WARNING: The following contains spoilers for S.W.O.R.D. #2 by Al Ewing, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia & VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now
The X-Men have a deep bench of powerhouses, each with their own unique mutant abilities and roles within the mutant community. Since the formation of Krakoa, many of them -- along with a host of their former enemies -- have made new lives for themselves and even taken on incredible responsibilities. But there's one under-utilized mutant who has a unique set of talents that could make him a key figure going forward.
Now, we're taking a closer look at the X-Men first recruit, Mimic, and how could he return to prominence in a big way on Krakoa.
Mimic was introduced in X-Men #19 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Calvin Rankin was born with the ability to copy the abilities of any individual nearby -- an ability unlocked by the experiments his father conducted when he was younger. This actually led to the character being considered a mutate in his earliest appearances, a factor that has been open to debate over the decades. First encountering the X-Men as a rival, Mimic has had a troubled relationship with the mutant heroes over the years: he was briefly a member of the Silver Age roster of X-Men, even reaching the rank of deputy leader. However, he seemingly lost his powers counteracting the Super-Adaptoid (an android with similar abilities to Rankin).
After his powers were restored, he's gone through a number of different directions. He's fought the Hulk, been manipulated by Onslaught, and worked with Excalibur. He's repeatedly been fighting alongside darker teams, including the Dark X-Men. However, in recent years he's worked with the X-Men once again -- even rescuing a time-displaced Cyclops during Extermination by jumping in front of a blow meant for the mutant leader at the cost of his own life. On Krakoa though, a revived Mimic could serve a crucial role going forward, with Xavier noting as such during House of X. Since the formation of the island afforded mutant-kind a greater amount of time and safety, they've been able to develop "mutant technologies" -- new ideas of combing powers to create otherwise impossible results.
It's these kinds of developments that have led to the creation of something like the Five (which can create new copies of dead mutants) and the Six (which can potentially grab any substance from across the multiverse). All of these technologies require specific mutant powers though, otherwise, the circuit will be broken and the mutant technology will be rendered unusable. Mimic is one of a handful of figures who might be the key to countering that, as his specific ability to copy powers makes him capable of replicating the powers of any other mutant and potentially filling their place within the circuit. Although there was some debate about whether or not Mimic was an actual mutant or merely a mutate, House of X confirmed that Mimic is indeed a mutant -- and has just as much cause to help Krakoa as anyone.
This could allow him to take the place of any incapacitated or hindered member of a technology. The fact that he gains someone's skill with their powers instead of just the powers themselves means Mimic might not even need to be wholly prepared and briefed on how to utilize his powers. He could take over for something as important as the Five if the need was great enough. The events of King in Black have proven that despite all their power, Krakoa -- and the Five -- could come under attack at any point and require a speedy retreat. Having someone around who could replicate abilities on the fly could serve as the ultimate "break in case of emergency" figure for the X-Men going forward -- and is the perfect job for Mimic to take on Krakoa.
KEEP READING: Summers Rebellion: How Cyclops' Last Revolution Saved The X-Men's Future