We may be a long way off from an X-Men movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but mutants are nevertheless popping up all over the place – with the latest being in She-Hulk episode 6.
While the episode doesn’t follow up on that tantalising Daredevil tease from last week, it does introduce another superhero from the pages of Marvel Comics: Mister Immortal.
Of course, this character is unlikely to receive much fanfare, given that he has generally been depicted as a joke in the source material and thus lacks any compelling stories of his own.
Mister Immortal is best known for leading the Great Lakes Avengers, a parody team comprised of characters with daft superpowers, such as Squirrel Girl and Flatman (both are exactly what they sound like).
The most noteworthy thing about Mister Immortal’s appearance here is his long-held status as a mutant, which isn’t explicitly acknowledged in the episode, but is firmly established canon in the comic books.
This makes him the latest mutant to appear in the MCU, following Professor X’s Doctor Strange cameo and the revelation that Kamala Khan (aka Ms Marvel) also falls into this category, marking a major deviation from the comics.
Earlier this summer, Marvel Studios outlined its ambitious Phase 5 plan and some of Phase 6, which made no mention of any X-Men movies nor the long awaited Deadpool 3, but these additions prove that mutants are very much on its mind.
Mister Immortal (whose civilian name is Craig Hollis) is played by David Pasquesi in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, who fans may recognise from The Book of Boba Fett or Veep, among other projects.
It seems unlikely that the character will become a recurring or significant presence in the MCU, given his decidedly unheroic portrayal here as a misogynistic bigamist – but Marvel has surprised us in the past.
If the studio decides to experiment further in the sitcom genre, which She-Hulk very much falls into, then the Great Lakes Avengers could be a fine choice for more light-hearted superhero antics.
She-Hulk premieres on Disney Plus on Thursday 18th August 2022 with new episodes weekly – sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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