Ex-Mutants'' from Eternity Comics features future humans reduced to becoming deformed mutants as a result of a prior nuclear war. Fortunately, a three-eyed scientist was able to genetically resequence a group of young mutants into humans of peak physical ability and these Ex-Mutants were to spread hope for a return of humanity.
65* In ''ComicBook/{{Mampato}}'', a nuclear war in the 30th century completely destroyed civilization. A thousand years later, all living things on the planet are mutants, including plants, animals, and humans, who organize themselves into different tribes according to their mutation. Rena, Mampato's best friend, is an albino telepathic mutant girl.
66* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
67** Subverted at the start of ''ComicBook/ClanDestine'', as twins Rory and Pandora manifest powers in their early teens and (this being the Franchise/MarvelUniverse) assume that they're mutants, keep their abilities secret from their relatives and try to become superheroes. As it turns out, ''everyone'' in the family has powers, and they're [[HalfHumanHybrid not mutants at all]].
68** ''ComicBook/TheEternals'': Thanos is a mutant Eternal born with an appearance similar to that of the monstrous Deviants. That same mutation is also why he is considerably more powerful than the average Titanian Eternal.
69** ''ComicBook/{{Marvels}}'' features [[TheGrotesque Maggie]] (pictured above), a young mutant girl with a skull-like face. Her [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent outlook]] is contrasted with the violent attitudes of anti-mutant humans.
70** As noted above, ''ComicBook/XMen'' is effectively the {{Trope Maker|s}} for mutants as a SuperheroOrigin. As time went on and the writers felt the need to justify superpowers as a mutation, [[EvolutionaryLevels they tried to tie things into evolution]], and then things got... [[GoalOrientedEvolution screwy]].
71*** Creator/WarrenEllis' run of ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'' introduces Kaga, an elderly Japanese man born after the UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki who describes himself as a "textbook mutant", i.e., the type that occurs in real life. Because his mutations are caused by genetic damage from nuclear radiation rather than the [[MagicGenetics X-Gene]], he has no superpowers, only deformities that leave him unable to walk, disfigure half of his face, and give him [[ExtraDigits ten fingers on his right hand]]. Kaga is thus a {{deconstruct|edTrope}}ion of the common portrayal of mutation giving people superpowers, and has a murderous hatred of the X-Men, who despite their ([[AllOfTheOtherReindeer not incorrect]]) reputation as outcasts are nonetheless made up of [[CursedWithAwesome athletic, attractive people born with superpowers]] rather than disfiguring and debilitating mutations.
72*** Early ''X-Men'' comics implied, and it was later confirmed, that Namor the ComicBook/SubMariner is a mutant, in addition to being a cross-breed between humans and Atlanteans. This explains his ankle wings that allow him to fly, as well as his enormous strength.
73* ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'' has mutants all over the place due to [[AfterTheEnd strontium-90 fallout in the aftermath of a nuclear war]]. However, since this isn't America, [[SuperpowerRussianRoulette only a tiny fraction of the mutants actually get powers]] -- most are just disfigured.
74* An issue of the classic Creator/ECComics horror/sci-fi anthology series ''Weird Science'' (not [[Film/WeirdScience that one]]) has a story titled "The Loathsome" about a [[TheGrotesque badly deformed]] little girl being raised in an orphanage. Her father, a US Navy sailor, has his own DNA damaged by exposure to radiation during an atom bomb test in the Pacific just prior to returning home and fathering her. A military doctor convinces him to give up the infant and tell his wife the child had died shortly after birth. The girl has no superpowers and certainly isn't evil, but is treated as a monster by her caretakers and the other orphans because of her severe physical deformities. The story was AnAesop (a heart-wrenchingly tragic one) about the perils of nuclear weapons and mistreatment of people who are "different". You can read it [[http://weirdsciencefiction.blogspot.com/2010/07/loathsome.html here]].
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Fan Works]]
78* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
79** While the Marvel aspects are primarily based on the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, the fic includes considerable elements of mainstream comics canon, mutants among them, including most of the classic X-Men (in sometimes slightly altered forms), as well as Wanda Maximoff, Peter Wisdom [[spoiler:(a.k.a. Regulus Black, making him a wizard too)]] and Magneto (referred to for most of the first book as TheDreaded -- for good reason). Harry himself is one, via his maternal grandmother, who was the sister of Jean Grey's grandmother, underlining his status as a HeinzHybrid. That said, it is implied that his mutation and Asgardian abilities will clash in the form of a brain hemorrhage.
80** This is also given as the origin for the ability to use magic, a genetic mutation called 'the M-Gene', which can have considerable variation in how it manifests -- i.e., wanded wizards or wandless (though it's hinted that that one is more like being right or left-handed, and most can be trained to use at least a halfway house between the two), stronger or weaker practitioners who, in the latter case, do different things.
81* In ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'', genetic mutations are so prominent they get their own entry, with it being noted throwing magic into things makes things a lot more complex.
82** Dreadmares are rare mutated Boogeymares. Dread was a mutant Dreadmare, dubbed a Dreadmare Emperor, with pony-level intelligence and much stronger than normal.
83** In Changeling cultures, mutants are referred to as [[CallARabbitASmeerp 'Deviants']], and is often looked on with fear and rejection by the rest of their kind due to how unstable the Changeling genetic structure is. Chrysalis in particular hated them due to her racial supremacist views and had decreed their extermination during her reign. Thorax was one due to his ability to shapeshift into inanimate objects, something he hid from the rest of his hive until his and his hive's Purification. His hive ended up gaining it as well, and his brother Pharynx is also a mutant with his natural combat form.
84** As it turns out, Rainbow Dash is one. She's a Rainbow Pony, a mutant with a genetic mutation that lets her metabolize light into energy and mana, which are known for their super speed. However, even by their standards she's extremely fast, [[AchievementsInIgnorance though she is unaware of everything the mutation would allow her to do]]. Luminiferous is interested in bringing out her potential so she could perform the legendary "[[FasterThanLightTravel Rainbow Warp]]".
85** Applejack, Fluttershy, and Zecora are also mutants, though of a much less phenomenal degree than Rainbow. They possess the very common "Happy Tail" gene, and thus have {{Prehensile Tail}}s. Happy Tail mutations are also very common in Equus.
86** Princess Twilight Sparkle is a "So Soft" pony, based on the G1 pony toy line of the same name. Her mutation makes her fur somewhat thicker and much softer than normal, which can provide a natural armor against cold weather and some weaponry.
87* In ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/237978/how-trixie-somehow-saved-hearths-warming How Trixie (Somehow) Saved Hearth's Warming]]'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:the BigBad Leidr is a mutant wendigo]]. The rest of his kind are non-sapient beasts who act purely on instinct, but he's completely sapient and was born that way. This fact is the cause of [[SympathyForTheDevil the heroes reaching out to him]] after his defeat upon realizing how lonely and painful it was to have the rest of your kind be completely incapable of understanding you.
88* ''Fanfic/TheInstituteSaga'' is a ''Franchise/{{Superman}}''/''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' crossover, so naturally there're mutants. Superman's existence baffles Magneto because Magnus mistakes him for a mutant, but can't understand why Superman's so powerful or has so many different powers.
89* ''Fanfic/{{Maat}}'': Referencing the central location of its source work, ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', the Whateley Academy is mentioned in the first chapter:
90-->There is a school for mutants, called Whateley Academy, which has the facilities and teachers you'll need.~\
91~I'm a mutant?~\
92~No, but they're the only organization that can be trusted with your training at the moment.
93* In ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'', the EliteMooks born from [[EvilSorcerer Shamuhaza]]'s [[PlayingWithSyringes experiments]] are also known as mutants. They can be of any fantasy race [[EldritchTransformation transformed]] into [[PowerUpgradingDeformation hideous]] husks with little sanity left, or the result of FaceFullOfAlienWingWong.
94* ''FanFic/OriginStory'' is based on the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, so yes, there are mutants.
95** The most notable one is Louise Fulford, the main character's love interest. Her mutant power, the ability to change her hair color (all her hair, not just the stuff on her head) to any shade or combination of shades she wishes) is less than overwhelming.
96** There is an entire community of homeless, low-powered mutants living under an overpass in Los Angeles. Alex Harris (the story's main character) and Louise take shelter with them for a while, and look after them afterward.
97* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has "bloodliners", humans with Pokémon-related abilities. They used to be quite rare, but for reasons that have yet to be explained, [[BizarreBabyBoom their numbers have been exploding recently]].
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
101* ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'': Out of all the cats experimented on by Dr. Preterius, only [[spoiler:Claudandus]] survived exposure to the doctor's healing glue. Preterius theorized that [[spoiler:Claudandus]] is a mutant, with some unique genetic factor allowing his body to respond positively to the glue. Unfortunately, Preterius' tortuous attempts to crack the cat's genetic code and replicate the mutation only succeed in giving [[spoiler:Claudandus]] a murderous hatred for humans.
102[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
105%%* The telepathic mutants in ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes''.
106* ''Film/CrimesOfTheFuture2022'': Tenser, Brecken, [[spoiler:Lang]] and other humans are developing in totally different ways from the norm. In the case of Tenser, he's developing new organs (albeit non-functional ones) apparently ''through willing it''. Brecken, along with [[spoiler:Lang]] and others, are now able to subsist on plastic along with other things most humans can't, with a group that embraces these changes as the future of humanity's evolution. Many other regular humans, though, react to this with animus and even violence.
107* In ''Film/{{Dredd}}'', mutants are a result of the atomic wars that occurred in the backstory. Some are stated to have no arms, three arms, etc. [[FantasticRacism Anti-mutant graffiti]] can be seen in the Peach Trees block. Anderson is a borderline case, being a telepath. Kay even points out how lucky she is that her mutation does not affect her physical appearance. Dredd indicates that mutants are generally banned from becoming Judges; Anderson was let in because her telepathic ability exceeds any recorded case.
108* The main killer in ''Film/EvilDeadTrap'' is [[spoiler:a mutant baby named Hideki who lives within his twin brother and can come and go as he pleases]]. He also has [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic powers]] that mostly manifest as fiery explosions.
109* ''Film/{{Freaks}}'' tells the story of a troupe of sideshow performers with a number of rare disabilities. Most of the acts featured in the movie (and in their sideshow acts) focus on how they function in their day-to-day lives, such as Frances O'Connor eating her dinner with a knife and fork or knitting despite not having arms, Johnny Eck walking without legs, and Prince Randian lighting and smoking a cigarette when he doesn't have limbs at all. [[DisabledCharacterDisabledActor The stars of this movie had the same disabilities as their characters]], and like their characters, they led pretty contented lives and saw TheFreakshow as merely a way to make a living.
110* In ''Film/Freaks2018'', [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Abnormals]] are people genetically born with abilities "normal" people do not have.
111* ''Film/GrizzlyRage'': It's implied that the Grizzly was mutated by {{toxic waste|CanDoAnything}} in a river.
112* In ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes1977'', the members of the antagonistic CannibalClan exhibit a number of deformities and mutations. Papa Jupiter was twenty pounds at birth and the size of his father at the age of ten; his children (save for Ruby) are just as freaky, with Pluto being the most visibly different. It's subtly implied that their deformities come from radiation from the tests the Air Force are running nearby (though Creator/MichaelBerryman being cast as Pluto is a rather... strong hint); in [[Film/TheHillsHaveEyes2006 the remake]], it's outright stated that their mutations are caused by radiation exposure (along with [[InbredAndEvil inbreeding]]).
113* ''Film/ItsAlive'' revolves around a mutated baby born with multiple abnormalities, including fangs, claws, and apparently the ability to move about despite being a newborn infant -- all of which make it very dangerous when upset, [[EnfantTerrible as newborns tend to be immediately after birth]]. These mutations seem to have been caused by an experimental fertility drug given to the mother, a la [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide thalidomide]].
114* The giant octopus from ''Film/{{Octopus}}'' is similar to the below example. A biological weapon spill resulted in its ancestors being mutated, and several generations later the gigantic beast of the film results.
115* ''Film/{{Spring}}'': Louise is one whose form changes every twenty years, after she's gotten pregnant as this then lets her regenerate, remaining immortal because of it.
116* The [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant ants]] in ''Film/{{Them}}'' are an example, oddly enough. The radiation from nuclear testing didn't cause the ants to suddenly become gigantic; it was the ''offspring'' of those irradiated ants (along with their increased size, they emerged as adults from their eggs, with no larval or pupal stages in between. Another genetic quirk).
117* ''Film/TheseAreTheDamned'': The nine children being kept in a secret underground bunker by the British government have skin that's cold to the touch and are [[RadiationImmuneMutants immune to radiation]] yet [[PoisonousPerson contaminate any living thing that comes into contact with them]]. They were created in the womb by a freak radiation accident and are being studied in the hope of creating more such children who can continue the human race if nuclear war breaks out.
118* Several mutants appear in ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' as deformed inhabitants of a Mars colony, born with deformities due to their colonist parents being forced to live in poorly made domes that didn't protect them from space radiations during the early stages of colonization. One of the most famous ones is the [[{{Multiboobage}} three-breasted prostitute]].
119* ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'': Numerous humans and wildlife have ended up developing mutations AfterTheEnd. An example of the former is the Mariner, who [[ApparentlyHumanMerfolk appears totally human at first glance but has gills behind the ears]]; an example of the latter is a giant [[FlowerMouth three-jawed]] fish-thing that the Mariner hunts and turns into sushi.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Gamebooks]]
123* In the CYOA-style gamebook series ''A Road Less Traveled'' from ''Greek Winter Media'', it's a post-apocalypse future where the results of the nukes are two types of mutants. Mutts are just ugly and physically twisted mutants, though they are a danger in the wastelands as they congregate in large numbers. Anyone can become a mutt if they received enough radiation. The other type of mutant are the Shapers, these mutants are indistinguishable from normal humans, except they manipulate energy and may have psionics too (depends on breeding). Your character is a latent Shaper who has telepathy and electricity manipulation.
124* ''Literature/AppointmentWithFear'' has the Silver Crusader who was born a mutant when his scientist parents experimented on themselves before his conception. The villain Mastermind was born through a similar experiment which gave his powerful telepathy and intellect.
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Literature]]
128[[AC:Examples by creator:]]
129* Creator/IsaacAsimov:
130** "Literature/KidStuff": The elves in this story have a suite of PsychicPowers, and the elf antagonist is a mutant who demonstrates their mutation allows them to [[{{Technopath}} turn on a bare lightbulb while holding it]].
131** "Literature/TheMule": The reason why the Mule's status as a mutant is so plot-significant is that several characters think that this may make him unpredictable by the [[PrescienceByAnalysis mathematics of Psychohistory]]. It's revealed near the climax that his mutation allows him to manipulate the minds and emotions of other characters.[[note]]His origin is {{retcon}}ned in ''Literature/FoundationsEdge'' to create the background for a new faction within the galaxy.[[/note]]
132* The escapism inherent in this trope was subverted as early as 1954 in Creator/AlfredBester's short story "5,271,009", in which the main character is put in a LotusEaterMachine and experiences multiple juvenile fantasies, each of which is explained by "a mysterious mutant strain in his makeup that makes him different". On the other hand, the Espers (telepaths) of ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'' fit the ''ComicBook/XMen'' version very closely, including the idea of classifying them according to different levels of superpower.
133[[AC:Examples by work:]]
134* ''Literature/{{Ambient}}'': The Ambients are this in varying degrees. It's thought that they were born from parents who survived a nuclear accident on Long Island. Completely isolated from NYC itself and feared by the public, the Ambients formed their own community, culture, language and a religion based on the 'Godness'. While some of them are 'lucky' enough to lack limbs or end up as dwarfs, many of them are so deformed to the point of having grotesque mutations that rival those from real-life disasters such as Chernobyl. In the book's climax, it turns out that [[spoiler:they weren't products of the actual nuclear accident itself. In fact, their parents were given anti-radiation pills that deformed the fetuses during the mother's pregnancy. The Ambients' parents migrated from Long Island into the abandoned parts of the city to escape from being purged]].
135* With all the {{mad scien|tist}}ce going on in ''Literature/TheAutomaticDetective'', a few mutagens entering the water were only to be expected. [[spoiler:Actually, it's this way by design since some of the Pilgrims can't even remotely pass for human. Once people get used to weirdos and psychics running around, more and more of them can come out of hiding]].
136* In Creator/RichardMatheson's short story "Born of Man and Woman", the protagonist is a [[TheGrotesque deformed child]] born to normal human parents [[AbusiveParents who are disgusted by him]] and [[MadwomanInTheAttic keep him locked in their basement]]. The end of the story reveals that his deformities are much more extensive then the reader had been led to believe, including multiple limbs, wall-climbing and green blood.
137* ''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz'': After the Flame Deluge, mutations became common among humanity as a result of the high radiation levels. The mutants are described as coming in many different flavors, from simply having patches of skin in various shades to a full-on MultipleHeadCase. They are known as "the Pope's Children" after the Pope issues an edict that they are not to be harmed. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for Brother Francis, they didn't return the favor.]] Other times, the are called "the children of the Fallout" for rather obvious reasons.
138* ''Literature/TheChrysalids'' features a [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic society]] where mutants are a common occurrence. However, seeing as it's a CrapsackWorld, they're immediately exiled or killed on discovery.
139* ''Literature/{{Deathlands}}'' has more mutants than you can shake a smoking gun barrel at. After the nuke, humanity and nature both mutated in unpredictable ways. They're shown as either victims of FantasticRacism or the standard sci-fi pulp AlwaysChaoticEvil opponents. The exception to that binary is Krysty Wroth, one of the main heroes, a beautiful redhead mutant who's completely human in appearance and whose mutations are mostly beneficial, such as minor telepathy and trance-induced SuperStrength; her only deleterious mutation is that her hair is living, causing her great pain when it's attacked.
140* ''Literature/DraconisMemoria'': The Spoiled, the native inhabitants of Arradsia, are twisted, misshapen mockeries of mankind. Extremely primitive and almost animalistic in their behaviour, their bones are gnarled and mangled from birth and their flesh is marred by numerous scales, horns and spikes randomly growing from them.
141* Serroi in ''Literature/TheDuelOfSorceryTrilogy''. In this case, it means that she's [[LittleMissBadass tiny]], [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation green-skinned]], and has what seems to be a pineal eye of sorts and PsychicPowers.
142* The titular characters in ''Literature/TheEarTheEyeAndTheArm'' are from a village whose water source was tainted with radiation; their pregnant mothers drank the water, leading to their unique abilities.
143* The protagonists (and antagonists) of Tom [=DeHaven=]'s affecting novel ''Freaks' Amour'' are mutants born after a suitcase bomb goes off in New Jersey.
144* ''Literature/{{Gladiator}}'' has Hugo Danner, who gained SuperStrength and a measure of NighInvulnerability when his borderline MadScientist father injected SuperSerum into his then pregnant mother. Interestingly, Hugo's mutations aren't hereditary, and the only way any future children of his could gain his powers is through the serum.
145* Creator/EdmondHamilton's story "He That Hath Wings" features a mutant born after his mother was [[LightningCanDoAnything hit with electricity]] (there is a long explanation fitting firmly into the ScienceMarchesOn area). The child is born a WingedHumanoid, a rather obvious inspiration for the Angel from ''ComicBook/XMen''. Unfortunately, another thing the Angel seems to have inherited is a tendency toward tragic biography.
146* In ''Literature/TheInfected'', [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual they're called... well, Infected]]. Otherwise, the trope is played dead straight like in ''ComicBook/XMen''. Several times, people have to reiterate that the Infected aren't contagious or anything, that's just the name that stuck when medical science was trying to decide what to make of them.
147* Played very darkly in the metatextual post-apocalyptic novel ''Literature/TheIronDream'', as mutants are used as a metaphor for how fascists (specifically, [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]]) view other races than their own.
148* In "Literature/ItsAGoodLife", Anthony's parents are normal humans, but Anthony is some kind of undescribed monster with RealityWarper powers. In [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S3E8ItsAGoodLife the adaptation in]] ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', he looks normal, but the story suggests that he looks quite inhuman -- he has a "purple gaze", an "odd shadow", and the doctor who delivered him tried to kill him after getting a good look at him.
149* ''Literature/{{Mindscape}}'': The Vermittlers, the only people who can penetrate the barrier, are not trusted because they are genetically engineered. In the novel, the Vermittlers have a parallel in the Sioux Indian Ghost Dancers; both groups are treated as outcasts and relate to the Barrier by singing to it.
150* ''The Mutant Files'' by William C. Dietz takes place after a global incident similar to ''Film/TwelveMonkeys''. An Islamist terrorist infiltrates his followers throughout the globe, and when the time comes, they release a genetically engineered virus into the world which killed large numbers of humanity. The few who survived mutate with many gross deformities and no advantages -- worse, yet these mutations became hereditary, leading to reservations for the mutants. ''ComicBook/XMen'' this series is not.
151* ''Literature/NonStop'': The most disfigured mutants aren't allowed to live much beyond birth by the tribes of Quarters. Some are allowed to live as second-class citizens. Gregg's band of raiders are at least half mutants. However, it's the non-human mutants that are possibly the most unnerving, including telepathic rabbits and moths, and intelligent rats.
152* ''Literature/OddlyEnough'': "In the Frog King's Court" starts off with main character Dennis looking around a swamp when he suddenly spots a five-legged frog, and later one with eyes on its shoulders. All evidence indicates that they're mutated due to chemical pollution from the factory nearby, which the frog king later confirms.
153* ''Literature/OrphansOfTheSky'': The "Muties" who live in the lower-gravity parts of the ship seem to have gotten their name both from being descendants of the crewmembers whose [[TheMutiny mutiny]] helped propel the ship into barbarism, but very much also from the word "mutant". The "Muties" include the microcephalic dwarf Bobo; Joe-Jim, a two-headed man -- that is, a pair of conjoined twins, albeit ''very'' closely conjoined -- who is a leader of the "Muties"; and a four-armed woman who serves as a knifemaker for the Mutie community. Mutant children are sometimes born among the Crew as well, but they are usually killed at birth.
154* ''Literature/PerryRhodan'' features a Mutant Corps (with generally PsychicPowers), especially in the early series, when they're one of Earth's few trump cards against a militarily superior universe. Over time, attrition takes its toll (especially when the first-generation immortality AppliedPhlebotinum becomes unavailable and the replacement is sharply limited in supply) and various countermeasures are introduced, but the few remaining mutants stay on as main characters for a long time, and a new one or two occasionally shows up. Later, a wave of mostly teenage mutants appear who can trace their origin back to mass genetic engineering on a particular colony world during the latest dark age of the galaxy; however, they are also afflicted with a deliberate genetic flaw that will eventually trigger and kill them, and the eventual cure has the side effect of removing their powers as well.
155* Jeffrey Thomas's noir sci-fi/horror ''Punktown'' stories often feature PrivateDetective Jeremy Stake, an ex-soldier and mutant who can alter his physical features (including [[GenderBender changing his looks to be indistinguishable of a biological female]]).
156* ''Literature/RoadsidePicnic'': The protagonist's daughter is born with fur and a monkey tail, while his friend's butler is severely deformed (and mentally disabled) by exposure to [[EldritchLocation the Zone]]. It's stated that the children of Stalkers are born with various anomalies, another side effect of the Zone.
157* ''Literature/ThisAlienShore'': Humanity's first attempts at interstellar travel involved an FTL device called a Hausman drive that emitted radiation that mutated the colonists' germ cells, which they didn't realize until they'd reached their new planets and started having kids. For whatever reason, the inhabitants of each planet are affected differently -- for example, everyone on the planet Guera has some sort of mental condition, the Salvationers have HandyFeet, and the Belials produce children in matched sets of two to six people who all share a name and a legal identity.
158* ''Literature/ThisImmortal'': On post-apocalyptic Earth, genetic mutations caused by nuclear pollution abound, with babies being born deformed even in the civilized areas. Some mutant tribes in Greece resemble and are named after mythological creatures, including [[FaunsAndSatyrs satyrs]] and [[OurCentaursAreDifferent centaurs]]. Conrad's dog Bortan [[CanisMajor is as large as a horse]] and has plates on his sides, and Conrad himself likely owes his [[TheAgeless halted aging]] to a genetic mutation of his own.
159* The female protagonist of Emby Quinn's SouthernGothic urban fantasy ''Variant'' is an ordinary person who finds herself caught up in the world of the titular mutations. Pursued by the government, she and her husband flee via the Variant Underground railroad into the secret society of those born with the Variant gene. While this may sound a lot like the ''ComicBook/XMen'', most Variants have minor physical characteristics or "abilities" that are as much a nuisance as they are of any practical use. Some Variant effects are even debilitating, such as the man whose body is slowly ossifying and turning him into a LivingStatue...
160* The ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' actually uses mutants correctly: instead of superpowers, you get horrible deformities! Barrayar became a LostColony for a while after the [[HyperspaceLanes wormhole nexus]] connecting them to the wider galaxy was disrupted somehow, well before they had a large enough population to avoid problems with inbreeding, and then a neighboring power with territorial ambitions made matters worse by dropping a bunch of nukes on them. The resulting cultural stigma against any kind of deformity -- even non-hereditary ones like a cleft lip, or what happened to Miles in utero -- is something they're still a long way from moving past for most of the series.
161* Mutants in the ''ComicBook/XMen'' style are the basis of the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. Some tiny fraction of the people who have the 'meta-gene complex' manifest as mutants, [[PubertySuperpower typically around age 14]]. Most of them -- good, bad, or indifferent -- go to [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] to learn how to use their powers and not get murdered by lynch mobs of baselines.
162* ''Literature/WorldsOfShadow'': Psychics, despite being highly useful, are viewed as mutants whom most people distrust as a result of their powers. However, they're not actually mutants -- they're all descended from one woman, so even if she did have some mutation, for the rest it's a hereditary trait.
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165[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
166* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
167** [[ShockAndAwe Gwen Raiden]] has extremely high voltage, and over the years has discovered interesting uses with her powers. For example, sticking her hand in a laser grid, and taking control of the lasers without setting off the alarm. She stands out as this trope because she lacks demonic heritage or magical training like most powered beings in this universe; she just developed the ability naturally. (Though the source of her power is never really examined and could in fact be supernaturally based. All that's really known is she gets struck by lightning a lot.)
168** There is also a character named Bethany who has [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]], but that might be considered a {{Psychic Power|s}} instead. Again, precisely where the power comes from is not explained, but it's only present in people who [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening suffer severe trauma]].
169* ''Black Knight'' is a Korean miniseries shown on Creator/{{Netflix}}. After a meteor shower devastates the Earth and leaves Korea a desert wasteland, a new radioactive mineral called oxyanium appeared. Those who mined oxyanium would have children who were mutants such as Yoon Sa-wool, who has a [[UnbreakableBones metallic skeleton]] that can deflect a point-black shot to the head and an [[HealingFactor unnaturally quick recovery from injuries]].
170* ''Series/BuckRogersInTheTwentyFifthCentury'':
171** In one episode, a group of terrorists trying to blow up an antimatter-fueled power station on Earth includes a mutant henchman who has the ability to [[{{Intangibility}} go de-solid]] (and thus can make himself immune to attacks at will). Their plot is defeated because the henchman makes a HeelFaceTurn because he ''will not permit'' another planet to suffer the same fate as his own world, where everyone not only has powers, but also hideous deformities from the effects of a similar event in the past. (This somewhat misses the point, as most of Earth is populated only by radiation-damaged beings anyway, according to the pilot.)
172** Another episode involves people from a world where everyone, by law, must wear a mask (with a distinctive pattern on it, unique to each individual) and is absolutely prohibited from removing it in the presence of anyone else. One young man, the son of one of the leaders, wants to end this practice. At the end of the episode, he removes his mask and Buck is astonished because he's a handsome, normal-looking human. The subtle horror is revealed when his father and the guards remove their own masks... and reveal that everyone on their planet ''looks exactly alike''.
173* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
174** The Daleks and apparently the Thals, who an interesting {{subver|tedTrope}}sion; they initially mutated into creatures similar to the Daleks, but while the Daleks "stabilized" and stopped mutating, the Thals continued, eventually coming full circle, mutating back into basically their original form by the time of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks The Dead Planet]]".
175--->'''Alydon:''' ''[speaking of the Daleks]'' If they call us mutations... what must they be like?
176** The Kaleds, even those who are opposed to the creation of the Daleks, also have [[FantasticRacism a strict idea of racial purity]]. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]" they are shown to abandon 'mutos', who have disabilities or don't look good enough, on the hostile planet surface; the mutants in turn hate the 'norms'. The mutos were created by the chemical weapons used in the war between the Thals and the Kaleds. In the same episode, [[MadScientist Davros]]' genetic experimentation has also spawned a number of mutants that live in the caves around his base, including [[ClamTrap giant clams]].
177* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' presents its {{Differently Powered Individual}}s as the product of mutation.
178* Mutants play a central role in the HenshinHero series ''Series/{{Inazuman}}'', where they're depicted as humans who've developed various psychic and superhuman powers. There are two types of mutants seen in the show -- "natural" ones like the titular hero and "Neo-Humans", cyborg mutants who underwent a procedure to increase their power which gave them a more monstrous form in the process.
179* ''Series/KamenRider555'': The Orphnoch race is a higher evolutionary state for humankind that select people are able to achieve, either by dying and coming back or by being "sired" by another Orphnoch. Although it turns out that [[spoiler:the process of awakening ones' Orphnoch powers puts too much stress on the body, resulting in a shortened lifespan unless they get the defect corrected by their King.]]
180* Played for comedy and mixed with LegoGenetics in one episode of ''Series/TheMightyBoosh''. "[[CrowdSong We are the mutant race]]! Don't look at my eyes, don't look at my face!"
181* ''Series/OutOfThisWorld1962'': [[AdaptationExpansion Added]] to the adaptation of "{{Literature/Impostor}}", there are mutants living outside of [[DomedHometown the city dome]], frightened of the "normals" who hate them.
182* ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'': In the year 3000, mutants are a species of mostly inhuman-looking creatures created from the leftovers of a DesignerBabies program. They are hated and feared by humans due to their differences, resulting in several of them turning to crime.
183* ''Series/Sanctuary2007'' has [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Abnormals]], which seems to cover mutants and mutates.
184* ''Series/StrangerThings'': TheReveal of Season 4 is that BigBad [[spoiler:Henry Creel a.k.a. One a.k.a. Vecna is a mutant. Unlike Eleven, who [[BioAugmentation artificially]] gained her PsychicPowers through hallucinogenic drugs while in utero during her mother's time as a government test subject, Henry (as terrifying as it is comprehend) was born naturally with psychic powers and actually used by Dr Brenner to help give Eleven and the rest children their powers as the template. Unfortunately, being an EnfantTerrible, Henry used his abilities abhorrently and by the time he was an adult and free of his PowerNullifier, [[BewareTheSuperman Henry planned to subjugate humanity]] before being defeated and banished to the Upside Down by Eleven.]]
185* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] in "[[Recap/SupernaturalS01E06Skin Skin]]" suggests that this is his origin, and by extension that of other shapeshifters; born to human parents, but supernaturally mutated and very hideous in appearance until they learn to harness their power. Eventually {{subverted|Trope}}, though, when it's revealed that all shapeshifters are actually fathered by an [[MonsterProgenitor Alpha Shapeshifter]] who was in turn created by Eve.
186-->'''Becky:''' Well, what is it? Like a genetic freak?\
187'''Shapeshifter (disguised as Dean):''' Maybe... Evolution is about mutation, right? So maybe this thing was born human but was different, [[TheGrotesque hideous and hated]]... until he learned to become [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse someone else]].
188* ''Series/TheXFiles'' regularly features these as the MonsterOfTheWeek, including the liver-eating Eugene Victor Tooms from "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E03Squeeze Squeeze]]" and "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E21Tooms Tooms]]", among numerous others.
189[[/folder]]
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191%%[[folder:Pinball]]
192%%* A staple in ''Pinball/TalesFromTheCrypt''.
193%%[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Radio]]
196* ''Radio/DimensionX'': In [[Recap/DimensionX31Universe episode thirty-one]], an [[AudioAdaptation adaptation]] of Creator/RobertAHeinlein's "{{Literature/Universe}}", a race of Mutants lives on the Upper Levels of the Ship. Those on the Lower Levels fear and despise them because of their deformities. For instance, their leader Gregory has a malformed leg and Bobo [[TheUnintelligible has been mute since birth]]. The Mutants are believed to be [[TheMorlocks descended from the followers of the mutineer Huff]], the most hated name in their [[CreationMyth mythology]] as he opposed their god Jordan. It is unclear whether or not this is true.
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199[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
200* ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'' features rules for playing as someone with special mutant abilities.
201* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', mutants come in two main flavors: the bioengineered people created by the Solars in the First Age and the humans and creatures exposed to the Wyld at the edge of the world. The first are somewhat rational, physically predictable, and still human in their way of thinking, the second... can vary widely in sanity and form. Oh, and there are people whose bodies are twisted by power places like demesnes, or who have inhuman ancestry from gods, demons, and other creatures...
202* ''TabletopGame/GammaWorld'' has an AfterTheEnd setting with mutated humans, animals, and plants.
203* ''TabletopGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' is about being in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse during the 1980s and '90s, the time when [[Creator/MarvelComics the company]]'s most popular comics were the ''ComicBook/XMen''-related titles, so mutants are constantly born and grow up to become superheroes or villains.
204* ''Mutant'' and ''Mutant Space'' are Swedish roleplaying games that spawned the ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'' universe (despite the name, ''MC'' is not '''about''' mutants, though they sure as hell are an important part of it). However, ''Mutant'' has been re-released several times afterwards, the latest being ''[[TabletopGame/MutantYearZero Mutant: Year Zero]]'' in 2015. It is, after all, Sweden's third or second-largest domestic tabletop game.
205* In the latest edition of ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'', there are now finally mutants. The mutants are humans with genes implanted in them from prehistoric times by a BenevolentPrecursors race that faced and lost against the Dark Symmetry. In the future, with the return of the Dark Symmetry, mutants are emerging to join the fight.
206* ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' uses this as a common 'origin story'.
207* In ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', Mutants tie with Commies and Traitors for the greatest threat to Alpha Complex. In fact, if you are a Mutant, you probably are a Commie Traitor as well. Unfortunately, '''every''' PlayerCharacter is a mutant, and being a mutant is just grounds for immediate execution (please report to the nearest Execution Center, citizen), the only exception being if you are a "registered mutant", in which case you just have to wear a bright yellow ribbon at all times and might as well have "scapegoat" tattooed on your head. However, those with the Machine Empathy mutation are always considered a threat and are instantly terminated if caught, as the possessor can [[{{Technopath}} influence and control any robotics or computers]], up to and including ''the'' [[MasterComputer Computer]], which is considered a Very Bad Thing).
208* In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'', Bloodlines are a form of mutation. Upon reaching a certain level of power, Vampires can fundamentally alter their blood to become a new Bloodline (a subspecies of Vampire)... but the only real catalyst for this is a large expenditure of willpower and the sufficiently potent blood. More than a few Bloodlines have emerged accidentally, or as the result of the Founder surviving a nasty curse.
209* Mutants in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' are usually killed at birth or killed later by the Witch Hunters, but those that do survive tend to retreat to the dark corners of the Old World and band together with similar misshapen outcasts. The [[BeastMan Beastmen]] are one such society, a successful "breed" of mutant that resembles a savage, bloodthirsty satyr.
210* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
211** Mutants are a major problem in the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]]. Some sages believe that [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture humanity is approaching]] [[EvolutionaryLevels a new stage of its evolution]], but the danger is when mutations result in PsychicPowers, since even a single untrained psyker risks inviting an invasion by TheLegionsOfHell, and since random mutant births in the populace are a good sign of Chaos corruption. Most worlds have mutant populations that are at best treated as highly disposable slave labor or CannonFodder, or at worst are burned at the stake as perversions of the divine human form. However, some strains of mutants, mostly ones arising from natural causes (natural selection, chemical mutagens, radiation, etc.) rather than from the taint of Chaos, have stabilized into subraces the Imperium tolerates as "abhumans", most notably [[OurOgresAreHungrier Ogryns]] and [[{{Hobbits}} Ratlings]], who serve specialized roles in the Imperial Guard, and the [[PsychicStarshipPilot psychic Navigator caste]] that is required for [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace Warp]] travel.
212** The [[EvilEvolves always evolving Tyranids]] have mutants as well. Old One Eye was a particularly tough Carnifex [[HumanPopsicle defrosted]] decades after the rest of its Hive Fleet was defeated, and its regenerative abilities have been seen in modern Carnifexes, suggesting that its mutation was approved and adopted by later Hive Fleets. The Genestealers of Ymgarl, on the other hand, are thought to be the remnant of a pre-Imperium invasion force, and though they've fought alongside later Hive Fleets, the Hive Mind seems to be leery of absorbing their genetic material -- these 'stealers are so unstable that they will mutate ''during combat''. Their absence in the latest Tyranid codex suggests that the Hive Mind wrote them off as a failure.
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215[[folder:Toys]]
216* ''Toys/AcidRainWorld'' is a Hong Kong-based toy line set in a dystopian future where nukes were used and surviving city states compensated by cranking up industrial output. Between the resulting pollution and radioactivity, humanity's genetic code took a beating, and so a lot of people got mutated (with many often opting to replace mutated limbs with bionics). Those who were too heavily mutated would band together in tribes, so resulting generations commonly had mutants born.
217[[/folder]]
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219[[folder:Video Games]]
220* ''VideoGame/{{Biomutant}}'' is set in a far future where pollution has driven humans to leave the planet. What's left are eons of mutant animals and terrible monstrous beings from all those generations of mutating DNA.
221* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has mutation as one of the stock superpower origins.
222* In the ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' setting, all creatures that are not artificial {{Genetic Abomination}}s and weren't altered by some mutagen in life are hereditary mutants of some kind based on some species, from dog to fruit tree. Mutant animals tend to be larger, meaner and less furry versions of the original species.
223** There are also some humans with minor mutations amongst the human populace. The Slags in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' are a group of humans who took shelter in subterranean caves -- when they returned to the surface, they found out that their bodies couldn't handle living on the outside. Your own character can get a [[ExtraDigits sixth mutated toe]] by stepping in the [[MutagenicGoo toxic goo]] in the Toxic Caves without protective boots, but you can pay a doctor to amputate it. A man in Gecko was scorned in Vault City and eventually exiled himself because of the way he was mistreated for being very radiation resistant. In ''VideoGame/FalloutTacticsBrotherhoodOfSteel'', one of the enemy groups you fight against is the group of tribals called "The Beastlords", who were mutated by radiation near the caverns where they lived and gained the ability to mind-control most animals near them, except humans and Deathclaws.
224** Towards the end of ''Fallout 3'', it is heavily implied that '''everyone''' in the District of Columbia, with the exception of Enclave personnel, has been mutated from radiation -- but most of the mutations are so minor as to be unnoticeable. This theme was already present in ''Fallout 2'', where it's outright stated that everybody in the world apart from the Enclave and the Vault dwellers has gotten various minor mutations due to the persistent background radiation. To the Enclave, who had just been terrified from discovering the ghouls and the super mutants, this was strong grounds for [[FinalSolution planet-wide genocide]].
225* ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'': The Helghast have evolved to suit the environment of their adopted homeworld, to the point that they require specialized breathing apparatus to visit other worlds. Complete with [[RedEyesTakeWarning evil red eyes]].
226* ''VideoGame/{{Miscreated}}'' is set in a world where, after The Final War, a genetic plague caused much of the populace and wildlife to mutate.
227* ''VideoGame/MutantYearZeroRoadToEden'' is a StrategyRPG based on [[TabletopGame/MutantYearZero the tabletop game of the same name]]. The playable characters are mutants based on a mix of human and animal genes stalking the post-apocalyptic wilderness and discovering their origins.
228* ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'': A lot of characters get their powers by being born mutants. In one of the side stories it is said that while such a person can turn the side of a battle, they typically don't survive said battle. And keeping these mutations in the next generation is a difficult task. A few families of the Demon Hunter Association managed to overcome these problems, especially Nanaya and Ryogi. Their powers were not particularly impressive, but they compensated this by being [[BadassFamily Badass Families]].
229%%* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Mewtwo is a genetically altered Mew.
230* ''VideoGame/ProjectCleanEarth'' takes place after a nuclear war which ended human civilization on Earth, causing animals and humans to be born as monstrous mutants. A group of untouched scientists living on a satellite send in their unique robot warrior Bernard to purge the Earth of mutants.
231* ''VideoGame/RoadOfTheDead'': Has enemies named Mutants. In the first game, they would intentionally try to get onto your car due to it going nearly 150 miles an hour. In the second game, they can outrun the Humvee, jump far, try to pull you out the window in a side grab, hunt in packs and when joined by the even tougher Alpha Mutants, become a massive pain in the ass to deal with. Especially since the Alpha Mutant is one of the only zombies who can ''intentionally'' damage your car.
232* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'': There's a tribe of humanoids that are afflicted with a genetically inherited cancerous disease. The goddess Persephone has taken pity on this mutant tribe and while they aren't cured of it, they have been given resistance to the pain it causes, in return the mutants act as Persephone's artillery by ripping out tumors from their bodies and throw them at enemies from long range.
233* In ''VideoGame/SaGaRPG'', mutants ("espers" in Japanese) are one of the playable races. In the first and second games, they randomly gain or lose traits after battles.
234* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsGame'': In the ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}'' parody segment in "Lisa the Tree Hugger", the floating platforms that Bart and Lisa must use to cross the river include giant three-eyed crocodiles and turtles with AHeadAtEachEnd interspersed with the regular logs, implicitly being animals mutated by the nuclear waste found lying around everywhere.
235* ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'' have the Advent faction. This cult dedicated to psionic exploration had used bionics as well as genetic tampering to selectively evolve their members into a [[HumansArePsychicInTheFuture psychic race]].
236* ''VideoGame/{{Stormrise}}'': The Sai, the descendants of the humans, have mutated in order to adapt to the extreme conditions after an experiment to change the climate of earth by mankind went horribly wrong, resulting in the mother of all storms and turning most the earth uninhabitable.
237* ''VideoGame/SturmFrontTheMutantWar'' deals with the aftermath of a mutant outbreak, turning entire populations of humans into mutated abominations, with you playing as a SuperSoldier who escaped mutation and going on a killing spree.
238* ''VideoGame/UFOAfterblank'': There are two races, the Cyborgs and the Psionics, who are humans who were born with special abilities due to a genetic mutation caused by the Biomass. The Cyborgs' mutation allowed them to [[{{Cyborg}} graft robotic implants onto themselves easily]], while the Psionics developed PsychicPowers.
239* ''VideoGame/WhiteNoise2'': One of the supernatural creatures, Morgul, is a giant mutant.
240[[/folder]]
241
242[[folder:Webcomics]]
243* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'':
244** A {{unicorn}} mare was exposed to strange pollution, and her offspring grew into Generictown's resident {{Kaiju}}, [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/348 Unigar the Vast Unicorn]].
245** The [[StockNessMonster Loch Ness Monster]] is a 65-million-year-old mutant newt.
246* ''Webcomic/KongTower'' features both varieties. Mutants are referred to as ''Aberrant,'' and notably do not feature NoConservationOfEnergy, though they do stretch the limits of what's actually possible for biology.
247* ''Webcomic/LightAndDark'' has mutant humans referred to as Freaks, many of them with superhuman abilities or odd features such as extra limbs. There are also animal-like humans such as the feline Katsas.
248* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', minor mutations are caused by the BackgroundMagicField of the Khert causing interference. Some people get eyes that see into the Khert or modified brain stems that let them cast spells mentally instead of vocally; others get deformed limbs or are stuck smelling like vinegar all their lives. BrattyHalfPint Sette has a tail that she's quite proud of, though [[spoiler:her BarbieDollAnatomy and strange interactions with the Khert raise some questions about how far the mutations go]].
249* In ''Webcomic/{{Wurr}}'', the {{hellhound}}s are large, heavily mutated dogs that have been exposed to [[MutagenicGoo Black Touch]] for generations, resulting in [[BodyHorror strange mutations]] such as [[VertebrateWithExtraLimbs extra limbs]], {{extra eyes}}, [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily too many teeth]], strange skeletal structures, and countless other strange features. The most mutated ones are called deepblooded and [[CantHaveSexEver are forbidden to breed]], since their mutations endanger the pups, the mother, or both.
250[[/folder]]
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252[[folder:Websites]]
253* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-654 SCP-654 ("Thunderhorn")]] is a narwhal that can [[ShockAndAwe fire a lightning bolt from its horn]]; the lightning bolt ability is noted as being a mutation.
254[[/folder]]
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256[[folder:Western Animation]]
257* According to Optimus Primal in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', Starscream's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent spark]] has a mutation that rendered it [[CompleteImmortality indestructible and immortal]]. Maximal scientists tried to replicate the effect, with the result being the [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] [[SerialKiller Protoform X]].
258* Fred the Mutant in ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' is one of BigBad Limburger's minions and is a deformed Quasimodo-like creature with three pink eyes with black irises, a bushy tail, and a tentacle instead of a right arm.
259* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' features a society of downtrodden mutants with amusingly altered physical states (a girl with a pig nose and gills, a man with a third arm instead of an ear) forced to live in the sewers of New New York. None of them have superpowers, though (well, not from their mutations, anyway). Their similarity to RubberForeheadAliens is why [[spoiler:Leela]] was able to pass for a functioning member of society until TheReveal.
260* In the world of ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'', the surface is populated largely by "mutes", animals who have various strange characteristics. They are usually larger than normal (sometimes ''much'' larger), have extra appendages and other features, and are often, though not universally, sentient. Much of the plant life has mutated as well, with patches of "death ivy" and cacti taller than skyscrapers dotting the landscape.
261* The villains in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' are called the Mutants and are anthropomorphic non-feline animals at the service of BigBad Mumm-Ra.
262[[/folder]]
263
264[[folder:Real Life]]
265* There are people who actually play this straighter to the comic version, with seeming superhuman abilities stemming from a genetic mutation, or are believed to. Certain people's bodies are naturally resistant to electricity to the point grabbing a live wire does nothing to them, and they can even redirect it. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19661_6-real-people-with-mind-blowing-mutant-superpowers.html This article]] lists several people with near superhuman capabilities that most likely stem from simply being born with unique traits others lack (not all count, though).
266* Music/OzzyOsbourne was born with a genetic mutation that [[ImmuneToDrugs enables his body to better metabolize narcotics than an average human]]. [[http://www.indyposted.com/123988/scientists-say-ozzy-osbourne-is-a-genetic-mutant-are-you-surprised/ Geneticists at Cambridge University]] discovered this when they mapped his genome to determine how he managed to survive so long.
267* The preponderance of evidence suggests that Britain's ''UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria'' was a genuine mutant. Many of her descendants inherited the allele for hemophilia from her, yet neither of her parents' bloodlines carry this trait, indicating that a random genetic mutation made her a carrier for this disorder... although that assumes that all of her official ancestors were her actual ancestors. Because she was an only child, it's also possible that her mother was the mutant, and she only inherited it, making them both carriers. (Because her mother had brothers, it's improbable that it went back any farther.)
268* The "Teddy Bear" breed of guinea pig, known for its thick bristly fur, was actually the result of a freak mutation. The same goes for skinny pigs, which are simply hairless guinea pigs. They're living proof that "mutant" isn't synonymous with "hideous."
269[[/folder]]
270
271!!Examples of Mutates
272
273[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
274* The Eldians, a.k.a. the Subjects of Ymir, in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are, in absolutely all other respects, ordinary human beings. However, they're also the only race in the world who have the ability to transform into Titans, which happens whenever their bodies absorb Titan cerebrospinal fluid. Their ability also doesn't correspond to the traditional laws of biology; not only is the Eldian ability passed on to all descendants without dilution (unless the other races of the world are more "Eldian" than they care to admit), but the Founding Titan has the ability to remake the biology of all Eldians simultaneously, which was done at one point to grant them immunity to a plague.
275%%* The Zoanoids from the ''Manga/{{Guyver}}'' franchise.
276* Anyone who has ever eaten a Devil Fruit in ''Manga/OnePiece''. Unfortunately, [[SuperDrowningSkills they're no longer able to swim]].
277* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'':
278** Ken Kaneki is different from all other [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier ghouls]] because he wasn't born a ghoul; he became one by [[EmergencyTransformation being experimented on after an accident]].
279** It is possible for a ghoul who [[MonstrousCannibalism devours other ghouls]] to be [[CannibalismSuperpower mutated through their serial cannibalism]], gaining the rare Kakuja-type kagune and often [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity going insane in the process]].
280* No human examples, but in the [[AfterTheEnd Acid Tokyo]] storyline of ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'', they spend a fair portion of their time fighting hideous, deformed monsters whom the survivors identify as 'mutants.' How having the world destroyed by ''acid raid'' resulted in animals mutating into three-headed spitting snakes or carnivorous earthworms the size of semis is never really explained.
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Comic Books]]
284* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
285** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]]; while there are some straight-up mutates, [[MetaOrigin many superheroes (and villains) were later retconned to have something called a "Metagene"]], which grants superpowers under a moment of [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening intense psychological stress]].
286** One ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story, very likely as a TakeThat against Marvel, features [[TheFantasticFaux a group of four people who get exposed to space-radiation]]. They mutate and get superpowers alright. All of them end up becoming unbalanced and eventually commit suicide (aside from their leader who becomes the villainous Cyborg-Superman) because radiation is dangerous.
287%%* Likewise for ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd''; both it and ''Strontium Dog'' have mostly been written by John Wagner and Alan Grant for years.
288* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
289** ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'s childhood accident with [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers radioactive]]/[[ChemistryCanDoAnything chemical]]/whatever waste blinded him, but also helped to [[SuperSenses enhance his senses]] beyond what would be possible for a non-mutate blind person.
290** The ComicBook/FantasticFour received their powers as a result of exposure to space-radiation.
291** ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk got mutated to his green self by a hefty dose of gamma radiation. He can switch it on and off...
292** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
293*** Spidey originally got his powers when the bite of a radioactive/[[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan genetically altered]] spider altered his genes.
294*** Spider-Man's rogues gallery is full of these: Dr. Connors tried to use a serum to give himself the regeneration ability of reptiles to regain his missing arm, turning himself into the Lizard. ComicBook/{{Morbius}} combined himself with the DNA of a vampire bat which turned him into a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent living pseudo-vampire]]. Black Cat was injected with SuperSerum. The combination of exposure to underwater gases, radiation and seawater turned Morris Bench into Hydro-Man. Miles Warren injected himself with several experimental serums to make himself stronger and faster, becoming the Jackal. William Baker was at the beach when the military dropped a nuclear bomb there and became the Sandman. [=MacDonald=] Gargan was experimented on with radiation and genetic transfusions and took on the name Scorpion.
295*** ''ComicBook/UntoldTalesOfSpiderMan'' featured Batwing, who was originally a prepubescent boy. When he got lost in the Carlsbad Caverns and drank water polluted from illegal chemical dumping, he turned into a [[BatPeople giant flying bat-creature]].
296* Despite ''ComicBook/SinCity'' being ([[MagicRealism relatively]]) more realistic than most comic series, the Yellow Bastard could still very easily be considered a mutate. He underwent gene therapy in order to reattach his lost body parts and repair his damaged brain, turning into a yellow freak in the process. It's heavily implied that his [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation yellow color]] and [[EvilSmellsBad trademark stench]] is due to organ damage caused by the process, leading to his body filling with bile as it basically rots while he's still alive.
297* Creator/MilestoneComics' ComicBook/{{Static}}, probably better known in his [[WesternAnimation/StaticShock animated form]].
298* The ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', despite their name, are actually mutates instead of mutants, having been born normal turtles before being given humanoid form by a [[MutagenicGoo mysterious substance]] known either as Ooze or Mutagen (in reality industrial waste created by the alien Utroms in the comics and most later incarnations, and Krang in [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the first cartoon]]). "Mutants" are used as the blanket term used for anyone or anything that was transformed with mutagen, whether they are sentient, humanoid or neither.
299[[/folder]]
300
301[[folder:Fan Works]]
302* In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'', there are several examples.
303** The apocalypse (the magical equivalent of a nuclear holocaust) that ended the Golden Age mutated several beings into monsters, some of which became complete species. [[spoiler:The Griffins and sapient livestock are positive examples, as they were mutated in such a way as [[UpliftedAnimal to become sapient]]. After Apple Bloom's CosmicRetcon, the myth that Sweetheart had HealingHands is made reality, being the result of her being mutated by the blast.]]
304** It turns out this is [[spoiler:the origin of the Sirens]]. They were originally [[spoiler:a trio of Sea Ponies who had a magic spell that allowed them to transform into Flutterponies. Then the aforementioned apocalypse happened, mutating them into their SeaMonster forms and making them extremely powerful and dangerous. One of their siblings wasn't so lucky and didn't survive the mutation]].
305** Lord Tirek was originally a normal centaur before [[spoiler:absorbing an unholy amount of magic from Pandora's Box]] mutated him into his current form.
306* In ''Blog/ThePredespairKids'', [[TheMedic Kyoji Nakamura]] performed gene therapy ''[[ProfessorGuineaPig on himself]]'' in order to help combat the despairs. This gave him [[SpareBodyParts multiple redundant organs]], [[SuperSenses enhanced vision]], [[MadeOfIron greater durability]], a BladeBelowTheShoulder, WallCrawl, and a few others he's kept secret.
307[[/folder]]
308
309[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
310* ''Film/TheAlligatorPeople'' has... well, a man whose genes got mixed with an alligator [[NuclearMutant due to radiation]].
311* ''Film/Annihilation2018'': Lifeforms inside [[EldritchLocation the zone]] are "stuck in a continuous mutation". Everyone who enters the Shimmer is affected in this way, as the area refracts light waves, radio waves, and even biological matter like a prism.
312%%* The ''Film/{{Doom}}'' movie.
313* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}, Rodan, King Ghidorah (the 1990s version, at least), [[Film/GodzillaVsBiollante Biollante]], or nearly every single [[{{Kaiju}} giant monster]] applies here.
314* ''Film/PropheciesOfNostradamus'' features several mutates (and a few mutants as well) of varying stripes. One of the most frightening is a group of irradiated humans who become arboreal cannibals covered with cancerous sores.
315* ''Film/ShockingDark'': The [[MegaCorp Tubular Corporation]]'s underground bunker is figuratively crawling with biomechanical monsters mutated by all the toxic chemicals in the water.
316* The killer ticks in ''Film/{{Ticks}}'' are mutated by runoff from a marijuana farmer's steroid experiments. [[spoiler:The one whose head burrows into Panic's body is further mutated by steroids he takes to try and dull the pain from a gunshot, becoming a gigantic beast.]]
317* ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'': 90-pound weakling Melvin falls into a barrel of {{toxic waste|CanDoAnything}} during a cruel prank, and mutates into the hideously disfigured, but hulking, superhumanly strong Toxic Avenger.
318[[/folder]]
319
320[[folder:Gamebooks]]
321* In ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', mutants are a result of exposure to large quantities of dark magic such as those released in the historical War of the Wizards. Mutants are also a result of horrific experiments by {{Evil Sorcerer}}s and {{Mad Scientist}}s.
322* Creator/GamesWorkshop has a number of gamebooks based in the ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' settings. With the presence of Chaos in these books, encountering mutated foes is practically a given.
323[[/folder]]
324
325[[folder:Literature]]
326* In Creator/HarlanEllison's story "Literature/TheAbnormals" (titled in its television version as "The Discards"), a group of people is living aboard a spacecraft after a virus causes them all to mutate and afterward be exiled to try and contain the virus. The leader, Sanswope, has an extra head. Another guy has a deformed chest and oversized arm. Many are described in the story, and more were added for television.
327* ''Literature/BoneChillers'': Mr. Batrachian, the antagonist of ''Teacher Creature'', started out as a toad but mutated into a mostly human-looking being as a result of the hurricane. Late in the book, it turns out that the storm affected other plants and animals in the swamp he came from as well.
328* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'': The magically created sort. Foul can use the Illearth Stone to twist living things into monstrous shapes, and uses this ability to create expendable {{mooks}} for his armies. In the ''Second Chronicles'', being exposed to the Sunbane at the exact moment the sun rises will (unless you're touching stone at the time or are not native to the Land) trigger random mutations and insanity.
329* [[NotUsingTheZedWord Psionics]] in ''Literature/TheDescendants'' are a corner case. While they're born for the most part in the present, it's stated that these mutations were kicked off generations ago by WWII era [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke experiments]].
330* ''Literature/EnterTheFarside'': Some Fargraced are born or emerge from the [[EldritchLocation Farside]] with physical deformities. Jolly's gang, the Manc Freakshow, are entirely made up of Mutants. Jolly is a 9-foot-tall hulk with green skin and mossy hair. [[ThirdEye Triclops has three large, black eyes that can operate independently]]. Ooze's body liquids are replaced by an inky substance. [[HalfHumanHybrid Squeeks looks like a man/rat hybrid]], and Aberrant is neckless with four arms that join at his elbows.
331* In ''Literature/FracturedStars'', Starseers are descended from Old Earth colonists on the now-destroyed planet Kir who developed mutations that allowed them to survive the planet's radiation levels, but also gave them PsychicPowers.
332* Probably the UrExample is ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau'', about a scientist turning animals into anthropoid creatures using vivisection.
333* ''Literature/LittleMushroom'': The disappearance of the Earth's geomagnetic field caused its inhabitants to become bombarded by cosmic radiation, which has led to ordinary animals mutating into far more powerful and deadly monsters who are capable of passing on the mutation to humans. Humans who become mutated are called "xenogenics" and they're killed on sight by the military officers guarding the human bases due to them almost always losing their human consciousness entirely and caring only about spreading their mutation to as many humans as possible. [[spoiler:It's revealed later on in the story that there's a hidden group of xenogenics who have managed to retain thier human consciousness and the ending has the mutations become stabilized enough that humans can become xenogenics without danger of losing their human will or morality which, coupled with the hidden group of xenogenics helping save the world in the climax, causes xenogenics to become much more accepted with many humans even voluntarily undergoing mutation to gain xenogenic abilities.]]
334* ''Literature/ShadowOps'': Deliberately done by ''los Limpiados'', who were forced into the sewers of Mexico. Many of the tribe adopted nonhuman attributes and mutations (chiefly pale skin and skin-altered tattoos, but a lot of others as well) through [[{{Biomanipulation}} Physiomancy]], embracing a sort of [[Literature/TheTimeMachine Morlock]] aesthetic.
335* ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'': The first "Freaks" were born human but mutated into their new forms due to exposure to radiation, their changes getting passed on to their offspring. By the time of the "Four Lands" era, the Freaks have developed into the races of [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]], [[OurGnomesAreWeirder Gnomes]], and [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]]. The [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves]] encourage the belief that they are another race of these, but are in fact the last faerie people.
336* In ''Literature/SuperMinion'', there's the mutavus virus. For most people, it remains dormant their entire lives, but if someone suffers a mortal wound that doesn't kill them instantly, there's a chance it will activate and modify their body in order to save their life. The frightening and [[BodyHorror at times gruesome results]], combined with some common misinformation about the nature of mutavus, lead to a lot of FantasticRacism, even though the majority of mutants are no more dangerous or criminally inclined than anyone else.
337* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has the Case 53s, people used as [[PlayingWithSyringes test subjects]] for Cauldron who have large physical changes to go along with their powers.
338[[/folder]]
339
340[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
341* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' story entitled "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants The Mutants]]" turns out to be an subversion. The supposedly mutant (or "mutt") Solonians are in fact undergoing a natural metamorphosis as part of their life cycle, the effect of the planet in question moving into summer. What's more, the insect-like "mutant" form is merely an intermediate stage, and [[BishonenLine the final form is a powerful, godlike being]].
342* ''Series/MutantX'', despite the name, is mostly about people modified ''after'' birth. There is one who was modified either before or immediately after his birth... he didn't grow up so well. Some mutants also have children, who naturally fit the first part.
343* Alex Mack, the title heroine and protagonist from ''Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'', is a mutant who got her powers from exposure to the MutagenicGoo GC-161.
344* ''Series/Space1999'': In " Mission of the Darians", our heroes investigate a {{Generation Ship|s}} whose crew have split into warring factions after a radiation accident. There are mutants, who look like mute dwarfs, and a primitive tribe that hunts them down and executes them, including a hapless RedShirt from Moonbase Alpha who just happens to have a missing fingertip.
345[[/folder]]
346
347[[folder:Roleplays]]
348* ''Roleplay/FenQuest'' has the land of Erja Nokol, which in addition to having a mutant population is also home to [[MutagenicGoo highly mutagenic tar pools]] that cause even more drastic changes (turning "mutants" into "abominations", as per local terminology) if one ends up submerged in them. Yet some of the unluckiest mutants will willingly take a dip in tar, playing a second round of SuperpowerRussianRoulette on the off chance that the new mutations may improve their lot in life. That's what happened to Tomato: He became a quadruped (without gaining additional arms, which means he doesn't have hands) with a hide covered in poisonous barbs and can't talk without great pain, and as Cheese explains, that was a step ''up'' from what he used to be.
349[[/folder]]
350
351[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
352* In Creator/GamesWorkshop's ''Chainsaw Warrior'', the cyborg SuperSoldier has to banish [[MadeOfEvil the Darkness]] from New York. Unfortunately, the Darkness has a corrupting effect on its surroundings, leading to the inhabitants of that apartment block turning into zombies and mutants. Worse for the Chainsaw Warrior, the zombies exude venom which can turn humans like the Warrior himself into another zombie. Meanwhile the mutants are highly radioactive and if the Warrior gets too radioactive he'll turn into a mutant too.
353* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]]' prodigious HealingFactor can react weirdly to different stimuli. "Troll mutates" have been exposed to the corrupting nature of the [[EldritchLocation Far Realm]], and sport BodyHorror like exposed internal organs and vestigial limbs -- when damaged in combat, they mutate even further as they heal damage, sprouting extra heads, arms or wings, which might be functional. In other cases, damage from large amounts of a particular substance or energy might mutate trolls accordingly, creating [[PoisonousPerson noxious]] venom trolls, spirit trolls that exist as [[{{Intangibility}} purely psionic entities]], or rot trolls that emanate a field of [[MakeThemRot degenerative necrotic energy]].
354* Wyld mutants in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}''. The Wyld is [[PrimordialChaos pure chaos and change]]. Over-exposure to it -- or, in many cases, ''any'' exposure to it -- can cause both the flesh and mind to warp in bizarre ways, and after a certain amount of mutation, often the [[WasOnceAMan former person]] can no longer live outside of the Wyld.
355* ''TabletopGame/FadingSuns'' has [[SuperSoldier the Grimsons]]. These super soldiers are created by genetically engineering human warriors into hulking monstrosities with augmented physiques and various random mutations (the majority of them being advantageous). Grimsons are not allowed to procreate as their altered genes are inheritable.
356* There's the evil supernatural force of the Dark Symmetry in ''TabletopGame/MutantChronicles'' which can corrupt normal humans into twisted monsters of the Dark Legion. Also in this future setting, Earth has been abandoned for colonies on the other planets of our solar system and now referred to as Dark Eden. Dark Eden does have remnant human and animal populations, with many having undergone mutations from the environment, such as the Templar faction.
357* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
358** The game has two different mutant templates that can be applied to a creature's stats. The Mutant template represents mutation from unusual circumstances, particularly the alien fluids of Numeria, and gives creatures some additional abilities as well as a deformity and an immunity to radiation. The Mana Wastes Mutant is for creatures specifically mutated by the Mana Wastes of Garund, gaining multiple abilities at the cost of a random deformity and any spell-like abilities the creature had.
359** Jotund trolls are thought to arise when regular trolls are exposed to intense mutagenic influences, a theory supported by the fact that most of their kind live in either the magically twisted Mana Wastes and the irradiated badlands of Numeria, both areas home to large populations of mutated creatures. They are given the "mutant" trait in 2E to reflect this.
360** Xulgaths -- pale-scaled LizardFolk that live BeneathTheEarth -- are prone to a variety of dramatic mutations due to their long exposure to the intense radiation of the Black Desert, an immense underground cavern lined with radioactive minerals, which has permanently warped their physiology and genetics.
361*** Their naturally occurring mutations include bilebearers, xulgaths with bulging throat sacs that produce a sticky, toxic slime that they can spit in directed globs or as a fine mist; gutragers, a more developed offshoot of bilebearers with acidic spit, extendable esophagi and [[ActionBomb the ability to explode]]; bloodleakers born with scaleless, easily ruptured hides, usually kept as blood donors or living blood banks for religious rituals; goreguts with distended bellies and ravenous appetites; twinskulls, conjoined twins considered blessed by the xulgaths' demonic god; spinesnappers, hulking colossi used as shock troops and combat champions;
362*** In addition to this considerable inborn variation, magical and alchemical tampering and can create much more dramatic mutations. These include stonelieges, xulgaths alchemically or magically infused with the essence of elemental earth, granting them increased strength, resilience and longevity alongside the ability to magically shape stone; and slaugraks, freakish, bestial mutants born from clutches tainted by the Abyss.
363* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'', the Martian city Y'Therthl engages in rituals based around their ancient genetic engineering machines at the birth of every child. A few come out of it worse off than when they went in.
364* The Empire in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' responds to mutations in much the same way as the Imperium in ''40k''. The [[HornyVikings Norscans]], in contrast, view a sudden mutation as a sign of the gods' favor, and such individuals will usually rise to prominence in a tribe. It's a fine line even for them, though -- people who accumulate too many mutations too quickly run a real risk of being overwhelmed by them and degenerating into mindless, gibbering [[WasOnceAMan Chaos Spawn]].
365* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
366** If the Imperium is intolerant when it comes to natural mutation, it's positively [[BurnTheWitch flamer-happy]] when it comes to mutates, which are ([[ProperlyParanoid often correctly]]) seen as the result of [[TheCorruption the corrupting influence of Chaos]]. It is therefore renegades and Chaos worshipers who survive to appreciate the "gifts" of the Dark Gods -- [[BodyHorror or]] [[WasOnceAMan not]]. Some Chaos sorcerers actually weaponize this, and use their psychic powers to grant allies additional abilities, or turn an enemy character into a mewling pile of flesh.
367** Even some loyalist Space Marine chapters fall prey to this, when quirks in their gene-seed cause initiates to develop unconventional traits. The Black Dragons for instance have a tendency to grow bony talons from their forearms, [[CursedWithAwesome which they plate with adamantium and use in close combat]], while the Blood Angels and their successors are cursed with a Flaw that can drive them to spontaneously fall into an UnstoppableRage they call the Red Thirst, or hallucinate the GeneticMemory of their Primarch's death, which they call the Black Rage. These are only barely tolerated by the Imperium, which requires that chapters regularly send tithes of gene-seed for screening and monitoring to try and prevent future occurrences.
368** The Literature/SoulDrinkers stand out being tainted by Chaos, mutating, and being declared traitors and heretics, yet still opposing Chaos and purifying their gene-seed for the next generation of recruits. Of course, those already affected can't change back -- and many don't want to, given the usefulness of their mutations.
369** In a downplayed example, the Tyranids use this in the first stage of their invasion process, or "[[HostileTerraforming Tyranoforming]]". They seed a target world with spores that cause the local flora to mutate and grow out of control, [[PlanetEater to make it easier to consume the planet's biomass]].
370** The spin-off ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'' has an entire gang faction of these in House Goliath. These [[DumbMuscle muscle-heads]] undergo intergenerational heavy use of gene-altering muscle enhancements to create an almost subspecies of humans, with many members of House Goliath being bigger than most [[SuperSoldier Space Marines]]. The most extreme case is the Goliath Berserkers, who are mutated to the point of being as strong as a Greater Daemon or Dreadnought and often sprouting [[WolverineClaws razor-sharp bonespurs]].
371[[/folder]]
372
373[[folder:Video Games]]
374* ''VideoGame/BioShock'': The splicers were originally ordinary people who purchased [[LegoGenetics injectible upgrades for their DNA]] when ADAM arrived on the market, gaining good looks, intelligence, even super powers... right before the [[BodyHorror side-effects]] of [[PsychoSerum frivolous ADAM-usage]] started cropping up.
375* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' lists this power origin as "Science", as in the character got their powers in a [[FreakLabAccident scientific accident]].
376* The Forgotten in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' are the result of the Brotherhood of NOD's human experiments with [[GreenRocks Tiberium]], and each faction views them differently: the Brotherhood outright loathes the ''mutants'', the ''shiners'' are nothing more than a convenient ally for GDI, and the ''Forgotten'' view themselves [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy "a people of honor"]]. Naturally, they always get shafted.
377* Studio Nanafushi's ''VideoGame/DeadOrSchool'' has a post-apocalyptic Japan where people have been mutated by an unknown virus into zombie-like mooks and huge monstrosities. So many were created that the mutants would drive the remaining humans deep underground for 78 years. The virus didn't just infect humans, animals and plants were also affected -- this ranged from the harmless such as edible fish sprouting legs and vegetables developing eyes to far more dangerous creatures such as venom-spitting plants and {{Giant Spider}}s of various sizes and abilities.
378* ''VideoGame/DemolishFist'' has you investigating the Metheusalah Corporation, only to find out they specialize in creating genetic abominations with several of their mooks being genetically modified mutant monsters, from the blobby "Mango"-class mooks to the {{Kevlard}}[=-packed=] overweight "Butcher" enemies.
379%%* * ''VideoGame/DefendersOfDynatronCity''
380* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}} Linkz'' features several Digimon that have been mutated by Volcanicdramon's data, turning them into {{Palette Swap}}s of themselves and removing one of their elemental weaknesses. Among them are at least one form of each of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Seven Great Demon Lords]].
381* In ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', the artwork for the Doom Beetle quest is called Mutation. Doom Beetles are highly susceptible to mutating when exposed to magic, so wizards are known to experiment on the beetles in labs.
382* ''VideoGame/DUSK12'' has 'mutants' as recurring enemies, depicted as skinny, hunchback humanoids who can only make hissing noises while clawing at you mindlessly. They ''used'' to be humans, until a viral strain leakage from 2028 turns them into the creatures you're fighting.
383* In ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'', this is the fate of anyone exposed to the genetic material of the monsters. This can occur either through deliberate exposure, as in the case of [[MadScientist Kala]], or by being trapped in an area [[HostileTerraforming they've begun to terraform]].
384* ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'':
385** Two major in-game races, the [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier Ghouls]] and the [[HulkMashUp Super Mutants]], are the result of a combination of [[NuclearMutant radiation fallout]] and the Forced Evolutionary Virus, a pre-war biological weapon that was designed to create disposable {{Super Soldier}}s. When the war happened, some containment vessels burst and were exposed to radiation, creating an air-borne version of the virus that turns anyone exposed to it alongside a massive dose of radiation into a Ghoul, a person who looks just like a zombie even though they're still alive. They also gain [[RadiationImmuneMutants immunity from radiation]] which instead heals them ''and'' makes them [[TheAgeless biologically immortal]], but has the drawback of running the risk of turning Feral, a state when their brains decay from radiation exposure, turning them into mindless cannibals, like a traditional zombie, and making them sterile as well. The Super Mutants, on the other hand, are the result of direct, untainted exposure to the FEV, which turns humans into hulking, ogre-like monsters with SuperStrength, biological immortality and superhuman toughness. Unfortunately, it also tends to lower their intelligence, and renders the mutate completely sterile.
386** The Master, the main villain of [[VideoGame/Fallout1 the first game]], is also a mutate, a former scientist who fell into a vat of FEV and was left to soak in it rather than mutating through brief exposure. The result was a massive BodyHorror abomination of liquid flesh with incredible PsychicPowers and VoiceOfTheLegion whose living flesh covers the bottom part of his base.
387** In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', your PlayerCharacter can be bestowed a variety of mutations as you level up, ranging from simple radiation resistance, to having a HealingFactor while suffering radiation poisoning to being able to heal yourself via cannibalism. The last such feat that can be taken causes the PC to VIOLENTLY EXPLODE when s/he hits critical health, without actually hurting herself.
388* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'':
389** [[spoiler:The Locust are really the descendants of experiments at the New Hope facility where people were deliberately exposed to [[GreenRocks Imulsion]] so that the COG could treat rustlung, with Myrrah being a rustlung miner's daughter who was used as the genetic template for the Locust due to her unique genetic immunity to Imulsion. The Sires, their predecessors, were essentially the first Lambent creatures.]]
390** The Lambent are Locust creatures that get mutated from too much exposure to Imulsion. By ''Gears of War 3'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that humans have also started to go Lambent]].
391* ''VideoGame/GiantBearRampage'' has you controlling a bear mutated into a giant monster after being exposed to {{toxic waste|CanDoAnything}}.
392* In ''VideoGame/{{GUL}}'', many of the scientists in the mansion are mutated in nightmarish ways, with flailing tentacles and missing limbs.
393* ''VideoGame/{{Loopmancer}}'' has mutant enemies, tall, deformed, lanky humanoids with multiple arms appearing in an underground level in Ditch Village, and shows up in large quantities in the last levels. [[spoiler:You found out near the end where they're the results of Tompson Technologies experimenting with the abducted civilains of Ditch Village]].
394* Just like the stories of Creator/MichaelMoorcock, in ''VideoGame/MasterOfMagic'', sorcery of the Chaos realm can induce a permanent mutation on a unit (one out of three possible mutations, including [[BreathWeapon breathing fire]]), changing it from it from its original race type to becoming a creature of Chaos. The two spells that does this are Chaos Channels and Doom Mastery.
395* In ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion II'', there's a tech called Evolutionary Mutation, which, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the name says]], allows a one-time change to statistics of the race that discovers it.
396* In ''VideoGame/MutantFootballLeague'', the teams include orcs, demons, aliens, robots and etc. The mutant part of the league is from players of the Mutated Humans race who got their mutations from environmental exposure.
397* The Stalkers, mutated animal protagonists of ''VideoGame/MutantYearZeroRoadToEden'', got that way because they're manufactured SuperSoldier flunkies of the Ark.
398* ''VideoGame/MutationNation'', much like the name implies, deals with an outbreak of a mutant strain transforming humans into assorted mutant creatures, and it's up to your character to find a cure while beating up all kinds of deformed hybrid mooks.
399* Most of the playable characters in ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' are mutates. The exceptions are Rogue (unmutated human), Robot (robot), Horror (living radiation being), and Y.V. (Venuzian God). They also become mutates as the game goes on, since leveling up involves collecting enough radiation to trigger a mutation.
400* In ''VideoGame/Rage2011'', Mutants are deformed humans that prowl [[AfterTheEnd the wasteland]] as savage predators, believed to have been created by cosmic radiation from the asteroid impact. They're disorganized, but plentiful -- and some of them are [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever gigantic]]. [[spoiler:They're actually a by-product of the Authority trying to use the [[{{Nanomachines}} Nanotrites]] to [[BrainwashedAndCrazy control humans]] and turn them into super soldiers as a means of controlling the post-apocalyptic Earth.]]
401* In ''VideoGame/SepterraCore'', the inhabitants of [[WorldShapes Shell 7]] were mutated by the emissions of the Core, and are now a separate species known as Underlost. They look like [[Franchise/{{Alien}} xenomorphs]] with hard exoskeletons. Despite their fearsome appearance, they aren't crazy or evil.
402* The Zerg in ''Franchise/StarCraft'' mutate captured samples of enemy races to [[TheAssimilator assimilate them]] into the Swarm. Most notable in [[VideoGame/StarCraftI the first game]] is their assimilation and alteration of future BigBad Sarah Kerrigan.
403* The OD of ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' were also transformed by consuming the [[MayContainEvil soft drink Overcharge]]. OD are addicted to Overcharge and are extremely violent, attacking any human or robot in close proximity.
404* ''Super Snail'' from [=QCplay=] Limited has Super Snail himself. He's already a nearly human-sized snail in 2033 A.D., so he's either a mutant or mutate to start but even before he has his first fight, he consumes some cells from a Demon God and mutates to grow a large pair of fangs and rodent-like teeth. Additionally he can makes friends with a ninja Turtle mutate and that mutated thing from the movie ''Film/TheHost2006''.
405* With Chaos and Skaven in ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'', you have units like Chaos Spawn and Hellpit Abominations that come from creatures mutated by supernatural forces. The Beastmen like the Skaven were originally natural creatures that got warped into their present state, but then breeding true.
406* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'': Geralt and all the other witchers were created through a combination of surgery and mutagenic potions. In-game, several times he may be talked to derisively by some angry elf or dwarf, Geralt simply tells them that he's not human he's a mutant.
407[[/folder]]
408
409[[folder:Webcomics]]
410* ''Webcomic/KongTower'' features both varieties. Most call Mutates ''"Curios"'', and the phenomenon that creates them is scientifically termed the [[FreakLabAccident "Sklodowska Reaction"]], which causes cellular metamorphosis and allows for NoConservationOfEnergy. In the [[http://townsendwright.com/kong-tower/kt79/ comic where the concept is described]] it's pointed out that college courses that teach about this reaction have to lock the doors so that students don't try to [[TooDumbToLive experiment on themselves to get superpowers]] before the lesson's over.
411* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', the No-Fun Corporation infects someone with a virus that causes them to [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20091116 mutate randomly]], which just so happens to turn him into a giant, cannibalistic monster. Go figure.
412[[/folder]]
413
414[[folder:Websites]]
415* ''Website/TheOnion'': In the article "[[http://www.theonion.com/article/new-osha-regulations-cut-down-workplace-mutations-52828 New OSHA Regulations To Cut Down On Workplace Mutations]]", laws are proposed specifically to prevent people from spontaneously mutating due to [[NoOSHACompliance workplace accidents]] in [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke bioengineering facilities]], pharmaceutical development, [[ToxicWasteCanDoAnything hazardous waste processing plants]], [[PowerSource nuclear power plants]], or [[MagicalParticleAccelerator particle accelerators]] causing them to develop antennae, compound eyes, mouths on their hands, the heads of venus flytraps, or similar drastic mutations.
416* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
417** Any animals within 12 meters of the center of [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-065 SCP-065 ("Destroyed Organic Catalyst")]] suffer rapid harmful mutations. The larger the animal is, the faster the mutations occur.
418** Any animal that enters [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-783 SCP-783 ("Baba Yaga's Cottage")]] undergoes massive mutations which usually give enhanced combat abilities.
419** Any water that passes through [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1575 SCP-1575 ("Venus Statue")]] gains mutagenic properties. Any animal that drinks the water will undergo [[HumanityEnsues mutation into a human being]].
420** When animals or plants are exposed to the substance [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1888 SCP-1888-2 ("Terraforming Temple")]], they physically mutate, with their bodies developing means of effective attacks (claws, poisoned thorns, etc.).
421** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com//scp-2756 SCP-2756 ("Surreal Landscaper")]] is an anomalous disease of unknown origin that mutates living creatures, causing extra organs to grow on random parts of their bodies.
422* ''Website/TaerelSetting'': The kin'toni are "gene engineered beasts" who used to be zu'aan and mutated after birth due to the kin'toni virus, giving them superhuman powers adapted to the land around them.
423[[/folder]]
424
425[[folder:Western Animation]]
426* [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Derek Powers]], the Season 1 ArcVillain of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', develops a nerve gas that has the side effect of being mutagenic and being influenced by its environment. When Powers is [[HoistByHisOwnPetard exposed to the gas himself]] and undergoes radiation therapy to treat it, the gas serves as the catalyst with its own "cure" to turn him into [[WalkingWasteland Blight, the walking meltdown]].
427* Duke Nukem, one of the villains in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'', becomes a mutant after exposure to [[NuclearMutant radioactive nuclear waste]].
428* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'' when Dilbert's workplace has become so toxic from its [[NoOSHACompliance decaying water system, air vents and the horrible air quality]] that the workers begin to suffer from random, hideous mutations, Dilbert being one of the few not affected. The mutations range from growing an extra limb or an enlarged eye but otherwise still look human, to hilariously monstrous like Wally who became a giant fly with a human head. All the mutations are reversed at the end of the episode when the workers just end up getting immune to the toxic environment and revert to their original bodies.
429* {{Parodied|Trope}} in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' WhatIf episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS3E21FamilyGuyViewerMailOne Family Guy Viewer Mail #1]]" when the Griffins get superpowers from [[RadiationInducedSuperpowers radioactive waste]]. When Mayor West tries to replicate the results, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome he just gets leukemia]].
430* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', DarkActionGirl Shego and her brothers received their superpowers by being in the proximity of a [[MagicMeteor meteor]] impact.
431* In Book 2 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', it's shown that first Avatar was a form of mutate. When a spirit [[DemonicPossession possesses a person]], the possessed's morphology and anatomy [[TransformationOfThePossessed radically changes in accordance to the spirit]]; in Wan's case, these alterations were internal and perhaps more metaphysical in nature, since he fused with Raava, the light spirit. After their permanent bonding in the Harmonic Convergence, they became united as one, and as such [[spoiler:the Avatar]] has ever since been a human altered by Raava's essence.
432* ''WesternAnimation/MutantLeague'', loosely based on [[VideoGame/MutantFootballLeague the video games]], posits a [[MetaOrigin common origin]] for all the mutants; a huge toxic spill/explosion under the world's largest stadium on game day.
433* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': At least a year has passed between ''Island'' and ''Revenge of the Island'' and in that time Chris has agreed to let Camp Wawanakwa be used as dumping ground for toxic waste. As a result, flora and fauna alike have mutated, and for the duration of ''Revenge of the Island'', mutation is a fate that can befall anyone on the island. After the season, the island gets cleaned up and all the mutants are brought over to a nature reserve on Boney Island known as the Fun Zone.
434** Fang is a mutant shark with human-level intelligence, two legs, two arms, and the ability to survive outside of the water. He is a recurring threat to the campers and one of few mutants not to take up residence in the Fun Zone.
435** Larry is a mutant flytrap who has [[CombatTentacles prehensile vines]] and can uproot himself to give chase to any prey. He was Chris's pet before mutating and falls back into that role when Chris returns to the island until he eventually settles in the Fun Zone.
436** In "[[Recap/TotalDramaAMineIsATerribleThingToWaste A Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste]]", Dakota is sent into a radioactive mine to test the area for safety. She stays for forty minutes, blacks out at some point, and gets retrieved by the other interns. She loses her hair before she even comes to, and about a day after, in "[[Recap/TotalDramaTheTreasureIslandOfDrMcLean The Treasure Island of Doctor McLean]]", she becomes a little bigger, a little stronger, a little spikier, and a little more prone to HulkSpeak every time she experiences a burst of anger. Her final form is powerful, inhumanly tall, and has green spiked hair, orange skin, red eyes, and a tail. She comes to like her new self and makes a career out of it, being one of the few mutants not to make the Fun Zone their home.
437** Josh is an intern who instantly mutates when he falls into a biohazardous sinkhole in "[[Recap/TotalDramaTheEnchantedFrankenForest The Enchanted Franken-Forest]]". His new form is a human-like creature with uneven monster limbs and bat wings. From that moment on, he's no longer an intern and does not show up in that role again. His fate is unknown, although Chris does advise him to join the circus.
438** Ezekiel's monstrous appearance is not due to mutation but due to feralization. Nonetheless, he does become a mutant during his time amidst radioactive waste, because while it does not affect his appearance, it leaves him with acid spit by the time of "[[Recap/TotalDramaZeekAndYeShallFind Zeek and Ye Shall Find]]".
439%%* ''WesternAnimation/ToxicCrusaders'', a kiddiefied version of the very not-family-friendly ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'' franchise.
440[[/folder]]
441
442[[folder:Real Life]]
443* While not to the degree seen in fiction, chemicals and radiation ''can'' alter a being, albeit in a harmful way. It is also possible for migrating species to mutate overtime as a result of adaptation.
444* Viruses regularly mutate into even more harmful variants. Perhaps the best example would be the {{UsefulNotes/Coronavirus}}, which has gradually evolved to form variants.
445[[/folder]]

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