@The Stegman said:

they're human, just...mutated,with an extra gene, so i say most of them is human

@Maki_P said:

I feel the need to point out that there is no such thing as a "next step of human evolution". You see evolution does not work that way, it's a constant process to adaptation to the species to it's environment. And it's not predetermined, there is not a kind of creature your species it's meant to become, you species just becomes what it's necessary to survive in the environment you and your descendants live in. I don't know enough of the X-Men to know what environmental factor trigger that sort of mutation, but there must be, and it does not mean they're "superior". (Wait, weren't they created by the Celestial or some weir crap like that? That's not Evolution, that Genetic Tampering!)

Ummm. This is not really in topic. Still I think it's important to clarify the point: Mutants aren't the (nonexistent) next step of Human Evolution, they're a mutated form of Humanity.

Thank you, and sorry for any inconvenience

Origin

Human mutants (or Homo Sapiens Superior) were created by a star-faring race of humanoid aliens called the "Celestials". Approximately one million years ago, they came to Earth and performed genetic tests and experimentation on Earth's highest lifeforms, the nascent human being. Testing the versatility of human genes, one of their experiments was the implantation of a dormant DNA complex which would one day permit benevolent mutations of phenomenal capacity in humanity. The gifts endowed by the presence of this X-Gene can be minimal to phenomenal; such as the abilities of any well-known powerful mutant hero or villain, for example, many of the X-Men, or former members of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Based on everything I've seen from the comics, it looks like the active X-gene is passed similarly to blood type. You have three alleles for the x-gene, 2 inactive and one active. The active is recessive to the inactive. Get two parents that are heterozygotic then their child could have the active x-gene. Then there is the Bombay phenotype, where people who are homozygotic for either the active or inactive alleles and give birth to an offspring who's phenotypic expression of the gene doesn't match the genotypic expression.

Probably made myself sound like an ass somewhere in there, but the point is that mutants are human. Being born with a mutation or not is like being born with blue eyes or brown eyes, blonde or red hair. Only if you are born with the former you can shoot lightning out of your ass or something.

They're as human as Homo Erectus.

All I have to say is "Mutant and proud!"

@DragonfireXL: Um. That's very interesting. And changes the Mutant issue completely. If extraterrestrial beings introduced the X-Gene then mutants are indeed not the product of human Evolution, but genetic tampering. And it does open the question of what Mutants are: Genetically Altered Humans or a different species created from a Human Baseline? (I prefer genetically altered humans)

Yes, Mutants are Humans. They just happen to have the X-gene, dormant or not. For instance, Slipstream was never supposed to become a Mutant. He had the dormant X-gene, which meant that his children or his grand-children would have most likely become Mutants, but Slipstream himself would never have become a Mutant himself. However, Sage activated Slipstreams dormant X-gene and thus he went from being a normal human to a full-blown Mutant, but essentially he was still human. Mutant is just an off-shoot of humans.

I consider us all silly, playful beings. Thus Homo Ludens.

Simple A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species So yeah. "They" would be humans if they came from humans and can breed with humans.

@cmaprice: Opps! :D

Poor Nightcrawler.

homo sapiens superior as opposed to homo sapiens sapiens, they've officially been scientifically classified as a class of human. Plus that's their whole schtick, acceptance despite being better and mutated.

the real question is are mutant haters human? lol cause their ways of showing dislike arent very human

No they're not human, they're meta-human. Whether they constitute a separate species as a whole is a different question. Cyclops and clone Jean Grey had similar enough genomes that they were able to produce non-sterile offspring, which suggests that they are of reasonably close genetics. Mutant/non-mutant pairings have also resulted in children, generally powered, which implies that the gene structures that permit mutant abilities are recessive but very common in the general population (like blue-eyes).

Referring to mutants as a separate species is just one of the parallels with the real-life race issues that Stan Lee was attempting to grapple with in the original series.

Look at my avatar... Shows you what i think :P

@sEsposito7:

Yup, once again, you've saved me a post. Morrison actually based a good bit of his New X-Men around this.

@tectonic_prose said:

Typically, biologically species are indicated by a genetic lock and key, that is to say, mutants are not humans if that do not have regular reproductive capacity with humans, and rather have that only with other mutants. So, I believe mutants appear to be humans who have a genetic anomaly.

This is actually a very serious science discussion which involves both a re-clarifying of technical speciation and a recap of the genetic history of the X-Family. I'm trying to think of mutants who have had genetically human offspring, but can't. Humans have mutants, but do mutants have non-mutant human offspring. Can anyone help me out here?

Mystique and Sabertooth had a child named Graydon Creed who was a normal human.

This article reminds me of that episode of the 90s X-men cartoon where Senator Kelly was kidnapped by Mastermold and he told Mastermold that the Sentinels are supposed to attack mutants, not humans and Mastermold replies that that is illogical because mutants are humans. The shock of this revelation got Kelly to do a complete 180 and change his whole stance on human/mutant affairs.

Interesting article to share, I remember reading the classic comics. And how each explored what made our favorite teams unique and how they shaped the world they fight to save in every page. "God Loves, Man Kills" was a difficult read, because it challenged many writers, yet somehow Claremont was able to define what was "different" and what is human. I haven't been able to find a title like it since. But its something that Marvel's lawyers are fighting in defense of a generation. I hope they win, and find solidarity to keep it going.

That depends on your definition of "human." Would you consider Neanderthals and other pre-Homo Sapiens "human" or not? If the term "human" is strictly for Homo Sapiens, and mutants are Homo Sapiens Superior, then they wouldn't apply. I don't think Marvel Atlanteans and or the Inhumans are labeled as "humans" so much in the Marvel Universe, so the argument could be valid...

@sora_thekey said:

They are just a different type of human.

I agree they may not be like other humans but they are still human

From a business standpoint, I can see why Marvel would want to do this, sure. Now in the Marvel Universe proper, it would be a serious legal question of whether mutants should be considered human or not. In the end, the question is YES, they are considered humans. They are officially known as homo sapiens superior, which technically means they are just the next step up on the human evolutionary scale. Its no different from a metahuman or even a superhuman. It all comes down to a question of just what one's definition of humanity is, and for mutants they obviously qualify even if some think otherwise. Many see fit to dehumanize others just because they don't fit a certain mold. Blacks in the American South both before and since the American Civil War. Jews and Gypsies in Central Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. In the end they all share same and similar characteristics that all humans do, and mutants are no different other than the fact that they may have an ability that no typical human can undertake.

They are humans because the only biological vary is that one gene that is active, so technically there just a new branch of humanity, and people just need to get over it really. THE END

I always though that calling themselves "homo superior" was a bit vain. You want to be accepted and you call yourself superior? That's just gonna make people hate you more... they're human.

Al I can say is, was homo Hiedelbergensis human even though they were born before homo sapien and had a bigger head?

Also, can you tell I just read that off of wiki? :P

also though, kinda seriously,if I saw Nightcrawler literally in real life my first impulse would be to stab him with a wooden stake. I'd put him down as a demon before a human if I didn't understand.

Stan was smart for the x-men ], he was basing the idea off of racial issues, through comics. Malcolm X symbolized by Magneto and Martin Luther King Jr. by Xavier. Night crawler although a pretty later added character by like 12 years, was a devoted catholic and looked like a devil, showing that the person inside is worth much more than what the person looks like On the outside. i know it's obvious but it was just a smart idea that still impresses me

I believe that there are human with a genetic mutation

I'm impressed at so many people already pointing out the scientific inaccuracies in the constant stating that mutants are a new species. I've accepted you have to sacrifice some realism to enjoy a story (I could point out that in most cases it would take more than ONE gene (the "mutant gene") to create the biological differences between notable mutants and traditionally non-mutated humans) but I've always felt it was a lazy way on writers' parts to create conflict between the groups.

I understand if the line was just used as metaphorical hate speech ( "They're not even human!!"), but being accepted as fact makes it seem like they just didn't bother to do their research. That is, if you're going to use science as an explanation for super-powers don't get some pretty basic concepts wrong.

Humans with an activated x-gene

haha biology. Species are things that can't breed with one another. I'm surprised how many others knew this. go biology!

Most of them only develop their powers after they hit puberty. It would be insane to say they were human during their childhood and became another different species when they became adolescents. I say they are human.

I would say they're...

Super human

This may sound kinda immature and like I'm saying it for shock value, but I'm being totally genuine: If mutants really were a different species from humans, would a human hooking up with a mutant (such as Storm and Black Panther) be considered bestiality?

@G-Man Article typo?

trying to convince the IRS that the X-Men and mutants should not be considered mutants humans.

Anyway I realize this is a slow news week and it's a fine topic to discuss (isn't Nightcrawler more of a demi-human in fantasy parlance?)

But seriously, we all know the original article is about getting a tax loophole. Right? It has nothing to do with the fiction, and Marvel's lawyers are not going to edit the Compendiums to satisfy the IRS. Right? That's true right? Oh Jesus...

So in summary, lawyer uses some loophole nonsense for toys and taxes...TOYS! I fail to see the issue...it's not like Marvel as a company made an anouncement that all mutants are above/below humans in the comics...just one scummy lawyer.

Yes, they are still human. When Master Moe from the X-Men Cartoon says to the scientist, that they are indeed humans, so that a machine couldn't make difference from the two spices. It's more of a human, cute little classification, kinda deal.

@tectonic_prose said:

Typically, biologically species are indicated by a genetic lock and key, that is to say, mutants are not humans if that do not have regular reproductive capacity with humans, and rather have that only with other mutants. So, I believe mutants appear to be humans who have a genetic anomaly.

This is actually a very serious science discussion which involves both a re-clarifying of technical speciation and a recap of the genetic history of the X-Family. I'm trying to think of mutants who have had genetically human offspring, but can't. Humans have mutants, but do mutants have non-mutant human offspring. Can anyone help me out here?

Graydon Creed.

They are humans with an extra X gene hence where their powers are derived from

They have always been human... no matter how absurd they already look. 
 
They just got a little extra special something in them... that's all.

Scientifically no, they're a completely different species. Homo Superior are as related to Homo Sapien as Homo Sapien are related to Homo Erectus. Philosophically however yes mutants are humans

If the X writers/editors were as smart as Marvel lawyers - they'd bring this "real world" discussion into comics...and while they have to a limited degree - it would be interesting to see it used to it's full effectiveness...I also think this is true of their Island nation of Utopia - how would the "real world" ever handle a "Nation" being built on it's shores with hundreds of walking WMD's (The writers/editors in the infinite wisdom didn't even place it in International Waters). I've been ragged on before by: "It's just comics" - yeah that is true, but lets put some real world intelligence behind our suspension of disbelief - I'm just crowing...

I think it depends on the who it is. People like Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, etc are human. They are pretty much human, just with added powers. Other mutants like Beast, Nightcrawler, Apocalypse, etc are not though. Their genetics aren't humanistic. Beast has very animalisitic genes, Nightcrawler is half demon, from his father (Azareth), and Apocalypse has been evolving for thousands of years, etc.

Of course they're Human,better than their oppressors

Well, theoretically they're still humanoid creatures, so... :P

theyre still people , with feelings , so mostly human still ...

Blame the whole issue on the flawed way writers used evolution to explain Mutants. All the 'next step in evolution' and 'Homo Superior' stuff is just comic book pseudo science at its purest.

A 'species' isn't easily defined. What you see in museums as your ancestors look different because they existed hundreds of thousands of years apart, and it was scientists who gave them different names. In real, slow life, the process is just one small mutation/natural selection after another that doesn't look that distinct, and isn't enough to consider them a new species.

Mutants are humans with mutation that comes from a specific gene therefore, they are humans. They just have distinct common genetic traits. You could say, but it's still a faulty comparison, that they're similar to an ethnic group.

Everybody's genetic codes deviate from a "simple" combination of his parents' alleles, having between 150 to 175 mutations, the vast majority of which are undetectable. So technically, we're all mutants.

Seriously, Marvel is trying to push the thought that Mutants aren't human so they can save money on taxes for incoming product. That is just so sad.

They're technically human, but I'd think that if they were filling out a form in the marvel universe, mutant would be a separate category.