AUTHOR=Grimsted Sonora R. , Krizner Katerina G. , Porter Cynthia D. , Clayton Jay 

TITLE=Genetics in the X-Men film franchise: mutants as allegories of difference

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2023.1331905

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2023.1331905

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>This article analyzes the complete corpus of live-action X-Men movies for their depictions of genetics and otherness. The researchers watched and qualitatively coded all thirteen movies produced by 20th Century Fox that take place in the same shared cinematic universe, beginning with <italic>X-Men</italic> (2000) and ending with <italic>The New Mutants</italic> (2020). The X-Men movies are unusual summer blockbusters since they explore genetic topics through their central characters, mutants, who are genetically different from their non-mutant peers. Mutants in the films evoke a plurality of analogies, such as mutant-as-Black and mutant-as-queer. These intersecting metaphors build upon a core of genetic difference to create a versatile but limited picture of prejudice, solidarity, and otherness.</p>