Marvel Introduces Yet Another Mutant To The MCU

Warning: Spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 7

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 7 just added yet another mutant to the MCU. Not long ago, Kamala Khan stood out as the MCU’s first and only MCU mutant superhero. However, it’s since become apparent that she’s not alone.

Marvel made a game-changing development when it confirmed that Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan – who is actually an Inhuman in the comic books – received her abilities from a genetic “mutation”. This singular moment in the Ms. Marvel season 1 finale opened the door for Marvel to introduce the X-Men at its leisure. With Marvel’s mutant reveal, it’s now considered a real possibility that characters like Cyclops, Wolverine (who is joining the MCU in Deadpool 3), Magneto, Storm, and Angel currently exist on Earth-616 somewhere. In fact, Marvel is already taking advantage of the new status quo. It’s now known that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Namor the Sub-Mariner will be a mutant, just like his comic counterpart.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 7 is seemingly continuing its dive into the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe with El-Aguila a.k.a. Alejandro Montoya. In the comic books, El Aguila is a swashbuckling superhero who modeled his entire persona after Zorro. Part of what separates him from Zorro is his mutant ability, which allows him to channel energy into his sword and fire it as a projectile attack. As for the MCU version, Joseph Castillo-Midyett’s El Aguila was shown using his “bio-electricity” power in front of She-Hulk and his friends at Abomination’s ranch. The episode’s inclusion of his bioelectric powers is a good sign that he shares his comic counterpart’s mutant origin.

Is MCU Phase 4 Hiding More Mutants?

El Aguila may or may not be the MCU’s second mutant, as it’s possible that he was preceded by another character. In Marvel Comics, Mr. Immortal’s abilities come from possessing the mutant gene, so it’s certainly plausible that he’s one of them too. As for the other super-powered characters in the episode, none of them appear to be connected with the mutant concept. Unless Marvel introduces more of them in She-Hulk’s last two episodes, El-Aguila, Ms. Marvel, and possibly Mr. Immortal may be the MCU’s only mutants until Namor officially joins the fold in Black Panther 2.

Having characters like She-Hulk’s El-Aguila around is ultimately a good thing for the MCU, as it helps ease viewers into this idea that some people in the MCU just naturally have powers. Not only will this lessen the challenge of bringing its first X-Men team to life on the big screen, but it’ll also enable Marvel to introduce super-powered heroes and villains without nuanced backstories that it can use at any time. A perfect example of that is El Aguila, who can break into the crime-fighting scene as a costumed vigilante in future MCU shows, whether it’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law season 2, Daredevil: Born Again, or Echo.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law releases new episodes on Thursdays on Disney+.