Even though the X-Men often look cool in the Marvel universe, it’s not an easy life being a mutant. This is especially shown in the story of Jesse, whose whole life was destroyed because of it.
What are mutants anyway? Mutants are humans in the Marvel universe who have the X-gene in their DNA. This grants them abilities that usually manifest during puberty. Some mutants acquire their abilities earlier or through tragic events.
The abilities that one receives as a mutant can be practically anything. For characters like Beast or Mystique, their appearance even changes. Often, mutants are despised and threatened by humanity.
A refuge for mutants is the school of Charles Xavier (Professor X), who, along with the X-Men, tries to protect mutants in the world. However, not all mutants have the chance to lead a good life. Sometimes the mutation makes one a great danger to others. This happened to the mutant Jesse.
A Mighty Ability, a Tragic Fate
Who is Jesse? In the comic Ultimate X-Men No. 41 from 2004, we meet the teenager Jesse. He was actually a normal teenager until one day he got up and no one was home anymore. The streets looked similar. They seemed empty, and he only saw a dog collar lying on the ground.
From a distance, he sees people and feels relieved, so he walks to school. There he meets his girlfriend, but suddenly everyone around him starts to burn and dissolve into dust. The same happens to his girlfriend. Nothing but clothes remains.
What happened? As it turns out later, Jesse is a mutant whose ability releases certain acids and toxins that burn everything organic. That’s why only the clothing remains. Jesse has no control over the ability itself; his body releases it unconsciously.
In panic, Jesse hides in a cave, far away from other living beings. But suddenly Wolverine appears. Thanks to his self-healing, he can stay near Jesse. He hands Jesse a beer and spends some time with him.
Jesse Cannot Go On
What happens to Jesse? Jesse recognizes Wolverine and engages in a conversation, explaining to him that he is on a solo mission. Wolverine informs him that he is a mutant and what abilities he has. Jesse learns that he is responsible for the deaths and breaks down in tears. He is said to have killed at least 265 people.
He collapses after realizing that his only ability is killing. Jesse says: I can’t live with that
and Wolverine simply replies I know
. He tells the boy that no one will find out that it was him. If something like this were to become public, it would harm the reputation of mutants.
Wolverine tells him to finish his beer, and in the last of his panels, Jesse says only: Just do it.
He leaves the cave alone.
What makes this story so good? Even though the X-Men and the mutants are a cool superhero team
, they often have a human component about exclusion in their stories. This story is so emotional because there is no way out for Jesse.
The X-Men face a moral dilemma here. Wolverine must take care of Jesse to protect other people and mutants, but they also break the promise that all mutants have a place in this world. There are also other mutants who have been less blessed with their abilities: The 10 worst mutant abilities from X-Men that probably no one wants
