Mutations are too convenient

[Deuce Spade]

Why do mutants always grow impervious skin, or develop the ability to teleport or read minds or similar?  Seems like some would just end up with impractically large feet.

[Deuce Spade]

"The Amazing Adventures of Clownshoe, Mutant Superhero".

 

I bet he'd really hate it if the bad guys took off running.

[Deuce Spade]

*Fappadeh, fappadeh, fappadeh*

 

"Crap, it's Clownshoe, everybody beat it!"

[Techwright]

Well, the ones who are popular are the ones who have successful, beneficial mutations.  I don't remember regarding DC, but Marvel does have mutants who have less than desirable mutations, and several who have beneficial mutations but at a terrible cost.  In fact, it has a host of those in the latter category:  Cyclops, Havoc, Beast, Strong Guy, Skin, The Thing, and a good number of the underground group called The Morlocks, to name a few.  Legion and Proteus were incredibly unstable and lived tortured lives.

 

I'm listing both mutants (born with it) and mutates (gained it from some outside source).

 

Oh, and every once in a while, Marvel shows some mutants who have zero beneficial powers and some awful physical condition.

[Deuce Spade]

It does seem like that would be more common than shooting lasers out of your eyes, but to be fair, it would make for much more depressing comic books.

[Koopak]

When the X-men were created and the concept of marvel's mutants, the purpose was specifically to avoid needing to create and explain backstories and power origins for every character.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Koopak

[biostem]

Was it the Moorlocks in X-Men that mostly had disfiguring mutations, with only a small number of them actually being useful for combat or anything?  I also recall, (though not a mutant), that the series "Empowered" was a play on what superpowers would be like without all the requisite secondary effects - like a suit that makes you super strong, but it is very fragile, and you can't wear anything under it...

[Kyksie]

Most people don't admit to having read Empowered. "Uh... it was on a... friend's coffee table and the wind blew a page open. Yeah."

 

[Hardship]

11 minutes ago, Kyksie said:

Most people don't admit to having read Empowered. "Uh... it was on a... friend's coffee table and the wind blew a page open. Yeah."

 

Well now I totally want to read them!

[Haijinx]

The Gifted handled this fairly well for a Marvel offering

[Techwright]

On 6/30/2021 at 4:26 PM, biostem said:

Was it the Moorlocks in X-Men that mostly had disfiguring mutations, with only a small number of them actually being useful for combat or anything?  I also recall, (though not a mutant), that the series "Empowered" was a play on what superpowers would be like without all the requisite secondary effects - like a suit that makes you super strong, but it is very fragile, and you can't wear anything under it...

Yeah, that fits the Morlock descriptions.  Some had some very interesting gifts, though not really battle-quality ones.  For example, one of them, I forget the name, had the ability to sculpt flesh like clay.  He used it to try to give better appearances to those with distorted faces, but could also use it to disguise a person.  More an espionage skill than a battle one.

[Thrythlind]

You might want to look into the Wild Cards setting as well. Jokers and Deuces don't have the best powers.