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scans_dailyFor years Marvel Mutants have been bandying classifications around, but it's a little confusing as to which end was the upper limit, was it Alpha, or Omega....
Newsarama has a handy field guide up...
ALPHA LEVEL
An Alpha level mutant is someone who looks no different from any other human being, and whose powers are pretty effective in combat. Likewise, they have no limitation placed on them as a result of their X-gene.
Examples - Colossus, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde
BETA LEVEL
Beta level mutants are just like Alphas, but with a catch. While at first glance they can pass for a human being, careful scrutiny reveals they have some strange trait that sets them apart, like an eye color that doesn't generally appear in humans. A Beta mutant can also be someone who passes for human but has some limitation imposed on them because of their power, such as not being able to make skin-to-skin contact (which describes Rogue's condition for many years).
Examples - Cyclops (eyes), Gambit (eyes), Wolverine (via his bone claws), Northstar/Aurora (pointy ears), pre-furry Beast (disproportionately large hands and feet) perhaps, Annalee of the Morlocks (looked human, but couldn't switch her broadcast empathic powers off)
GAMMA LEVEL
Like Alphas and Betas, Gamma level mutants are pretty handy in combat situations. But as a result of their X-gene, they cannot pass for human without the use of a disguise of some sort.
Examples - Nightcrawler, Blink, post-furry Beast.
DELTA LEVEL
Delta Level mutants are those who, like Alphas and Betas, can pass for human at first glance. But unlike Alphas or Betas, their power is not something that is obvious and automatically combative. Their abilities are more subtle, enough so that an outside observer can't actually see the power in use. Delta mutants may go for years not realizing that they are, in fact, mutants, due to the nature of their abilities.
Examples - Domino, Forge, Cypher
EPSILON LEVEL
Epsilon level mutants either have a non-combative power or no real powers at all, but are like Gamma level mutants in that they cannot hide what they are. Many examples of such mutants can be found among the Morlocks, a community that chose to live in the sewers rather than among humanity.
Examples - Artie Maddicks, Tar Baby
OMEGA LEVEL
These are the people who truly make normal human beings and government agencies afraid. These are mutants whose power levels are such that they are considered the most serious threats, capable of wide-scale destruction and proving very difficult to take down, contain or kill.
Examples - Magneto, Iceman (now)
So your thoughts? Where does your own favourite fit in? Would YOU put them there?
Reminds me a bit of the informal classifications used in the Wild Card books; The mutagenic, alien-originated Wild Card virus has differing effects on those wo caught it, and the names used were appropriate to the card motif.. 990/1000 died horribly (Drawing the Black Queen), 9/1000 survived by only gained deformities (Drawing the Joker) and 1/1000 ganied superpowers of some sort (Drawing the Ace... though many powers weren't actually that useful, and such people rather bitterly referred to themselves as having "drawn the Deuce")
For legality, Doug proves that just because you're a Delta level mutant, it doesn't mean you can't cause some SERIOUS damage in the right circumstances... As the future Sentinel MCP is about to find out.
Newsarama has a handy field guide up...
ALPHA LEVEL
An Alpha level mutant is someone who looks no different from any other human being, and whose powers are pretty effective in combat. Likewise, they have no limitation placed on them as a result of their X-gene.
Examples - Colossus, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde
BETA LEVEL
Beta level mutants are just like Alphas, but with a catch. While at first glance they can pass for a human being, careful scrutiny reveals they have some strange trait that sets them apart, like an eye color that doesn't generally appear in humans. A Beta mutant can also be someone who passes for human but has some limitation imposed on them because of their power, such as not being able to make skin-to-skin contact (which describes Rogue's condition for many years).
Examples - Cyclops (eyes), Gambit (eyes), Wolverine (via his bone claws), Northstar/Aurora (pointy ears), pre-furry Beast (disproportionately large hands and feet) perhaps, Annalee of the Morlocks (looked human, but couldn't switch her broadcast empathic powers off)
GAMMA LEVEL
Like Alphas and Betas, Gamma level mutants are pretty handy in combat situations. But as a result of their X-gene, they cannot pass for human without the use of a disguise of some sort.
Examples - Nightcrawler, Blink, post-furry Beast.
DELTA LEVEL
Delta Level mutants are those who, like Alphas and Betas, can pass for human at first glance. But unlike Alphas or Betas, their power is not something that is obvious and automatically combative. Their abilities are more subtle, enough so that an outside observer can't actually see the power in use. Delta mutants may go for years not realizing that they are, in fact, mutants, due to the nature of their abilities.
Examples - Domino, Forge, Cypher
EPSILON LEVEL
Epsilon level mutants either have a non-combative power or no real powers at all, but are like Gamma level mutants in that they cannot hide what they are. Many examples of such mutants can be found among the Morlocks, a community that chose to live in the sewers rather than among humanity.
Examples - Artie Maddicks, Tar Baby
OMEGA LEVEL
These are the people who truly make normal human beings and government agencies afraid. These are mutants whose power levels are such that they are considered the most serious threats, capable of wide-scale destruction and proving very difficult to take down, contain or kill.
Examples - Magneto, Iceman (now)
So your thoughts? Where does your own favourite fit in? Would YOU put them there?
Reminds me a bit of the informal classifications used in the Wild Card books; The mutagenic, alien-originated Wild Card virus has differing effects on those wo caught it, and the names used were appropriate to the card motif.. 990/1000 died horribly (Drawing the Black Queen), 9/1000 survived by only gained deformities (Drawing the Joker) and 1/1000 ganied superpowers of some sort (Drawing the Ace... though many powers weren't actually that useful, and such people rather bitterly referred to themselves as having "drawn the Deuce")
For legality, Doug proves that just because you're a Delta level mutant, it doesn't mean you can't cause some SERIOUS damage in the right circumstances... As the future Sentinel MCP is about to find out.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 09:22 pm (UTC)Though, when has Magneto been classed as an Omega level mutant?
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:00 pm (UTC)The United Nations had protocols in place at one point SPECIFICALLY targeting Magneto and his powerset. He had his own asteroid base. He had his own COUNTRY. He once destroyed an entire city from thousands of miles away (machine-assisted, but a machine of his own design). He may be walking evidence for a unified field theory. He takes on whole teams of capable combat-trained superhumans at once and wins. If someone says he's not Omega-level, I'm sure a lot of governments and bruised heroes would argue the point strenuously.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 12:04 am (UTC)By taking on a team of heroes or villians, it means that anyone that has single handed taken on a team/s is an Omega level mutant. Unfortunately if you go by that, any mutant that beats a team of superhumans is an Omega. The would make Exodus and other such characters Omegas. Also that would be saying Wolverine is Omega and he is far from it.
It also means that the other X-Men shouldn't have to lift finger as Magneto will have it all under control.
Is Magneto powerful? Yes he is, but I wouldn't say he is Omega. As it is, he is never been classed as Omega in the comics. I'm fairly sure he was classed as Alpha when they made Alpha as a classification. Until someone in the canon-wise says he is Omega he is Alpha and always will be Alpha to me.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 12:34 am (UTC)By taking on a team of heroes or villians, it means that anyone that has single handed taken on a team/s is an Omega level mutant.
Not sure how you get that from the description.
It also means that the other X-Men shouldn't have to lift finger as Magneto will have it all under control.
The original Joseph storyline showed that Magneto has always deliberately held back from using his FULL power potential, because his powers have no upper limit but if he wants to keep his body and mind intact he has to impose a limit, otherwise he would, as Joseph originally did, essentially burn out his body and become one with the magnetic field of Earth with potentially even more devastating results. Plus we've seen many hints of other powers like a control over the entire EM spectrum (from microwaves to radio waves) and a casual control over gravity which imply that Magneto is the embodiment of the unified field theory, the notional concept which basically underlies the workings of the Universe.
If Magento's powers have real limits, we've never seen them.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 01:18 am (UTC)Control over the EM spectrum just means Magneto has a better grasp of his powers and science in general.
As for the bit about taking on a team it was in response to vspope's statement. I can see why one might think that, but too me that is either:
a) the character's power set and the power set of the team in question
b) how creative/smart the person going against the team is.
After all how many X-Villians have singled handed taken on an X-group and won. After which the team regroups, fights back and then wins against said character? There are several.
I suppose it could be my dislike of making characters all powerful and prefer characters with limits. The overcoming their limits by teamwork or cunning/intelligence.
After all I loath Hope's 'every mutant power' power combined with her likelihood of being a Phoenix avatar which I hope (no pun intended) is a red herring.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 07:47 pm (UTC)Control over the EM spectrum just means Magneto has a better grasp of his powers and science in general.
Ummm, yes, so? It's still a devastating array of powers and energies at his complete disposal.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 09:16 pm (UTC)I'm not debating that he is powerful, but canon wise he has not been established as Omega level only as Alpha. Until that changes he is staying Alpha in my mind. As it is Alpha level mutants are still powerful at the end of the day.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-16 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-17 07:39 pm (UTC)I can see the motivation for putting him on top of the scale, but the explanation I've always heard is that while he's freakishly powerful (and frankly much cleverer in his use of powers than most) he's ultimately limited by his body. If he hadn't been de-aged, cloned, or healed multiple times, he'd be dead by now, expressing his full power would put tremendous strain on his heart, and it's been shown before.
The old Omega level mutants can use their powers to transcend such limitations, if they get off their asses, Iceman, Jean Grey, Vulcan, Franklin Richards, will live forever. They'll become forces of nature, powers.
This classification system is really more like something O.N.E. or Mutant Registration would come up with. Until it's addressed, I'm just going to assume that's what it is, some racist, paranoia driven ID-card like class system for 'danger to the system'.