X-Men's New Student Is Guaranteed To Be Marvel Fans' New Obsession
Marvel introduces a new young mutant who might soon become a popular member of the X-Men. Many mutant heroes who now share the status of iconic in Marvel lore began their journey as students. The original five X-Men started out as Charles Xavier's inexperienced disciples before becoming leader figures to all mutantkind, not to mention Jean Grey and Iceman going on to become two Omega-level powerhouses in their own right. Likewise, influential mutant heroes such as Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Laura Kinney, and Monet St Croix have long left their student origins behind.
Although most of Marvel's most famous X-Men are characters introduced from the 1960s through the 1990s, X-Men comics continue to experiment with fresh blood. Recent additions to X-Men comics lore that have left their mark include Isca the Unbeaten, whose invincibility powers are perhaps some of the rarest across the whole Marvel Universe; and Justina LaGuardia, who possesses the similar ability to one-up anyone who challenges her and precedes most of the X-Men as a (potential) recruit of Charles Xavier's. And as Marvel develops the X-Men's supernatural side, figures like Lady Henrietta also steal the spotlight.
Marvel's most famous X-Men aren't going anywhere anytime soon, especially now that their MCU counterparts are making their official debut in Marvel Studios' X-Men movie reboot. However, that doesn't keep Marvel Comics from laying the foundations for the next generation of comic-book X-Men.
Howler Is The X-Men's Latest Feral Mutant Recruit
Uncanny X-Men #34; Written By Gail Simone; Art By Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson
While Gambit tries to get rid of Wyvern with the help of Father Gabriel, Rogue, and the mutant exorcist Repent, the Uncanny X-Men attend the case of slaughtered chickens. It doesn't take long for Monet to discover that the culprit is a feral mutant who attacked the chickens in fear, as he was previously persecuted for looking like an anthropomorphic dog. Monet, Jubilee, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine are deeply moved when Monet orders Waffles to sit, and Howler obeys, showing how deeply ingrained his abuse truly is.
Marvel has established a new generation of X-Men heroes quite well in the pages of Uncanny X-Men through the Outliers' battles alongside the titular mutants. Calico, Deathdream, Jitter, and Ransom are on their path to become long-running characters and not yet another team of young mutants that gets discarded after their debut series ends. Similarly to how the X-Men have recruited unexpected members like Juggernaut, Rogue, and Gambit himself into their team, the Outliers could soon welcome Howler and allow him to overcome his traumatic past with their genuine support.
Howler Could Be A Secret Wildcard For The X-Men
Howler Is A Dangerous Kind Of Mutant
Feral mutants form a distinctive informal category in Marvel Comics, composed of characters whose powers give them pronounced animalistic physical and behavioral traits. They possess heightened senses, some sort of claws and fangs, plus enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, agility, and often regenerative abilities as well. Wolverine is definitively the most famous, but he's also accompanied by the similarly deadly Sabretooth and Wolfsbane, who can transform back and forth between the human Rahne Sinclair and her lupine form. Likewise, Wild Child, Feral, and Thornn all resemble large feline predators, and Beast himself has seen his mutation undergo subtle changes that make him more animal than man.
Feral mutants' powers make them physically unstoppable without necessarily making them mindless. Wolverine's entire characterization revolves around this conflict, as his berserker rages can make him frightening even to allies, while his discipline and moral code keep his animalistic instincts under control. Sabretooth is the total opposite, given that he embraces violence as a central part of his identity. Wolfsbane sits somewhere in the middle, as she often can't control what she does when transformed. Howler seems vulnerable at the moment, but he could easily learn how to control and redirect his instincts to become a deadly but still heroic mutant alongside the X-Men.
Which feral X-Men character is your favorite?
Uncanny X-Men #34 is now available from Marvel Comics