Mutants (DC Comics)

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For the DC Comics species, see Metahuman.
Mutants
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceThe Dark Knight Returns #1 (February 1986)
Created byFrank Miller
In-story information
Member(s)See Members

The Mutants is a fictional street gang appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. While the Mutants were first seen in The Dark Knight Returns, there were other incarnations of the Mutants that appeared in later Batman comics.

Fictional team biography

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The Dark Knight Returns

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In The Dark Knight Returns, set in a potential future, the Mutants are a youth gang that formed sometime after Bruce Wayne retired as Batman. A decade later, Wayne becomes Batman again after crime rates spike. Although Batman defeats the Mutants, the Mutant Leader ends up goading him into a fight. Batman, despite being able to match the Leader in strength, is severely injured due to being out of practice. Carrie Kelley creates a diversion, allowing Batman to immobilize the Mutant Leader, and the two of them escape. The Gotham City Police Department arrive and arrest the Mutant Leader and his associates. While in police custody, the Mutant Leader is visited by the unnamed Mayor of Gotham City, who wants to negotiate with him. The Mutant Leader kills the mayor by tearing out his throat, causing Deputy Mayor Stevenson to be sworn in as the new Mayor of Gotham City. Assisting in Batman's plan, Jim Gordon has the Mutant Leader released while Carrie spreads the word of a showdown between Batman and the Mutant Leader. The two engage in a fight at a sewage run-off pipe. Leveraging the mud from the sewage to slow him down, Batman deals the Leader a brutal defeat. Seeing Batman defeat their leader, the Mutants disband. Some of them come together as a group called the "Sons of Batman", using excessive violence against criminals, while others splinter off into gangs such as the Nixons and Bruno's gang.[1]

Mainstream comics

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The mainstream version of the Mutants were seen causing trouble until they fight Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin.[2]

In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC Universe. The Mutants are seen taking place in a smuggling operation conducted by Leviathan. They are defeated by Batman Incorporated.[3]

When Booster Gold accidentally brings Jonah Hex to the present, he finds a family being endangered by the Mutants led by King-Boss-Champion Steaktube. He manages to shoot them until the police and Batwing arrive.[4] After getting out of Arkham Asylum using Amadeus Arkham's great-grandson Jeremiah Arkham as a hostage, they steal a car and come across a GCPD checkpoint, where both groups are attacked by the Mutants. Hex takes some guns from the downed police officers and starts to fight the Mutants.[5]

Membership

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The Dark Knight Returns members

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  • Mutant Leader – The unnamed albino leader of the Mutants, a physically imposing and strong man, who even shaped his teeth as fangs to add to his imposing presence. He manipulated Gotham City's youth to perform violent criminal acts under his leadership, spiking to an all-time high and contributing to force Batman out of retirement.
  • Don
  • Rob

Mainstream comics members

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  • King-Boss-Champion Steaktube – member of the Mutants, killed by Jonah Hex.

In other media

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Television

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  • The Mutants appear in The New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the Dark Knight", with the Mutant Leader voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, Don by Mark Rolston, and Rob by Charles Rocket.[6]
  • Two members of the Mutants make a non-speaking appearance in the Teen Titans episode "How Long is Forever?".
  • The Mutants make a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!".
  • A variation of the Mutants appears in Gotham. This version is led by Terence "Cupcake" Shaw (portrayed by Jamar Greene) and known to hold fight clubs across Gotham City.
  • The Mutants appear in Gotham Knights.[7] This version is led by Vernon Wagner (portrayed by Keil Oakley Zepernick), who has a history with Batman.

Film

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References

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  1. ^ The Dark Knight Returns #1-2 (June - July 1986)
  2. ^ Batman #700 (August 2010)
  3. ^ Batman Incorporated #1 (January 2011)
  4. ^ All-Star Western (vol. 3) #21 (August 2013)
  5. ^ All-Star Western (vol. 3) #22 (September 2013)
  6. ^ Robinson, Tasha (December 5, 2001). "Frank Miller interview". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  7. ^ Freitag, Lee (March 30, 2023). "Gotham Knights Gives a Major Dark Knight Returns Villain His Live-Action Debut". CBR. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Connelly, Brendon (April 14, 2011). "Movie Version Of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns In The Works". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  9. ^ Allstetter, Rob (July 23, 2011). "Comic-Con 2011". Comics Continuum. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Yehl, Joshua (February 15, 2017). "The LEGO Batman Movie Easter Eggs and References". IGN. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017.
  11. ^ Vanacker, Rebecca (April 20, 2021). "Zack Snyder's Justice League Dark Knight Returns Easter Egg Confirmed". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
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