The first generation of Sinister’s experimentation was simple replication of a single mutant. The second generation was the first group of Chimera, combining two X-Genes. The third generation mixed more than two up to five. And the fourth generation involved Omega-level sources and was sabotaged by Sinister in an effort to switch his allegiance to the ruling class of machines. In every case, it was using mutant DNA for his experiments.
Yet, here is a Spider-Man Chimera amongst all of this X-Gene DNA. Is it as simple as a joke going back to the early days of both Spider-Man and the X-Men when the hero thought he may be a mutant? I wouldn’t put it past the trio of Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, and, this comic’s writer, Si Spurrier, to include this specific Chimera solely as a bit of a joke. It could be that simple. But, where’s the fun in that? No, if we’re going to read into these comics for the purpose of commentary and criticism, we’re going to overread into these comics for the purpose of commentary and criticism.
Part of the project that the Sinisters roll out is the addition of the X-Gene into homo sapiens. While an effective way to subsume the world, it’s also a direct attack on Doctor Stasis, the Essex variant focused on evolution through augmenting humanity outside of genetic tampering. It’s not just that mutants conquer and dominate the world, they also assimilate humanity into their ranks. By this point, the Sinisters have, for the most part, defeated the true threat of Stasis and his plans: Orchis and, specifically, Nimrod. The subtle, unstated victory achieved in this Sinister World Order is the “mutants always lose” curse of Moira. Homo novissima is cut off. Up until Moira’s sixth life (the +1000 years timeline in Powers of X), she wasn’t aware of the true threat to mutants and the fight for the dominance of Earth. It was both humanity and their machines, interwoven into a “manufactured branch of humanity not restricted by normal evolutionary constraints.” After living long enough to see this branch of humanity – this alternative next stage past homo sapiens – nearly reach ascension into a Phalanx, she reset the timeline with the specific goal of ensuring mutantkind’s victory by stopping the machines, culminating in her ninth life when she learns of the moment that Nimrod came online and entered her tenth life with the express goal of stopping that from happening while building up mutants to a place where they can, maybe, finally win. Of course, she failed. Nimrod came online, her plans were exposed, and she was stripped of her mutant genetic status, prompting her to immediately through her lot in with the likes of Orchis, embracing a homo novissima post-humanity.
And she lost again. Maybe it’s not mutants always lose, it’s Moira always loses.
The man-machine future dominance of Earth has been averted and mutants have won. All that’s left is either assimilation or subjugation or extermination (or experimentation). The assimilation would naturally involve expansion into genetic experimentation involving non-X-Genes. Given their similarities in acrobatic abilities, Spider-Man crossed with Nightcrawler would be a ‘safe’ test. It would be fairly predictable in the results, less likely to produce an unexpected circuit; instead, they would overlap to a large degree with additions like teleportation and Spider-Sense. And, while Spider-Man is not a mutant, his DNA has undergone a mutation of sorts. One wonders if Stasis would view him as one of his own or not. I imagine he would fancy himself more of a Dr. Octopus man as this issue evidences. How inhuman would the likes of Doctor Stasis view someone like Spider-Man? I guess we won’t find out in this event... and what about the Inhumans? He may view this less as a corruption of humanity by Sinister’s genetic manipulations and more an existing part of that threat being aligned closer with reality.
More than that, I think it relates to Mother Righteous, the heart-imprinted Essex variant that has embraced change as deviating further from the Nathaniel Essex template more than any of her brothers and has sought advancement through mystical means. With the Legion of X arc prior to this involving the transformation of mutants into ‘monsters’ and the larger influence of magic along with this issue’s focus on Mother Righteous, I recall the Spider-Man/X-Men story involving Kulan Gath from the Chris Claremont/John Romita, Jr. run where the Conan villain transformed New York into his version of reality, giving us some weird and wonderful classic versions of the X-Men, Avengers, and Spider-Man. In that story, Peter Parker definitely took on qualities of the ‘everyman’ in representing the change to the city. At his core, he’s the character that represents the average person (and Marvel in general) and including him resonates with past stories while also highlighting the importance or largesse of a story. No character is used more effectively in juxtaposition in stories like this than Spider-Man. It heightens the strangeness of things – and, in this case, the complete bonkers nature of the Chimera. We expect combinations of two mutants; but, a combination of the ‘everyman’ and a mutant? Well, shit just got real...
It’s interesting that Wallcrawler is the most devout of the bunch. Connecting Peter Parker’s very Catholic existence and unhealthy relationship with guilt and Nightcrawler’s very Catholic existence and unhealthy relationship with guilt is both obvious and inspired. He is the Nightcrawler to die, because he is the non-mutant. As much as everything I said above is true, this is a mutant story and a mutant dominance of the world, so, sorry, folks, the Chimera with a human stripe has to go. Plus, he likes the stripes. And, in so doing, he both reveals the callousness of Mother Righteous (which isn’t a surprise) and works to further cement her burgeoning faith.
Introduced in Legion of X #1, Mother Righteous doesn’t extend as far back as Orbis Stellaris, and she’s a much more consistent presence over the ten issues of Legion of X than Orbis Stellaris is in X-Men Red. While the space-faring Essex prefers to hide in plain sight, the mystical Essex is flamboyant and obvious, looking to shore up her powerbase by siphoning off from Sinister’s focus, mutants. Her primary focus is Legion, although she does have interests in the likes of Banshee (who she combines with the Spirit of Variance to make Vox Ignis) and Nightcrawler (and even Arakko). She offers power and her only price is gratitude – recognition for her role in the success of her business partner. Her big power play here is to kill off Stasis at the request of Orbis Stellaris for the price of knowledge and thanks – plus, as a bonus, free travel through the Dominion that Stellaris is convinced he can achieve. What exactly she has planned is a bit more obtuse. By the end of the issue, she seems to be positioning herself at the centre of a new religion, one grown out of the Spark concept of Nightcrawler, building it upon the foundation of the freed Chimera who, due to the Nightcrawler elements of their nature, are susceptible to this sort of thing.
What Mother Righteous does in this issue with Vox Ignis’s assistance is akin to Sinister’s efforts to assimilate humanity via his genetic tampering and the implementation of the X-Gene. When he alters their DNA to bring them to his side, Mother Righteous alters their souls. She’s far more dangerous than she appears at first as her hold over people is something beyond physical. The other three Essex variants all focus on a more physical or genetic level of change and evolution, while she doesn’t care about any of that. Human, mutant, alien, machine... any and all are welcome to worship at her feet and give thanks to her gifts. She shows here how easy it is, in a way, to grow her power base at the expense of Sinister’s (regardless of whatever his view of his X-Men is, they are his X-Men). That makes her tough to pin down entirely. A geneticist who alters DNA in an effort to dominate the world is pretty easy to see and understand; as is a technologist that aspires for a human-machine hybrid. But, a Gaiman-esque pseudo religious figure that trades in favours? She may just be the wild card of this whole event.
Next: Immoral X-Men #1.
