X-Men: 10 Characters That Must Appear In The New Mutants Movie

Together with Wolfsbane and Cannonball, Roberto da Costa is the backbone and strong right arm of the New Mutants. A proud, vain boy, Roberto has reason to be: he’s the son of self-made billionaire Emmanuel da Costa, raised in privilege for his entire life, a sports fanatic and suave playboy teenager with a strong ethical streak.

Roberto can absorb sunlight to make himself super-strong. A by-product of this is that when accessing this power it changes him physically, turning his flesh into a non-reflective black surface that absorbs solar radiation far more effectively and makes him a little harder to hurt. It also looks seriously cool, which is nice.

While a member of the New Mutants, Roberto’s power only ever allowed him vastly enhanced strength - however, as an adult, Sunspot gained the ability to project concussive blasts of solar energy and, through manipulation of those blasts, eventually to fly. His durability in his solar form also increased, to the point where he became almost impossible to physically injure, and invulnerable to the effects of heat and fire.

It’d be up to the filmmaker’s how far they chose to go in developing Sunspot’s powers in a New Mutants movie, of course. However, it’s his personality that makes him a key member of the team. Always fiery and emotional, Roberto’s membership of a team of superheroes gradually whittles away at his spoiled facade, eroding his vanity and transforming the little rich boy soccer star into a true hero.