The concept of a mutant is a common trope in comic books and science fiction. The new phenotypes that appear in fictional mutations generally go far beyond what is typically seen in biological mutants, and often result in the mutated life form exhibiting superhuman abilities or qualities.
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In Marvel Comics, genetic mutation has been used as an explanation for super-powers since the 1950s.[1][2][3] Mutants have played a major role in Marvel comics, particularly the X-Men and related series. In the Marvel Comics universe, they are a heavily-persecuted minority. The Marvel Universe redefines the term to beings who are in a higher stage of evolution known as "Homo superior" and are not yet accepted by the human race.
Mutants play a smaller, but still substantial role in DC Comics, where they form part of the population known as metahumans. DC Comics does not make a semantic or an abstract distinction between humans (or superheroes/villains) born with mutations making them different from humans mutated by outside sources. All humans with powers are simply referred to, and treated as, one group collectively known as metahumans. The term mutant does still exist for humans born with actual powers instead of attaining them. For instance, a select group of minor characters from Team Titans, Justice Society and Infinity Inc. are seldom referred to as mutants, not metahumans.
Those who gain powers after their birth may be called metahumans, but in the Justice League cartoon, the Royal Flush Gang were called mutants by the Joker because they were born with superpowers. Likewise, the mid-1950s DC superhero Captain Comet was born with his powers and was described as a mutant. Killer Croc, an enemy of Batman, has also been called a mutant.
Usually writers tend to use the term for parodying purposes. Doom Force, a mutant group which mimics the Marvel Universe at the time, toils with the fact that X-Force is a revamped Doom Patrol. Another group of Mutants are the Outcasts. Much like the X-Men, Outcasts are a group of mutants in a dystopian future struggling to survive.
Also characters who were transformed through radiation or a mutagenic gas are sometimes identified as mutants instead of Marvel's term, 'mutates'. In the Static Shock animated series Virgil Hawkins was first described as one before introducing the term metahuman.
Mutants in the DC Universe use the traditional terminology of there being a genetic deformity. One particular example of a mutant in the DC Universe is Captain Comet.
In the Judge Dredd comic stories Mutants are caused by the effects of radiation after the Atomic Wars. All Mutants are banned from Mega-City One and are deported into the Cursed Earth Wasteland. This policy has left the mutants resentful and they often attack the city. Dredd himself has voiced doubts about the policy and when on duty in the Cursed Earth treats mutants the same as any other beings. He will however carry out the law when they enter the city.
In at least one version of this world's future, (see Strontium Dog and Durham Red) this will lead to the normals attempting genocide against mutants in the mid-2160s, and a long war called the Bloodshed in the 24th century.
In the remake series of The Hills Have Eyes, the Mutants or Hill People are humans who have been given misshapen physicalities due to radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing.
In Beast Wars: Transformers, Rampage is a mutant (or at least his spark is) Cybertronian science experiment due to his indestructible spark, of which is simply a replication of Starscream's own spark (most likely indicating that he is also a mutant).
In Zevo-3, mutants are people and creatures disfiguratively mutated by a chemical compound called zevo, turning animals into monsters and giving people superpowers.