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A dark variant of the X-Men known as showed how terrifying mutants can really be — and why humans might be right to be scared of some mutants.
The X-Men have proven multiple times over the years that mutants, like the rest of humanity, have the potential to be noble and horrible in equal measure. But the abilities of some mutants make them particularly dangerous, especially when they become outright murderous.
From across the multiverse, mutant heroes have been transformed into brutal killers, showcasing how frightening mutants can sometimes be. Shadow-X serves as a worst-case-scenario version of the X-Men, and effectively proves why humanity might not be entirely wrong to fear the gruesome depths mutants can potentially sink to.
Shadow-X were the X-Men of Earth-6141 — or at least, they should have been. The events of House of M sent the Shadow King spiraling across the multiverse, landing him in that reality. Finding the Xavier of that world, Shadow King successfully possessed him. Using his now amplified telepathic powers, this dark Professor Xavier corrupted the original X-Men and transformed them into brutal murderers. Seeking revenge on the X-Men of his home reality, the Shadow King brought the demented team with him back to Earth-616. The group quickly proved their sheer potential, holding their own against New Excalibur and even coming close to killing the veteran mutant heroes.
Shadow-X are all frighteningly straightforward in their tactics. There’s no restraint in these villainous variants of the X-Men. Instead, having been transformed into genuine monsters, these X-Men don’t hold back in the slightest. Angel wields blades to stab his enemies to death, Iceman flash freezes his victims, and Jean Grey causes heart attacks using her telepathy. Making it worse, the Shadow King’s corruption ends up making them extra malicious — allowing them to take sick pleasure in their murderous actions. The villainous Jean Grey in particular proved shockingly lethal, using her powers to kill others with sheer glee. Shadow-X is a good indicator of how dangerous the mutant heroes of the Marvel Universe can be when fully corrupted and unleashed.
Shadow-X are what happens when serial killers are given superpowers and a good case study for why mutants are terrifying for some. It’s not necessarily an unfounded fear at times. There have been plenty of examples of mutant killers who use their powers to further their killstreaks. Someone like Sabretooth can kill as many people as he wants, and his healing factor means he’s been doing so for decades largely unstopped. Shadow-X takes it even further, with two Omega-Level mutants (Iceman and Jean Grey) laying waste to their enemies in brutal fashion. Ultimately, Shadow-X was forced to team up with Excalibur and died in battle against the armies of a villainous Captain Britain. It’s sadly a good thing they did, as the world of otherwise been faced with an unrepentantly gruesome Jean Grey out in the world.
With characters like Shadow-X in mind, it makes sense why people would try to find ways to counter mutations. People who treat all mutants like threats or monsters are definitely wrong in this summation, as countless heroic mutants have proven. They’re just people — but that means that sometimes, they can be absolutely terrifying. With Shadow-X specifically in mind, the idea of Sentinels makes more logical sense — a means to fight mutants who could otherwise slaughter armies all on their own. The current era of Krakoa has shown how mutants can unite and reach startling new heights. But teases of the future hint this will eventually result in a human/mutant war that the humans are doomed to fail. It’s a good reminder of just how terrifying the mutants can really be in dire situations.
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