Emma Dumont just revealed that Polaris will fly at some point in season 1 of The Gifted. The actress made her debut, along with several other new characters, as the Mutant Underground in last Monday's series premiere, which drew solid reviews and garnered better ratings than Inhumans. There was a glimpse of Polaris' considerable power during the opening sequence, when she nearly kills a pair of police officers using her abilities to manipulate the Earth's magnetic field.

Polaris doesn't just control magnetism with her hand movements, however, as she can also ride the magnetic field as a form of flying. There was no indication in the series premiere that she would possess that particular ability on The Gifted, but Dumont confirmed at New York Comic Con that the mutant will eventually take to the air.

Asked during a panel about whether she does her own stunts on the show, the actress revealed that she does - and that it has involved wearing wires to help her fly through the air. This confirms that Polaris will fly at some point in the series' first run. Here's how she responded:

"We do all of our stunts and there’s a lot. ... No it’s all us. Everyone’s been working so hard. I know I have a lot of wirework, I fly now."

Dumont was also asked about Polaris' struggles with mental illness in the comics. In particular, Polaris dealt with bipolar disorder in Peter David's X-Factor comics in the 1990s. Quickly captured and pressured to give information on her fellow mutants, and later revealed to be pregnant, The Gifted's version of Polaris will have no shortage of emotional conflicts to overcome during season 1. Based on the actress' explanation, you can expect her issues with bipolar to be explored further, but perhaps in subtle ways.

"100% that’s something we’re already doing. You’re totally correct, she has bipolar disorder. She’s unmedicated, she’s not being treated for it, I don’t even know if in our show she knows she has it — but she definitely does. She has major bouts of mania and very, very low times of depression … I think it’s really rad to see [someone] mentally ill — also a woman — be a hero."

If Dumont's comments are any indication, Polaris will be as fully realized as you could expect in an ensemble show like The Gifted. All that's been revealed about her on the show so far is that her magnetic powers are incredibly dangerous, and also that she's quite emotional. She basically snapped when Marcos Diaz got shot, and her resulting attack on the police is what got her in serious trouble in the first place. It was a brief glimpse at the emotional instability that has a chance to make Polaris one of the show's most compelling characters. For X-Factor fans, it could be a welcome exploration of a complicated mutant.

Regardless of how deeply the show delves into the character's mental illness, it's clear that it will have no limits on her mutant powers. The opening sequence was merely a taste, with the "wirework" yet to come. It remains to be seen how effective The Gifted's depiction of those flying abilities will be, but the series is certainly off to a promising start. Polaris' combination of formidable superpowers and emotional complexity makes her one of the show's must-see mutants.

Next: The Gifted Premiere Effectively Blends Family Drama With Marvel’s Merry Mutants

The Gifted continues with "rX" Monday, Oct. 9 on Fox.

Source: Emma Dumont