7 Awesome X-Men That Could Actually Exist (And How You Could Be One Too)

Nothing in the X-Men universe screams "mutant" like being entirely blue (just ask Nightcrawler and Mystique). Tack on yeti-esque body hair and super-strength, and we've got Hank McCoy, aka Beast. Many of his attributes are already described in humans!

If you were to travel back in time to the mid-1800's, chances are you'd stumble upon a "human freak show", where you'd probably see someone named "The Wolfman". Caused by mass DNA deletions on chromosome 17, congenital hypertrichosis terminalis leads to excessive growth of fully pigmented hair on the body and face... Although it's difficult to classify this as a superpower unless your dream job is to work at the circus.

In more recent times, a Kentucky family - who may have benefitted from a little outbreeding - is noted for skin "bluer than Lake Louise" due to a cytochrome gene mutation that causes methemoglobinemia (abnormally high levels of an oxygen-deficient hemoglobin in their blood). Good luck finding one of these mutants in a blueberry patch!

Beast's most functional superpower is his animal-like strength. First noticed in 19th century super cows, deletion of the gene encoding Myostatin can lead to abnormal muscular development and strength. In 2004, scientists noted the mutation in 7 month old "Uberboy", who had a lower body to rival Arnold himself. At only 4 years old, Uberboy could lift 6x the weight of other children. Maybe he's destined to star in the next Terminator reboot?