First power manifestation?

[bluefooted]

Hey X-perts! Was hoping you guys could help me out here: I'm a biology TA and one of the things that our students do is analyze data sets using different types of statistics. I like to mix it up a bit and give them 'silly' data to work with - it's a little more fun for them and they get into it ;) In the past, we've done Buffy stuff, Law and Order, etc...

Anyway, we've also used X-Men data before (looking at numbers of different colored mutants) and we'd like to do it again. But I need some help from you: I'd like to collect a data set describing the circumstances in which mutants' powers first manifest. The data needs to be categorical, so you'll need to judge which category the scenario fits into.

I've chosen 5 scenarios to start:
(1) Anger - a mutant's powers first manifest when in a rage or angry
(2) Fear - powers first manifest when afraid, etc
(3) Sex - powers first manifest during a sexual experience
(4) Nothing - nothing special happening, mutant just gets powers
(5) Other - some other circumstance - I might split this into another category (we'll probably let the students decide).

Argument and debate is welcomed and encouraged - part of the fun is deciding on how to classify the data. So, basically, what I need from you guys is:

1. Name of character
2. Brief description of how power first manifested
3. Classify circumstance into 1 of 5 categories: Anger, Fear, Sex :D , Nothing, Other (please describe)

Like I said, feel free to argue and debate - I really appreciate whatever help you can give and hopefully it will be fun!

[DDM]

Most mutant powers manifest at puberty. However, extreme stress can cause a mutant power to manifest prematurely. For instance, when Annie Richardson. Jean Grey's best friend, died when she a struck by a car. Jean's telepathy emerged prematurely as she linked with Richardson upon her death. The trauma caused Jean to withdraw from the world because she did not know how to control her telepathy. Her father contacted Charles Xavier who placed psionic shields within Jean's mind to block Jean's telepathy until she was mature enough to handle her own telepathic powers. In the meantime, Xavier worked with Jean's telekinesis for several years before he even formed the X-Men. (Bizarre Adventures #27)

Franklin Richards is a mutant with vast psionic powers. Like Jean, his powers have emerged premature. Richards has telekinetic, telepathy, & precognative powers; he is able to manipulate matter at the molecular level. Since he is a child, he is not mature enough to deal with his powers. Franklin has psionic barriers keeping him from his vast powers, although they do occassionally get out of hand.

[bluefooted]

Thanks, I know a bit about the X-Men ;) and mutants in general, but I don't know a lot about some characters. We just need a bigger data set than I could provide. So here's a sample of what I need:

Chamber - power manifested when gettin' it on with girlfriend in closet.
category - Sex

Based on what you wrote about Jean, I'd say:

Jean Grey - power manifested when her friend was hit by a car
category - I'd classify that as Fear, but I bet someone here would debate that :)

[Flameworthy]

Dazzler - power manifested at high school talent contest when a band of bikers crashed the party.

Category - Anger

[Beast]

Beast - Was born with his powers/original physical mutation already active, due to his father's exposure to nuclear radiation before Hank was concieved.

Catagory - Other.

[DDM]

Meggan: powers manifested at birth

The cold caused Meggan to grow hair to protect herself from the weather. She reflects the emotions around; therefore, she grew into a grotesque she-creature. However, she realized her true potential when she faced the Warpies.

Fear

Proteus: powers manifested at puberty

Nothing

Nightcrawler: seemingly at birth (due to his appearance), but his powers really manifested at puberty

Nothing

Magik (Illyana Rasputin): mutant powers manifested at puberty

Fear (due to being raised by Belasco)

Magma: due to the stress of almost being killed by Selene, the lava acted as a catalyst which activated Amara's latent mutant powers.

Shadowcat: puberty

Nothing

Rogue: puberty

Nothing

Cyclops: puberty, although his brain was damaged when he hit his head as child; therefore, he cannot control his optic blasts.

Nothing

[fishtaco]

Rusty Collins first manifested his fire powers while having sex with Emma LaPorte in X-Factor (1st Series) 1.

Magneto first manifested his powers while being held down by soldiers in Classic X-Men 12.

Cyclops first manifested his powers when falling from Corsair's plane in Uncanny X-Men 156.

Phoenix first manifested her powers while witnessing the death of her friend Annie Richardson.

Shadowcat first manifested her powers while lying on her bed in Uncanny X-Men 129

Rogue first manifested her powers while kissing Cody Robbins (as told in Uncanny X-Men 185.

Skids first manifested her powers while defending herself and her mother from her drunken and abusive father in X-Factor (1st Series) 16

Jubilee first manifested her powers when she was cornered by cops in a mall in Uncanny X-Men 244.

Magik first manifested her powers while seeing a danger room hologram of Belasco in Uncanny X-Men 171

Multiple Man was born with his powers

Maggot first manifested his powers when Magneto awakened them in X-Men (2nd Series) 76

Cable first manifested his force bubble as a baby in an issue of X-Factor

[bluefooted]

Thanks Flameworthy, Beast, DDM, and Fishtaco - the info will be used For Science!

Fishtaco - could you classify these into categories? Some are easy, but others are unclear. Thanks :o

Forgot to add: We'll do a bunch of different analyses with this data - it will go in a file along with other stuff about the characters. I'll post the results of our tests (I'll probably try a few out before I give it to the students, just to see what we get).

Cheers!

[ocelotrevs]

Nightcrawler was born with his mutation, I'd guess that was a nothing scenario
Cable (when he was a baby) created a force bubble subconciously when he was in danger, this would be Danger

[Kevin Vetter]

Exodus and Apocalypses powers manifested when they were adults.

If I remember correctly apocalypse was attacked and I think a fatal blow might have even been struck and his power manifested.

Exodus was put in a situation where if he didn't use his power he would have been killed and thats how it first manifested. With exodus though it was almost a conscious attempt to use his power because unlike just about every other mutant he knew that he had some kind of power but didn't know what it was or how he could use it and he set out to find a way to activate his power and he had no knowledge of mutants or anything like that since it happened hundreds of years before it was understood what mutants were.

I don't know if they should be considered fear or other. I would say it was desperation because their powers activated to save their lives and I think it could fit into both categories.

[Michael P]

Zeitgeist (Axel Cluny) - Powers manifested when he was about to make out with a hot girl on a beach - Sex

[DDM]

Magik first manifested her powers while seeing a danger room hologram of Belasco in Uncanny X-Men 171

Actually, Magik first manifested her mutant powers in Magik #1-4 which takes place inbetween Uncanny X-Men #160 & Uncanny X-Men #161. Magik's Soulsword is a manifestation of her demon sorceress powers. Her mutant power is teleportation of Limbo's "stepping discs." Magik kept her mutant & magickal powers ignorant of the X-Men, the New Mutants, & Professor Xavier until The New Mutants #14. Gradually, Illyana showed her sorceress powers to the X-Men & New Mutants.

[fishtaco]

Actually, Magik first manifested her mutant powers in Magik #1-4 which takes place inbetween Uncanny X-Men #160 & Uncanny X-Men #161. Magik's Soulsword is a manifestation of her demon sorceress powers. Her mutant power is teleportation of Limbo's "stepping discs." Magik kept her mutant & magickal powers ignorant of the X-Men, the New Mutants, & Professor Xavier until The New Mutants #14. Gradually, Illyana showed her sorceress powers to the X-Men & New Mutants.I knew someone was going to correct that :D

[Nobbel]

I think Rogue comes closer to sex than pyberty. She was about to make love with Cody when her power first manifistated

[twilight]

I guess i'll cover the X-statix kids;

Orphan was born with a physical mutation but his sensitive skin didn't kick in until his teens.

Vivisector wolfed up for the first time after being bullied by some kids so I would class it as anger.

Venus Dee Milo just exploded into a pile of energy one day.I don't believe she was under any specific stress so I chalk this one up to age/puberty.

Dead Girl's mutation was triggered by dying so I have no idea how to class it.

[TinMan]

I think Rogue comes closer to sex than pyberty. She was about to make love with Cody when her power first manifistated

Has this been changed then? Cause as I recall nothing ever said they were gonna bump uglies when her powers manifested. From what I remember they were just kissing.

[Tennoarashi]

Unless it's happened even earlier, Ororo's first power manifestation was shown in Ororo: Before the Storm #4 - when her and her fellow urchin Hakim were stuck under the rubble, and she was frustrated because she couldn't pull each other out.

Category: Anger (a little fear, too)

[Kirayoshi]

At the time Kitty's powers first appeared, she was suffering from headaches. Her parents at the time were fighting almost constantly, and she was afraid that their marriage would soon be over(turns out she was right, but that's another thing). So maybe a cross between fear and anger could have led to her manifesting her powers.

[bluefooted]

Thanks guys - you rock :D

I'll add these on. Every single one is helpful. Just so you know, I'm counting all kissing, making out, etc... as 'sex'. I thought about making another category - 'extreme stress' - but I think we can still divide that up into anger or fear.

Cheers!

[DDM]

At the time Kitty's powers first appeared, she was suffering from headaches. Her parents at the time were fighting almost constantly, and she was afraid that their marriage would soon be over(turns out she was right, but that's another thing). So maybe a cross between fear and anger could have led to her manifesting her powers.

Kitty's headaches were a manifestation of her mutant power emerging due to he going through puberty; she was 13 1/2 at the time. Anger had nothing to do with it. Kitty's headaches vanished when she used her powers helping the X-Men against the White Queen & the Hellfire Club in Uncanny X-Men #129-131.

[Atomic Mongoose]

HUSK
Mutant powers manifested when she was jealous of her brother, Cannonball, for being born a mutant. After weeks of failed self-experimentation to unlock her own powers, Husk became so frustrated that she ran outside one night, screamed up at the sky and asked God to please make her a mutant, too. She became a skin-shedding metamorph.
Classification: Anger

POLARIS
Mutant powers manifested when she was experimented on, and her abilities were "unlocked" from dormant status. She gained control over the electromagnetic spectrum.
Classification: Other

THRENODY
Mutant powers manifested when she was left the lone survivor of the car crash that killed her family. She telepathically felt them all die, and would later find that her abilities also allowed her to harness the energy released by organic matter when it dies or decays.
Classification: Fear

[Flameworthy]

Sunfire - His uncle suspecting he was a mutant, took him to Hiroshima, which was still somewhat radioactive. He told Shiro to touch some of the soil. Upon doing so, it caused Shiro's powers to manifest.

Category - Other

[Shadowcat]

THRENODY
Mutant powers manifested when she was left the lone survivor of the car crash that killed her family. She telepathically felt them all die, and would later find that her abilities also allowed her to harness the energy released by organic matter when it dies or decays.
Classification: Fear

what issue was this shown?

[Alpha to Omega]

Cyclops: puberty, although his brain was damaged when he hit his head as child; therefore, he cannot control his optic blasts.

Nothing

Cyclops' powers manifested when he was falling out of the plane with Alex strapped to him and there parachute caught fire. He used his optic blasts to slow the fall but hit his head on a rock which caused the brain damage. His powers next manifested years later after he ran away from Sinister's orphanage and hit a steel girder off a construction site.