Ms. Marvel delivered the surprise revelation of Kamala Khan being a mutant - a major departure from her Inhuman comic origins. The shocking twist appears to indicate mutants may be out there in the MCU, and perhaps fans have already been introduced to some of them.
Mutant abilities typically come from the presence of the X-gene at birth, often leading to early-life super-powered disasters. The MCU has already delivered a major departure from this as Kamala had her mutant powers activated by an ancient bangle, giving her the ability to draw power from the Noor Dimension, from which her ancestors also originate. The revelation came after her genius best friend Bruno took a peek into her DNA and found there to be something of a "mutation."
Among the characters who have already been introduced to the MCU, but are devoid of their mutant nature due to rights complications, is Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. When Wanda Maximoff first debuted in Avengers: Age of Ultron, her powers were believed to stem from HYDRA experimentation, but WandaVision changed things.
Disney+'s reality-bending offered a twist that revealed Wanda to have had her magical powers from birth, with HYDRA's Infinity Stone experimentation only enhancing what was already there. Wanda has since only furthered her powers with the Darkhold, which she eventually made the ultimate sacrifice to destroy.
With Scarlet Witch being among the most powerful and beloved characters in the MCU, most agree she will be back sooner rather than later, potentially even in her own solo project. But could the newfound existence of mutants in the MCU be setting up a major change to her origin?
Is Scarlet Witch a Mutant in the MCU
During WandaVision Episode 8, which explored a series of flashbacks throughout Wanda's life, Agatha Harkness commented on how her exposure to the Mind Stone affected her powers, suggesting that it "amplified what, otherwise, would've died on the vine:"
"Little orphan Wanda got up close and personal with an Infinity Stone that amplified what, otherwise, would've died on the vine."
With Ms. Marvel having established that the MCU's mutants need to have their X-gene awoken by an external force, perhaps the Mind Stone did that for Elizabeth Olsen's character. Wanda and Kamala have been established to have a pre-existing connection to their powers that were only fully unlocked by an ancient force.
Now that the MCU has begun introducing mutants, perhaps Scarlet Witch will return with a newfound origin since her magical arc with the Darkhold has ended. After all, there are still gaps in her backstory that leave some questions up in the air. Most notably, the Quicksilver situation.
Which Other MCU Heroes Could Be Mutants?
WandaVision established Wanda's powers pre-dated her HYDRA experimentation and were only enhanced by the Mind Stone, which raises some interesting questions surrounding Quicksilver and his super-speed abilities. If the Mind Stone only amplified what was already there for Wanda, how does that explain the same exposure giving Pietro super-speed?
As Wanda and Pietro, aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, are mutants in the comics, it may be a safe assumption that they are in the MCU too. Of course, there's every possibility Wanda is just a witch in the MCU, and Pietro's powers did truly come from the Mind Stone, but their mutant comic origins are certainly notable.
If that were to be the case, that would make Infinity Stones a source of X-gene activation, much like Kamala's bangle. So, that opens up the possibility of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, being a mutant in the MCU, as her powers originally came from the explosion of a Tesseract-powered engine.
Changing Captain Marvel's origin would be a major departure from the comics, but as Kamala has already been changed to be a mutant in the MCU, all bets are truly off with Kevin Feige. Perhaps that could even make The Marvels a mutant team-up flick as it unites Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, and Monica Rambeau.
Speaking of Rambeau, her powers surfaced after walking through Wanda's Westview Hex, perhaps that activated existing mutant abilities in her. There's every chance that isn't the case, but if Kamala and Carol were to be mutants, it would make sense for Monica to also be in order to complete The Marvels trio.
The MCU will be introducing a character later this year who actually is a mutant on the comics side with Tenoch Huerta's Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Most previously believed his mutant origin would be abandoned for the upcoming flick, but with Ms. Marvel now established as a mutant, it's only right for the MCU to embrace that part of his character.
One character who was recently confirmed to be born with their powers in the MCU is America Chavez. As a child, America accidentally opened a Multiverse-hopping portal away from her homeworld, indicating she was born with her powers, opening the doors to them being of mutant origin.
The chances are slim that all of these characters will prove to be mutants in the MCU as changing the origins of some would undoubtedly infuriate many. But with mutants now firmly established to exist in this world, it's only a matter of time until more surface, and the X-Men are right around the corner.
