The Marauders have traveled back in time to attempt to save a mutant civilization but in the process may have just rewritten mutant history.
After the Marauders traveled back in time as an effort to save the last members of the Threshold, an ancient mutant society, they discovered a new origin story for mutants that changed previous theories. The events of Marauders #9 (by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, Matt Milla, and VC’s Cory Petit), have unveiled a backstory for mutants that seems to contradict their previous origin story.
In Marauders, #4 (by Orlando and Carlini), the team learned that the last members of the Threshold were killed several years ago. It was revealed that the Shi’ar race, known for being raiders, destroyed the ancient mutant society after learning about their capability to stop them from raiding Earth. Charles Xavier’s sister, Cassandra Nova, convinced the Marauders to travel back in time and save the ancient mutants from their fate. However, the time-warping mutant Tempo warned them that doing so could also mean the Marauders would cease to exist.
The Marauders Have Changed The Origin of Marvel’s Mutants
The final scene of Marauders #9 hinted that the Marauders are not the only mutants involved in the Oxygen Wars, which could be a game-changer for the X-Men and all future mutants. Before the Marauders’ discovery, it was believed that mutants, originated from an event that happened over a million years ago called the First Host. During that event, beings known as Celestials began a genetic experiment on some of Earth’s living population. Gammenon the Gatherer took a tribe of Wanderers and sent them to Ziran the Tester, who then mutated their genetic makeup. This resulted in the creation of Deviants, Eternals and superhumans.
However, the First Host was not the only origin story for mutants. Some mutants were thought to exist before the First Host. In Avengers (2018) Vol. 8, #5 (by Jason Aaron, Paco Medina, and Ed Mcguinness), Loki came up with the idea that mutants were a result of the alpha Celestial, the Progenitor, being infected by the Horde. According to Loki, when the Progenitor was infected by the Horde billions of years ago, his vomit seeped throughout the planet and gave rise to people with superhuman abilities. A few individual mutants were believed to be the “first” mutants. This included Firehair, the first known mutant to host the Phoenix force; the Forever Man, who has been reborn again and again throughout the ages, and Selene, a dark priestess who can absorb people’s life forces. However, the origins of their mutant abilities were largely unknown.
Questions Remain About Who the First Mutants Were
More questions regarding the origins of mutants arose after some mutants were introduced as individuals who discovered their mutations during adolescence, while others were visibly different from the time they were born. According to early X-Men comics, Professor Xavier described the rise of mutants as a result of exposure to nuclear radiation. Although later X-Men comics expanded on the mutation derived from a change in genetics called the X-Gene. However, in A.X.E: Judgment Day (by Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti), mutants were suggested to be linked directly with the Deviants, which, as mentioned earlier, resulted from genetic experiments conducted by the Celestials.
After the Marauders traveled in time to prevent the Oxygen Wars and save their ancient ancestors, it’s revealed that a member of the Threshold, known as Commander Nightfount, has turned against them. That’s not the only surprise in store for the Marauders though. Commander Nightfount is actually Cable’s evil clone, Stryfe, in disguise. So far, it’s unknown how or why Stryfe traveled back in time, or why he may have been the direct cause of the Threshold’s downfall. Regardless of his motives, his unexpected appearance expands mutant lore, creating new questions about where mutants really came from and why some forces are determined to eradicate them.
