The following contains spoilers for X-Men #17, now on sale from Marvel Comics

Introduced as a secret member of a lost X-Men team during the events of X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Darwin has quietly proven to be one of the most adaptable mutants -- literally, as his powers change his body to suit his situation. This has always made him uniquely gifted, and it might have made him the key figure in the fight against the X-Men's greatest enemies.

Forge discovers the fate of Darwin in X-Men #17 (by Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara, GURU-eFX, and VC's Clayton Cowles) and learns about his latest evolution. This newest form could end up making Darwin the key mutant in bringing down Nimrod and the rest of the Orchis-aligned A.I. that's working to destroy the mutant race.

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How the X-Men's Darwin Survived The Children Of The Vault

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The X-Men's most recent encounter with the Children of the Vault has raised some serious issues for the mutant heroes, with the team doing their best to keep the potentially world-ending superhumans from getting loose. All the while, Forge and a cloned copy of Caliban do their best to recover their long-missing ally, Darwin. Their efforts have only caused more chaos, including the discovery that Wolverine had actually survived the mission (meaning that at the end of the issue, there are now two versions of Laura Kinney in the Marvel Universe).

While confronted by the Serafina (one of the natives from within the Vault), Forge is wounded and eventually struck by a series of black tendrils from within the Vault lab. This quickly knocks Forge out and allows him to communicate with Darwin within his dreams. Darwin explains that he spent relative centuries tortured by the Children of the Vault, testing his mutant ability of adaptation, so he could survive any and all forms of damage. Describing their experiments as "living autopsies," Darwin honestly didn't know how he'd break loose of their containment. But the next time they scanned his mind and memories, Darwin was able to adapt by sneaking his consciousness into their computer systems that power the Vault, becoming a new form of living code.

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How Darwin's Transformation Could Help the X-Men Fight Orchis

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This transformation allowed Darwin to become capable of surviving outside his physical form within a technological space. As Darwin explains all this to Forge, he reveals that he doesn't need to be returned to his physical body, and would rather explore and learn more about the Vault. Darwin tells Forge they'll meet again, and ventures back into the data landscape while Forge rescues Wolverine from the Vault. It's a major development for the seemingly doomed Darwin, whose abilities have always made him a useful figure to rely on. Given the power of the Children of the Vault, it makes sense that he would find a way to survive outside his own body, but by becoming a living code, Darwin may have also made himself a uniquely useful figure.

The Krakoa Era has codified malevolent Artificial Intelligence as the ultimate enemy of mutantkind, with Moira MacTaggert, Nimrod, and Orchis at large striving to create a future where mutants are either wiped out or reduced to an endangered species. But if Darwin can exist as a living code, then he might be capable of interfering with the technological enemy on a fundamental level. In his new form, Darwin could potentially be the key to discovering Nimrod's full plans for the future of mutant-kind and might be uniquely positioned to counter their efforts to destroy the mutant nation. Darwin's latest evolution might have made him the X-Men's secret weapon against their deadliest enemies and could elevate his importance in coming events like the Fall of X.