What Marvel's New Mutants Look Like In The Comics

Overnight, Fox released the first teaser trailer for director Josh Boone's The New Mutants, a new X-Men film based on a whole new class of teenage mutants.

Now, the film and characters are taken from an old Marvel comic series, New Mutants, as the next class of mutants at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. However, the film does seem to be making some...interesting divergences from the original teenage superhero teams outings.

From the introduction in the teaser trailer of ominous spooky popular song cover #483 (i.e. a cover of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall), it becomes patently clear that this movie will be unlike every other X-Men film and, yes, the comics. This is a horror movie, set in what notably does not appear to be the Xavier School at all, with these mutant kids as (possibly unwilling) inpatients at the creepy psychiatric hospital.

But aside from these thematic changes, what of the characters themselves? Well, it's interesting, as there's a lot that's much more faithful to the comics than some other X-Men films (after all, Wolverine went from grumpy, diminutive, hairy Candian to sexy, tall, hairy Canadian - though still kinda grumpy) , but also a notable (and sure to wind up talked about) difference too.

We only really get a few brief glances, but it's clear Sunspot will be more modelled on the modern, lighter skin-toned version of the character.

In The Comics

Roberto da Costa is a Brazilian mutant, which of course means he's a big soccer fan, who has the mutant power to absorb solar power and channel it to gain super strength, flight and energy blasts, as well as a solar form.

One of the more interesting elements of Sunspot's appearance in the comics has been his changing skin-tone. da Costa is mixed race Brazilian, but originally was coloured with a much darker skin, which over time has seemed to have lightened somewhat, and seems to fluctuate. Currently, in his role in USAvengers, da Costa has a darker skin tone again.

Often seen in football clothes and with tight, black curls, Sunspot over the years has taken on a more suave fashion sense and straighter hair now.

In The Movie

From the brief glimpses we get of him in the teaser trailer (Sunspot is one of the characters we see very little of), the film's Roberto da Costa, played by Henry Zaga, seems to be more modelled on the modern Sunspot than how he originally appeared. Lighter skin tone, to be sure, but at least the actor actually is Brazilian.

He seems to be suave, with very styled hair, and it appears he is already being set up as the heart throb for this group of mutants.

We don't get to see his powers in action (or maybe we do in that laundry room scene), so it remains to be seen how his powers will turn out. But if they keep it close to the last time Sunspot was in the X-Men movies in Days of Future Past (then played by Adam Canto) then it should be pretty faithful.