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#REDIRECT [[Fallout series#Post-War conditions]] |
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{{Short description|Fictional species from Fallout}} |
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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Super Mutant|timestamp=20240418230339|year=2024|month=April|day=18|substed=yes|help=off}} |
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{{Infobox fictional race |
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| name = Super Mutant |
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| franchise = ''Fallout'' |
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| first = ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' (1997) |
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| creator = |
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| distinctions = |
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| image = SuperMutant.png |
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| caption = Render of a typical Super Mutant from ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' |
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'''Super Mutants''' are a fictional race of [[posthuman]] beings from the [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] ''[[Fallout (series)|Fallout]]'' [[video game]] franchise. The Super Mutants were first introduced in 1997's ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' as the results of [[human experimentation]] with a strain of the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV), a [[genetically engineered]] viral [[mutagen]] which transforms the subjects into a hulking monstrous humanoid form. |
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Within series lore, Super Mutants tend to be depicted as savage and innately violent beings who, as a result of their transformations, lost a substantial amount of intelligence and often have cannibalistic tendencies. While Super Mutants tend to form their own factions or societies and are usually hostile to civilized humans, some have chosen to live peacefully alongside humans in settlements across the post-apocalyptic wasteland. |
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Among the most recognizable and integral elements of the ''Fallout'' [[intellectual property]] (IP), Super Mutants have appeared in every media of the franchise, and have been the subject of numerous [[Mod (video games)|fan mods]] of ''Fallout'' series games. Certain individual Super Mutant characters have been well received by critics for their characterization, although the role the Super Mutant race have played throughout the history of the franchise have been the source of contention for some commentators. |
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==Characteristics== |
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Super Mutants are first introduced in the first ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' as part of an ambitious effort by a grotesque mutated being known as "The Master of the Super Mutants", to create a single, perfect "[[master race]]" and remove inequalities which have been the cause of strife among humans.<ref name=GameSpot/> The FEV, an artificially-created virus by a defense contractor and research corporation contracted by the American government, was originally meant to protect against various forms of biological warfare.<ref name="CBR">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/fallout-history-legacy-super-mutants/|title=Fallout: The History and Legacy of the Super Mutants|work=Comic Book Resources|author=Robert Koumarelas|date=March 28, 2021|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625051926/https://www.cbr.com/fallout-history-legacy-super-mutants/|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequent games in the ''Fallout'' series feature other antagonistic factions that employ different strains of the FEV to create Super Mutants.<ref name="CBR"/> For example, Vault Tec, the technology company which built the nuclear fallout shelter facilities called Vaults, deliberately exposed the occupants of Vault 87 to a modified strain of the FEV as part of an unethical experiment called the Evolutionary Experimentation Program.<ref name=Rewrite>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/11/15/3-ways-fallout-76-rewrites-its-own-lore|last=Leblanc|first=David|date=November 16, 2018|title=3 Ways Fallout 76 Rewrites Its Own Lore|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=IGN|language=en-us|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215317/https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/11/15/3-ways-fallout-76-rewrites-its-own-lore|url-status=live}}</ref> The Institute, an elusive faction of scientists in ''Fallout 4'', kidnap the inhabitants of the surrounding region and subject their victims to another strain of FEV for experimentation. |
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The physiology of a Super Mutant is very different compared to ordinary humans; the most immediately noticeable effects are their immense size and strength, their different skin color, and their immunity to radiation damage. A standard Super Mutant's skin tone is usually green or yellow and stands approximately 10.4 feet tall, 7.8 feet when hunching, and weighs around 800 pounds.<ref name="Behemoth">{{cite journal|last=Appleton|first=Conor|title=Could a super mutant behemoth really exist?|url=https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/jist/article/view/2721/2563|date=April 19, 2018|volume=7|journal=Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics|publisher=The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, University of Leicester|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531094926/https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/jist/article/view/2721/2563|url-status=live}}</ref> The Nightkin, an elite Super Mutant caste, have gray-blue colored skin and largely retain their pre-existing intellect unlike their lesser brethren.<ref name="Lily">{{cite web|url=https://www.thegamer.com/fallout-new-vegas-companion-lily-trivia/|title=Fallout New Vegas: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Companion Lily|work=TheGamer|author=Michael Caruso|date=April 30, 2021|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212557/https://www.thegamer.com/fallout-new-vegas-companion-lily-trivia/|url-status=live}}</ref> They are often equipped with cloaking devices known as "Stealth Boys" and developed schizophrenia from prolonged use.<ref name="Lily"/><ref name=Tabitha>{{Cite web|last=McWhertor|first=PMichael|date=April 5, 2010|title=Fallout: New Vegas Preview: Meet Sunny, Dinky & Tabitha|url=https://kotaku.com/fallout-new-vegas-preview-meet-sunny-dinky-tabitha-5530358|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=[[Kotaku]]|language=en|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213150/https://kotaku.com/fallout-new-vegas-preview-meet-sunny-dinky-tabitha-5530358|url-status=live}}</ref> Other varieties of Super Mutants encountered in ''[[Fallout 3]]'' and ''[[Fallout 4]]'' grow much larger when they age. An immensely large variety first introduced in ''Fallout 3'', the Behemoth, stands at roughly 20 feet tall and can grow up to 30 feet in height.<ref name="Behemoth"/> |
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In comparison to the series' other notable mutated beings like [[Ghoul (Fallout)|ghouls]], Super Mutants are very formidable opponents in combat.<ref name=Battle/> Behemoths in particular are capable of overpowering opponents like Deathclaws and hordes of Feral Ghouls with little difficulty, and are unexpectedly nimble for their size.<ref name=Battle>{{Cite web|last=Good|first=Owen|date=November 22, 2015|title=100 super mutants! 10,000 ghouls! Who's left standing in Fallout 4's biggest battle so far?|url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/11/22/9778834/fallout-4-10000-ghoul-battle-video-super-mutants|access-date=May 28, 2021|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|language=en|archive-date=April 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427193319/https://www.polygon.com/2015/11/22/9778834/fallout-4-10000-ghoul-battle-video-super-mutants|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Behemoth"/><ref name=Swan>{{Cite web|last=Hernandez|first=Patricia|date=November 14, 2015|title=A Fallout 4 Boss That Scared The Crap Out Of Me|url=https://kotaku.com/a-fallout-4-boss-that-scared-the-crap-out-of-me-1742453400|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=[[Kotaku]]|language=en|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214640/https://kotaku.com/a-fallout-4-boss-that-scared-the-crap-out-of-me-1742453400|url-status=live}}</ref> In spite of their physically impressive qualities, Super Mutants are sterile and cannot reproduce as the gametes of the reproductive system consist of "half-cells" using split [[DNA]], which could be perceived as "damage" by the FEV, and in the attempt to "repair" them, it would render the subject infertile.<ref name=GameSpot>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page7.html?tag=stitialclk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111033632/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page7.html?tag=stitialclk |archive-date=2011-11-11 |url-status=dead |title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains: The Master |publisher=GameSpot |date=2013-01-06 |accessdate=2013-08-11}}</ref> |
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==Development== |
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According to producer [[Tim Cain]], the ''Fallout'' development team conceived of a faction of mutants who grow their ranks by dipping people into virus vats.<ref name=kotaku_development/> During the discussion, a team member wondered what would happen if more than one person was dropped into the vat. The team decided to conceptualize such a being as the "Master of the Super Mutants", who would switch between three voices: male, female, and electronic.<ref name=kotaku_development>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/how-a-dark-time-traveling-fantasy-game-became-the-origi-1845870322 |last=Tieryas |first=Peter |title=How A Dark Time-Traveling Fantasy Game Became the Original ''Fallout'' |website=[[Kotaku]] |date=December 26, 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203074108/https://kotaku.com/how-a-dark-time-traveling-fantasy-game-became-the-origi-1845870322 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Master's birth surname, Moreau, references the titular [[mad scientist]] of the 1896 novel ''[[The Island of Doctor Moreau]]'' by [[H. G. Wells]], who leads a group of genetically altered beings he has created through unethical experiments.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_s1m3/page/44/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2016 |publisher=[[Guinness World Records]] |page=44 |date=September 10, 2015}}</ref> |
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Concept artist [[Adam Adamowicz]] was responsible for conceptualizing the ''Fallout 3'' iteration of the Super Mutant, in particular the Behemoth variant.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite web|author= Daniel E. Slotnik|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/video-games/adam-adamowicz-artist-for-lush-video-game-worlds-dies-at-43.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219151123/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/arts/video-games/adam-adamowicz-artist-for-lush-video-game-worlds-dies-at-43.html |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |url-status=live|title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains: The Master |website=[[New York Times]] |date=February 19, 2012 |accessdate=2013-08-11}}</ref> In a 2008 developmental diary titled "Conceptual Design", Adamowicz said he was inspired by a line of dialogue from the 1974 film ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' about the dim-witted but strong and tough character Mongo. Adamowicz wanted the game's Super Mutants to look like "they would step into a tree shredder, for relaxation.".<ref name=Adamowicz /> He described their musculature to be straining at the bone structure underneath, evoking a caricature of a person with well developed muscles "in the throes of radioactive testosterone poisoning, and liking it".<ref name=Adamowicz /> The armor and equipment used by the Super Mutants of ''Fallout 3'' are predominantly based on salvaged material, such as car hoods and fenders crudely pounded into chest plates and pauldrons, and lawn mower blades welded onto helmets.<ref name=Adamowicz /> The idea behind this design approach is to show recognizable real world elements being twisted to a more violent purpose, which conveys a sinister resourcefulness by these creatures to survive in a highly dangerous post-apocalyptic world.<ref name=Snacks/> |
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Adamowicz noted that his “[[Scrapheap Challenge|junkyard wars]]” approach to designing the Super Mutants' armor and weapons inspired a number outlandish designs for homemade weapons, with some of them implemented in the final game.<ref name=Adamowicz>{{cite web|url=https://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary4-5.14.08-pg1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517105116/https://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary4-5.14.08-pg1.html |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |url-status=dead|title=Conceptual Design|author=Adam Adamowicz |website=Bethesda|date=May 14, 2008 |accessdate=May 29, 2021}}</ref> Adamowicz incorporated numerous visual gags into the character design for the Behemoths; examples given include their wielding of parking meters as if they are police batons and carrying their victims bound by shopping carts on their backs, which they will occasionally consume when they get hungry.<ref name=Adamowicz /> |
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[[Obsidian Entertainment]], the developers of ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', initially considered allowing players the opportunity to play as a ghoul or a Super Mutant for their protagonist in ''New Vegas''. The team faced technical limitations as ''New Vegas'' shared the same engine as ''Fallout 3'', and the developers realized that the game engine's equipment system would not work properly for player characters which use non-human character models after Bethesda provided advice discouraging the addition of the proposed feature.<ref name=Vegas>{{Cite web|last=Purchese|first=Robert|date=September 13, 2017|title=Fallout: New Vegas was once Fallout: Sin City and had three playable races|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-09-12-fallout-new-vegas-was-once-fallout-sin-city-and-had-three-playable-races|access-date=May 28, 2021|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-date=March 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313135026/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-09-12-fallout-new-vegas-was-once-fallout-sin-city-and-had-three-playable-races|url-status=live}}</ref> Modiphius founder Chris Birch said the inclusion of Super Mutants as a playable race in the officially licensed ''Fallout'' tabletop roleplaying game, developed by his company, to be part of their design decision to make the game "authentically ''Fallout''".<ref name="Tabletop">{{Cite web|date=May 14, 2021|title=The Fallout tabletop RPG lets you play as a ghoul, super mutant or robot|url=https://www.wargamer.com/fallout-tabletop-rpg/release-editions|access-date=May 28, 2021|work=Wargamer|author=Callum Bains|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602035241/https://www.wargamer.com/fallout-tabletop-rpg/release-editions|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Appearances== |
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Super Mutants have appeared in every ''Fallout'' video game as both hostile antagonists and supporting non-player characters, beginning with 1997's ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' which takes place after a global nuclear war had destroyed most of human civilization a century earlier.<ref name=polygon_timeline>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/11/9/9646378/fallout-timeline-4-3-2 |last=Hall |first=Charlie |title=The Fallout timeline |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=May 30, 2018 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=May 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525212407/https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/11/9/9646378/fallout-timeline-4-3-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Information about how the "Master of Super Mutants" raised an army of Super Mutants is picked up throughout gameplay prior to the player's final confrontation with the character in the cathedral.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/06/10-of-fallouts-craziest-moments |last=Kaiser |first=Rowan |title=10 of Fallout's Craziest Moments |website=[[IGN]] |date=November 5, 2015 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811041429/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/06/10-of-fallouts-craziest-moments |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=gamesradar_locations /> The Master was originally a human named Richard Moreau who was exiled from Vault City as a murder suspect. He changed his surname to Grey and migrated to a merchant town called the Hub, where he became a [[physician]]. Grey met a trader named Harold in 2102, and they formed a joint expedition to discover the source of the mutant attacks on Harold's caravans. This led them to Mariposa Military Base, where the expedition group is overwhelmed by mutant forces. Grey is knocked into a vat of the Forced Evolutionary Virus (F.E.V.), which mutated him into a blob-like creature that expanded himself by absorbing other humans.<ref name=polygon_timeline /><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.duckandcover.cx/index.php?id=5 |last=Avellone |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Avellone |title=Fallout Bible 0 |publisher=[[Black Isle Studios]] |pages=19–20 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502004909/http://www.duckandcover.cx/index.php?id=5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ugo>{{cite web |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/fallout-characters-the-master |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203064755/http://www.ugo.com/games/fallout-characters-the-master |title=UGO's Favorite Fallout Characters |website=[[UGO]] |date=September 17, 2008 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=August 10, 2022}}</ref> |
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After a month of simmering, Grey crawled out of the vat and installed himself inside a vault. Driven insane and severely mutated, he decided that humanity was inept and had to be replaced by a master race.<ref name=gamespot_villains>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page7.html?tag=stitialclk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111033632/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page7.html?tag=stitialclk |title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains |website=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=November 11, 2011 |access-date=August 10, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/fallout-series-lore-feature |last=Wordsworth |first=Rich |title=Digging into the forgotten history of Fallout |website=[[Red Bull Games]] |date=December 4, 2018 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811041429/https://www.redbull.com/us-en/fallout-series-lore-feature |url-status=live }}</ref> Through his experimentations on humans with the F.E.V., the Master managed to create a race of virtually immortal monsters that were immune to disease and radiation.<ref name=polygon_timeline /> Deeming Super Mutants to be the superior race, the Master went on a campaign to replace all the humans with the Super Mutants by infecting them with the virus. To accomplish this, the Master created a cult called the Children of the Cathedral as a front for his campaign, using aliases such as the "Holy Flame" or "Father Hope" when dealing with his followers.<ref name=gamesradar_locations>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/fallout-most-memorable-locations/ |last=Bradley |first=Alan |title=The most memorable locations in Fallout |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |date=November 1, 2015 |access-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515044225/https://www.gamesradar.com/fallout-most-memorable-locations/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Keith Jr. |first1=William H. |author-link1=William H. Keith Jr. |last2=Barton |first2=Nina |title=Fallout Official Survival Guide |publisher=[[BradyGames]] |pages=106–107 |date=October 1997}}</ref> |
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When the player engages the Master near the end of the game, they can confront the Master with a number of different skills and approaches.<ref name=denofgeek>{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/how-fallout-taught-the-video-game-industry-the-meaning-of-role-playing/ |last=Byrd |first=Matthew |title=How Fallout Taught the Video Game Industry the Meaning of Role-Playing |website=[[Den of Geek]] |date=September 19, 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703124427/https://www.denofgeek.com/games/how-fallout-taught-the-video-game-industry-the-meaning-of-role-playing/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The player can enter combat with the Master and his Super Mutant allies. The player can also convince the Master to abandon his plans by revealing to him that Super Mutants are sterile, a revelation that causes the Master to commit suicide. Skipping the confrontation entirely, the player can sneak into his chambers and find a hidden nuclear arsenal that can blow up the cathedral, killing the Master and his Super Mutant associates.<ref name=gamespot_villains /> The player also has the option of joining the Master's campaign, which will lead to a bad ending in which Vault 13 is raided by Super Mutants.<ref>{{cite video game |developer=[[Interplay Productions]] |title=Fallout |platform=PC |date=October 10, 1997 |scene=The Invasion of Vault 13}}</ref><ref name=polygon_dumb>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/3/17/21179387/the-outer-worlds-dumb-mode-fallout |last=Stanley |first=Alyse |title=The Outer Worlds continues Fallout's 20-year-old 'dumb' mode tradition |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=March 17, 2020 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812060702/https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/3/17/21179387/the-outer-worlds-dumb-mode-fallout |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Following the death of the Master in the canonical ending of the original ''Fallout'', the Super Mutant remnants of his organization are hunted by the [[Brotherhood of Steel]], who would label them "[[Frankenstein's Monster]]s" as a derogatory term. Survivors scatter from their base of operations beneath a cathedral and go their separate ways to find a new purpose: many resort to becoming raiders and resume their violent ways against baseline humanity, while some individuals congregate together in non-violent communities and attempt to live in peace with humans and ghouls.<ref name="CBR"/><ref name="Lily"/> |
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Players could recruit Super Mutant characters as [[Party (role-playing games)|traveling companions]] or allies in the sequel to 1997's ''Fallout''. Noteworthy companion characters throughout the series include Marcus in ''[[Fallout 2]]'', Fawkes in ''Fallout 3'', Lily Bowen in ''Fallout: New Vegas'', and Strong in ''Fallout 4''. Super Mutants are available as a playable race in the ''Fallout'' tabletop roleplaying game released in 2021.<ref name=Vegas/> Super Mutants make a brief appearance in the 2024 American [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] [[television series]] ''[[Fallout (American TV series)|Fallout]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hurley|first=Leon|date=April 11, 2024|title=56 Fallout TV show Easter eggs, cameos, and references we've found so far|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/fallout-tv-show-easter-eggs/|access-date=April 17, 2024|website=[[GamesRadar+]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author1=Cass Marshall |author2= Zosha Millman|date=April 11, 2024|title=Every Fallout Easter egg in the Prime Video show|url=https://www.polygon.com/24126630/fallout-easter-egg-season-1-show|access-date=April 17, 2024|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> |
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==Promotion and reception== |
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Super Mutants are a recognizable element of the ''Fallout'' franchise. Some characters are particularly popular with players. Fawkes from ''Fallout 3'' was among the top-voted characters in a RPG character poll organized by Justin Davis and Lucas Thomas of ''[[IGN]]'' in 2014.<ref name="Poll1">{{cite web |url= https://www.ign.com/star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic/85193/feature/the-ultimate-rpg-party-revealed|author1=Justin Davis|author2=Lucas Thomas|title=The Ultimate RPG Party Revealed|date=December 17, 2014 |work=IGN |access-date=May 29, 2020 |url-status= dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217231416/https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/17/the-ultimate-rpg-party |archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> Super Mutant characters and their physiology are also the subject of popular works derived from [[fan labor]], such as [[Mod (video games)|mods]], [[music video]]s and [[fan film]]s.<ref name=Strong>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/au/fallout-4-music-video-strong/|date=March 11, 2016|title=Fallout 4 music video lets super mutant Strong play you the song of his people|author=Connor Sheridan|website=GamesRadar|accessdate=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214940/https://www.gamesradar.com/au/fallout-4-music-video-strong/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fallout: Nuka Break – Red Star Proves This Week's Best Fan Film|author=Earnest Cavalli|url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/fallout-nuka-break-red-star-proves-this-weeks-best-fan-film/|newspaper=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|date=July 12, 2013|accessdate=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213130/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/fallout-nuka-break-red-star-proves-this-weeks-best-fan-film/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Preston">{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/see-fallout-4s-preston-garvey-in-his-final-forma-super-mutant/|title=See Fallout 4's Preston Garvey in his final form—a super mutant|author=Christopher Livingston|date=October 8, 2019|website=PC Gamer|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213149/https://www.pcgamer.com/see-fallout-4s-preston-garvey-in-his-final-forma-super-mutant/|url-status=live}}</ref> They have been featured as part of a range of ''Fallout''-themed [[Funko Pop]] toys.<ref name=Funko>{{Cite web|last=Saed|first=Sherif|date=July 21, 2015|title=Fallout gets cute figurines featuring iconic characters|url=https://www.vg247.com/2015/07/21/fallout-gets-cute-figurines-featuring-iconic-characters/|access-date=May 28, 2021|website=VG247|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212641/https://www.vg247.com/2015/07/21/fallout-gets-cute-figurines-featuring-iconic-characters/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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On the other hand, the portrayal of Super Mutants following the transition of the series' ownership to Bethesda have been a source of contention for some fans. Story elements introduced in ''Fallout 3'' contradicted lore in the first ''Fallout'', developed by series creators [[Interplay Entertainment]], which established that Super Mutants were originally created by the Master in 2103, while the Vault 87 FEV experiment took place in 2078.<ref name=Rewrite/> In a report about the ''Fallout'' [[fansite]], ''No Mutants Allowed'', Luke Winkie from ''Kotaku'' highlighted criticism from community members about the creative and design decisions in video games developed by Bethesda Game Studios: one aspect of contention involved the ubiquity of Super Mutants as ordinary "mob bad guys" in the early game levels of ''Fallout 3'', which departed from the perspective of escalation presented in the original games' stories, gameplay mechanics and setting.<ref name="kotaku_relent">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-relentless-champions-of-classic-fallout-1715984448 |title=The Relentless Champions Of Classic Fallout |last1=Winkie |first1=Luke |date=September 29, 2015 |website=Kotaku |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=December 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213133626/http://kotaku.com/the-relentless-champions-of-classic-fallout-1715984448 |url-status=live }}</ref> The presence of Super Mutants in ''Fallout 76'' also proved to be a controversial [[Retroactive continuity|retcon]] with series fandom, as the game established that its iteration of Super Mutants is native to the region and thus unrelated to the Super Mutants in previous games.<ref name=Rewrite/><ref name=Unofficial>{{Cite web|last=Yin-Poole|first=Wesley|date=September 13, 2017|title=An (unofficial) explanation for why super mutants are in Fallout 76|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-20-an-unofficial-explanation-for-why-super-mutants-are-in-fallout-76|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212712/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-20-an-unofficial-explanation-for-why-super-mutants-are-in-fallout-76|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Commenting on Adamowicz's developer diary post in 2008, Joseph Leray from ''[[Destructoid]]'' praised the creative vision and art style for the Super Mutants of ''Fallout 3'' as "delightfully twisted", and said these aesthetic elements were key ingredients "that makes post-apocalyptic stories work".<ref name=Snacks>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/fallout-3-concept-art-and-dev-diary-also-snacks-86249.phtml|title=Fallout 3 concept art and dev diary: Also, snacks|last= Leray|first=Joseph|website=Destructoid |date= May 16, 2008|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> Some of the best side quests in ''Fallout 4'' according to ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'s'' Ron Whitaker involve conflicts with Super Mutants, with one that culminates in the recruitment of Strong as a companion character noted to be a highlight by Whitaker.<ref>{{cite news|title=8 Fallout 4 Side Quests You Should Definitely Seek Out|author=Ron Whitaker|url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/8-fallout-4-side-quests-you-should-definitely-seek-out/|newspaper=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|date=May 26, 2017|accessdate=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213416/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/8-fallout-4-side-quests-you-should-definitely-seek-out/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some individual Super Mutant characters have received critical acclaim.<ref name="Paste">{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/fallout/fallouts-best-companions/|title=Fallout's Best Companions|date=November 5, 2015|author=Javy Gwaltney|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste Magazine]]|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213418/https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/fallout/fallouts-best-companions/|url-status=live}}</ref> For example, the Nightkin character Lily Bowen has been praised for her characterization and has appeared in "top" character lists, including ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'s'' "The 70 best video game characters of the decade".<ref name="Greatest">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/11/27/20974490/greatest-video-game-characters-2019-2010-skyrim-witcher-splatoon|title=The 70 best video game characters of the decade|date=November 27, 2019|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=November 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127184110/https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/11/27/20974490/greatest-video-game-characters-2019-2010-skyrim-witcher-splatoon|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Paste"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/fallout-new-vegas-companions-are-terrific-183988.phtml |
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|title=Fallout: New Vegas' companions are terrific|last= Devore|first=Jordan|website=Destructoid |date= September 15, 2010|access-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> In a paper published by the [[University of Leicester]], Conor Appleton scaled an ordinary Super Mutant up to the size of a Behemoth and used dimensional analysis to determine the plausibility and viability of such a creature's existence.<ref name="Behemoth"/> After examining the Behemoth's physiology using in-universe data and discussing how it may be affected by gravity, Appleton concluded that it is unlikely that such a creature would survive in reality.<ref name="Behemoth"/> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Hulk]], a superhero character with similar traits |
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*[[Orc]], a similar species of cannibals and raiders associated with [[high fantasy]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.falloutwiki.com/Super_mutant Super Mutant] at [[Fallout Wiki|the ''Fallout'' Wiki]] |
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{{Fallout series}} |
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[[Category:Bethesda characters]] |
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[[Category:Fallout (series)]] |
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[[Category:Fictional monsters]] |
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[[Category:Genetically engineered characters in video games]] |
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[[Category:Microsoft antagonists]] |
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[[Category:Mutant characters in video games]] |
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[[Category:Science fiction video game characters]] |
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[[Category:Video game characters introduced in 1997]] |
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[[Category:Video game characters with superhuman strength]] |
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[[Category:Video game species and races]] |
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[[Category:Fictional super soldiers]] |
Revision as of 12:54, 26 April 2024
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