The real New Mutants villain could be the monstrous Proteus, a mutant whose powers warp reality itself. The final X-Men film made by Fox, New Mutants has had some rotten luck. It's been subject to constant delays, mostly beyond the control of director Josh Boone, for whom this movie was a labor of love. It's currently scheduled for August 2020, but nobody would be surprised to see it pushed back again due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Naturally, all these delays have resulted in a staggering number of trailers and TV spots, so viewers can be pardoned for believing they have a pretty firm grasp of the plot. The main focus lies upon Blu Hunt's Dani Moonstar, Anya Taylor-Joy's Magik, and the monstrous Demon Bear. But Josh Boone has hinted all this may be misdirection, sustained over the course of years. "There's stuff you'll never see in the trailers that are big parts of the movie," he told IGN back in 2017. During the same interview, Boone was asked about the Demon Bear, and dropped a surprising clue; he refused to concede the Demon Bear is the primary antagonist. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that," he responded cautiously. "I'd just say it's very much inspired by that run of the comics."
And yet, for all that's the case, the latest New Mutants extended trailer - released during Comic-Con@Home - may have dropped an important clue. It featured an Easter egg that seems invested with a lot of meaning.
The New Mutants extended trailer released at SDCC was dark and atmospheric, and it included an ominous glimpse of what appears to be a mutant graveyard. Dialogue from Alice Braga's Dr. Cecilia Reyes, who runs the mutant institution, suggested the New Mutants would either wind up in her care or buried in this graveyard. Given the film looks to be set entirely round her institution, though, it's reasonable to assume the graveyard actually contains the bodies of mutant teenagers who wound up in this institution before. It's an ominous hint of the fate that may potentially be in store for the New Mutants. Notice there are no names on the graves, an indication of how little mutants are cared for; instead there are numbers.
On the face of it, these numbers simply reveal how many mutants have been buried. But, of course, comic book adaptations traditionally like to hide subtle Easter eggs, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see these pointing attentive viewers to key issues. They can't point to the New Mutants comic itself, which ended after 100 issues, so they most likely refer to the flagship Uncanny X-Men series. Unsurprisingly, all these issue numbers are actually part of Chris Claremont's iconic run, which Josh Boone has frequently said he loves.
Uncanny X-Men #126 may well be particularly important. In that issue, the X-Men traveled to the Mutant Research Center on Muir Isle, run by their friend Moira MacTaggert. The X-Men had always believed this to be a benign place, but it contained a dark secret. Moira's own son was a mutant, a so-called "Omega level" mutant whose power was off the charts, who possessed the ability to manipulate reality at will. Unfortunately that kind of power comes at a cost, because a person who can manipulate the very fabric of reality doesn't grow or develop normally; Moira swiftly realized her son was dangerous, and she had imprisoned him at the heart of Muir Isle for years, attempting to find a cure for his condition. When Proteus finally broke lose, he was terribly unstable, and the X-Men barely survived the encounter; even Wolverine was left terrified by Proteus, and had to be coaxed back into action.
Proteus' cell on Muir Isle corresponds almost perfectly with the ones seen in New Mutants, suggesting there's some sort of link between New Mutants and Uncanny X-Men #126. This raises the intriguing possibility Proteus could appear in the movie, and potentially be the main villain. And, surprisingly, that would fit very well with apparently contradictory statements made in the trailer.
Everything in New Mutants appears to be suggesting Dani Moonstar is the real villain, in a sort of "Dark Phoenix Saga" plot where her powers are flaring out of control. After all, in the comics, Dani possesses the power to make people's nightmares come to life. That would explain why the fears of other mutants are manifesting as well; Cannonball recalls a mining accident where his powers first triggered, Magik faces the mysterious Smiley Men, and Wolfsbane finds herself in a church confessional, likely an allusion to her abusive father, who was a reverend. But, frankly, this seems too obvious, especially given it is signposted quite prominently in the two minutes of footage released at Comic-Con@Home. Besides which, in one key piece of dialogue Sunspot claims it is the house itself that is making their worst fears come alive - an external force the New Mutants do not recognize, not Dani. It all doesn't add up.
The most likely conclusion is simply that there is another reality manipulator at the institution - Proteus. In fact, the trailers may have actually subtly hinted at Proteus' existence, because there have been a couple of scenes featuring a mysterious dark energy being. Nobody's been quite sure what to make of those brief shots; are they a different energy form held by Sunspot, or some manifestation of his worst fears? The being hasn't been seen clearly, but visually he does indeed seem to correspond with Proteus.
If Proteus is the villain, then New Mutants is as inspired by Uncanny X-Men #126 as it is by the Demon Bear Saga - and that would make sense of some other oddities. This institution isn't exactly a pleasant experience for mutants, and yet it's being run by one, Cecilia Reyes, whose force-field powers have been seen in action in leaked photos and the trailers. In fact, Boone originally planned the place to be run by the X-Men's Storm. But why would a mutant run something like this, experimenting upon mutants, carefully monitoring them, and not caring whether they live or die?
It's possible Boone has merged Cecilia Reyes with Moira MacTaggert herself. If that is the case, then Dr. Reyes is working to try to find a cure for her mutant son, Proteus, whose powers are growing increasingly unstable. Dani - who also has the ability to manipulate reality to some extent - would be a promising test subject for her, and indeed Reyes does appear to be focusing relentlessly upon Dani in the latest trailer. Unfortunately, Reyes' strategy backfires, and Proteus escapes. In the comics, he could possess host bodies and thus hide in plain sight; that may well explain why there's been so little hint of Sunspot's character journey in the trailers, because Proteus takes him over. In one key scene in the trailers, Sunspot is facing away, and this mysterious dark being reaches out a hand towards him; it's actually reminiscent of Proteus' attack on Phoenix in Uncanny X-Men #125. The only question, though, would be just how the New Mutants can stop a villain who took on the entire Second Genesis team of X-Men, and terrified Wolverine.
Proteus would fit surprisingly well with what's been seen of New Mutants, and if he is indeed the main villain, Boone is to be congratulated for concealing him so effectively. But, sooner or later, it was inevitable something would slip through - especially given just how many times New Mutants has been delayed. It's anyone's guess how long it will be before viewers get the chance to see if this theory is correct.
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