This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 6.
debut of mutants in the MCU has been long-awaited by audiences after the finalization of Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, with a tease by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige at 2019's Comic-Con boosting anticipation even further. Since then, many have been speculating about how Marvel would introduce the huge roster of mutants into the MCU without invalidating previous projects.
A big reveal at the end of Ms. Marvel episode 6 officially made Kamala Khan the MCU's first mutant, replacing her inhuman origins from Marvel Comics. It's been revealed that her latent mutant abilities were unleashed by her great-grandmother Aisha's mysterious bangle. With the revelation about Kamala Khan and a Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, mutants are finally finding their place in the MCU, but since the MCU is already very established and there has been no mention of mutants up until now, viewers are wondering how they could go unnoticed for so long.
One theory suggests that the X-Men's infamous villain Nathaniel Essex, aka Mr. Sinister, could be the reason for the mutants being missing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The theory points to Sinister planting chemical agents in the world's food supplies, much like Dr. Zandar Rice did prior to the events of Marvel's new ideology surrounding mutant abilities.
Why Mr Sinister Is The X-Men’s Best Villain
Aside from the likes of Magneto and Apocalypse, one of the X-Men's most powerful adversaries in Marvel Comics is Nathaniel Essex, otherwise known as Mr. Sinister. First mentioned as the employer of the assassins known as the Marauders in 1986's The Uncanny X-Men #212 and making his first official appearance in The Uncanny X-Men #221 in 1987, Sinister quickly became one of the primary villains for the X-Men. Early in Essex's career, he formed an unlikely alliance with En Sabah Nur, aka Apocalypse, who would use Celestial technology to imbue the budding scientist with his own mutant abilities, transforming him into an ageless being with chalk-white skin. Essex renames himself as Mr. Sinister and dedicates his life to understanding how mutants work. Mr. Sinister went on to influence many significant mutant villains of the future, as well as providing advice to a young X-Men film series, most notably in the post-credits scene of X-Men: Apocalypse, Sinister never actually made an appearance in the franchise, even though he is one of the X-Men's most prominent nemeses. Considering several links to characters already established and in the MCU, it would be a good idea for Marvel to finally bring this terrifying villain to the big screen as the main villain to the mutants.
Why MCU’s Mutants Are Only Surfacing Now
In the comics, mutants' abilities surface during puberty, often during a traumatic or stressful experience. This exacerbates fear of mutants in the general population because of the idea that anyone can be born a mutant. The idea of mutants has yet to be properly developed in the MCU, however, Ms. Marvel has uncovered a potentially different backstory for the species. Instead of abilities arising naturally, it appears that mutant powers in the MCU need a secondary power source to be activated, whether that be Kamala Khan's bangle or Pietro and Wanda Maximoff's (who could still be retconned to be considered mutants) exposure to the Mind Stone.
If the theory about Mr. Sinister's interference with the X-Gene is to be believed, this could explain the change in mutant origins in the MCU, meaning that their abilities are kept dormant until they experience exposure to a cosmic power source. This could explain why no mutants (that are currently known) have appeared in the MCU until now. However, more focus seems to be being placed on ancient relics in recent projects, such as Kamala Khan's bracelet in Ms. Marvel, Eternals and films, more mutants might be about to make their debut in the already superhero-packed world of the MCU.
Mr. Sinister And HYDRA Connection Explained
This new theory relies on the idea that Mr. Sinister has been inhabiting the MCU for years prior to Iron Man even though he hasn't yet made an appearance, but this could be explained by his interesting connections to HYDRA. While Sinister had a very loose link to HYDRA in the comics, it is known that he experimented on young mutants during WWII, including Max Eisenhardt, who would go on to become the powerful Magneto. In the MCU, it won't be too long until Marvel release more information, but it's exciting to think that Mr. Sinister could finally make his debut in the MCU as mutants become even more predominant after Ms. Marvel's reveal.