Mutant X FAQ: When does Mutant X take place?
When Does Mutant X Take Place?
An early magazine article stated that Mutant X's location and time were never precisely defined, in order to make the show's events applicable to anytime in the near future. This, of course, has not prevented fans from trying to determine when the series takes place. Yet establishing a single valid Mutant X timeline based on all available official data is a herculean task due to continuity discrepancies throughout the show's three seasons, as well as contradictions between these episodes and the content portrayed on the Mutant X official website, Tribune Entertainment's faux websites, the one-shot comic books and the DVD release liner notes (see "Timeline Contradictions" below).
A timeline based upon the official/faux websites and the first season's episodes is here.
A timeline based upon the official website and Shalimar Fox's history is here.
I've based the following timeline upon the official/faux websites and all three seasons.
Mutant X Timeline
1850's The Creator begins his work
1913 William Kilmartin is born
1931 Dr. Paul Breedlove (née Kurt von Schuler) is born
1934 Dr. Eleanor Singer is born
1943 Colonel Henry Burns begins Operation Immortalis
1950's Dr. Breedlove becomes a U.S. citizen
1957 Twins Marcus and Mason Eckhart are born (*alternate date 6/6/1962, per U.S. Army records)
1959 Adam Kane and Dr. Kenneth Harrison are born
1961 Dr. Breedlove marries Dr. Eleanor Singer
1968 The first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, is born
1969 Feral scorpion Lorna Templeton and psionic precog John Bishop are born
1970 Molecular explosive Hector Friemark is born; Marcus Eckhart drowns
1971 Brennan Mulwray's fighter pilot biological father is shot down in Vietnam
1972 Elemental electrical Brennan is born; Adam befriends Dr. Benjamin McTeague
1975 Moleculars Jesse Kilmartin, and Lexa and Leo Pierce are born
1976 Psionic telepath Riley Morgan (née Isabella Eastham) is born
1978 Adam begins work at Genomex
1979 Gabriel's podded for murdering his parents; feline ferals Shalimar Fox and Nikki Rogers are born
1980 Genomex's stem cell research program is underway; Psionic telepath Johnny Cummings is born
1981 Adam and Mason form a partnership
1982 Adam has an affair with Lucy McTeague; Brennan's mother dies
1985 Stealth molecular Danielle Hartman returns to Genomex for treatment
1986 Stealth molecular Catherine Hartman is born
1988 Shalimar is institutionalized; Adam's last dinner with Charlotte and Anthony Cooke; Johnny Cummings burns down St. Pastor's Hospital
1989 Lexa and Leo leave the military facility; Dr. Eleanor Singer Breedlove dies
1991 Lexa is hired by Mason Eckhart
1992 Adam recruits Lexa for Mutant X 1.0; thermal elemental Joshua Valentine is born
1993 Nick Maddox becomes a thermal elemental
1994 Lexa leaves Adam; Adam recruits Shalimar and Nikki for Mutant X
1996 Shalimar breaks up with psionic illusionist Zack Lockhart
1998 Leo escapes from Genomex and Lexa joins The Dominion
2001-2002 Season 1
2002-2003 Season 2
2003-2004 Season 3
Evidence by Episode
" Shadows of Darkness." Psionic Johnny Cummings was born in the summer of 1980, when Genomex's genetic embryo research "was in full swing." At 8 years old (1988), he burned down St. Pastor's Hospital and remained there for 15 years until "Shadows of Darkness." That means that the first episodes of season 3 take place in 2003.
" Divided Loyalties." While making Brennan's rap sheet, Jesse mentions that it's been three years since Brennan joined Mutant X in " I Scream the Body Electric." This means that each season lasts a little longer than a year, so season 2 runs from 2002-2003, and season 1 from 2001-2002. This is confirmed in season 2's " Inferno," where Ray Larkin's obituary lists his death year as 2002.
" Time Squared." Young Adam's first day at Genomex was in October 1978; actor John Shea specifies Adam was then 19 (thus born in 1959). Adam's Genomex.net profile confirms Breedlove recruited him as "a teenage phenomenon who had already obtained several advanced science degrees." Adam meets the 10-year-old Gabriel Ashlocke 2 weeks later (implying Gabriel was born in 1968). Gabriel murdered his parents six months later on April 16 1979, and was placed in stasis until his release at the end of season one. In " Past as Prologue," Gabriel confirms he'd been podded about 25 years (2002).
" The Meaning of Death." Regenerative molecular Charles Marlowe mentions that Adam and Mason forged their partnership 20 years earlier (1981). Genomex.net's background check for Mason states he was born June 6, 1962 (with the caveat "There are documents that list his birth date as five years older or four years younger, but US Army records state this is the correct data"), spent his adolescence in military academies, lost his twin brother in 1970, was recruited from West Point by the bureau, then advanced to Genomex security in the 1980's "to off-balance the rising influence of Adam." kincsem points out that if the 1962 birthdate is correct, Mason would only be 19 at the time of his partnership with young Adam in 1981. If Mason was in fact born in 1957, however, he'd be 24.
“ A Normal Life.” Shalimar says she’s been with Adam for 10 years, so she must have met Adam in 1994. Since we learned in " Understudy" that Adam found her and Nikki Rogers when they were 15 years old, that means that both Shalimar and Nikki were born around 1979. It also means that Shalimar is about 25 years old in this episode. Her official site bio confirms she's in her mid-20's.
" Ex Marks the Spot." Shalimar complains that when she last saw psionic thief Zack Lockhart 6 years before, he'd stashed stolen loot in her freezer. Unless she's referring to Sanctuary's freezer, Shal must have briefly lived someplace else, perhaps returning to Adam at the end of the relationship.
“ Brother’s Keeper.” Leo Pierce’s age in the database is listed as 28, so his fraternal twin Lexa must also be 28. That means Lexa and Leo were born in 1975. Lexa and Leo left the military facility when they were 14 (1989); Lexa then joined the GSA to pay for his treatments. Lexa joined The Dominion five years prior to "Brother's Keeper" (1998) to look for Leo after he escaped from Genomex.
" Into the Moonless Night." Lexa says she was part of Mutant X 1.0 for two years. Since Shalimar and Lexa did not meet while each lived at Sanctuary, Lexa must have been gone by the time Adam found Shalimar in 1994.
" Lest He Become." Jesse says that he's "been waiting 28 years to trust someone." If he's 28 in this episode, he was born around 1975, thus about the same age as Lexa and Leo Pierce.
" No Man Left Behind." If Brennan's biological father was shot down in Vietnam in 1971, the latest he could have been born is 1972. That would make him 29 or 30 years old. His official site and Genomex.net profiles confirm his age as "late 20's/early 30's." During his Mutant X Lives interview with Adam, Brennan states his mother died when he was 10 (1982).
“ The Assault.” The Creator states that he began his projects 160 years before season three, which would be in the mid-1800s.
" Age of Innocence." Jesse's grandfather William was part of Project Immortalis in 1943. When he de-ages, he has the body of a 30 year old, so he must have been born sometime around 1913.
" Whiter Shade of Pale." Adam says he met Danielle Hartman at Genomex 16 years before (1985); Danielle's daughter Catherine has just turned 15 years old (born in 1986).
" Under the Cloak of War." 20 years ago (1982), Adam had an affair with the wife of his best friend, Benjamin McTeague. At that time, they had been friends for 10 years (1972).
" Crime of the New Century." Josh Valentine, the son of psionic telepath Lisa Valentine, is 10 years old in this episode. He must have been born in 1991.
" Altered Ego." Adam says the last time he dined with Charlotte Cooke and her father was 13 years prior.
" Deadly Desire." Scorpion feral Lorna Templeton's age is listed as 32 in the mutant database. She was therefore born in 1969.
" Within These Walls." Jesse discovers that the assassin Nick Maddox was made into a mutant 10 years prior (1992 or 1993).
" The Taking of Crows." Molecular Hector Friemark's age is listed as 32 in the mutant database, so he was born around 1970.
" The Prophecy." Precog John Bishop's age is listed as 34 in the mutant database, putting him around the same age as Lorna Templeton. Riley Morgan (Isabella Eastham) is 27 years old, meaning that she was born a year after Jesse and Lexa.
TAGC and The Breedlove Foundation concur that Dr. Paul Breedlove (née Kurt von Schuler) was born in July 4th 1931, emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950's and married Dr. Eleanor Singer (1934-1981) in 1961.
Genomex.net lists Dr. Harrison's birthdate as March 20, 1959, stating he moved to England in 1970.
Timeline Contradictions
1. Lexa and the GSA. In "Brother's Keeper," Lexa says she worked as a GS agent in exchange for her brother's treatment in a Genomex facility. Since Mason Eckhart did not officially create the GSA until the beginning of season one, this would mean that the 16-year-old Lexa was a GS agent 10 years before the GSA was actually formed. Some fans have pointed out that Frank Thorne’s statement in " Shock of the New": “Our GS agents are new at this,” along with Adam’s assertion that Emma’s pursuers were from the security branch of Genomex imply that the GSA might have existed in some form before Paul Breedlove’s death.
2. That **** episode. One of many continuity crimes committed in season 2's " Final Judgement," prosecutor John Warren references these events:
April 14 last year = “ Lit Fuse”
September 7 last year = “ Blood Ties”
October 15 last year = “Shock of the New”
June 29 this year = “ Whose Woods These Are”
July 12 this year = “No Man Left Behind"
This implies that Brennan’s "Shock of the New" bank robbery occurred after Shalimar and Emma’s "Blood Ties" Nexxogen break-in; Warren immediately contradicts himself by asserting that Emma only joined Adam’s team after Mutant X rescued her in “Shock of the New,” though she's clearly already with Shalimar during the "Blood Ties" break-in.
3. SORASing mutants!
a. Patient Zero. My Friend's Bookstore's biography of Gabriel Ashlocke states that his parents didn't sign up for enhanced embryo implantation until they were forced to flee Europe in the early 1970's, and that he killed them when he was 14. In "Time Squared," however, Jesse, Brennan and Adam all assert that Gabriel was 10 years old both when he met Adam on October 13, 1978 (thus born around 1968), and when he killed his parents 6 months later on April 16th, 1979.
b. Danielle Hartman. Danielle Hartman's Genomex.net profile states she was 20 when last seen at Genomex, but since she must have been born after the first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, in 1968, the oldest she could have been during her 1985 affair with Adam is 17.
c. Jesse Kilmartin. The official site, Genomex.net and DVD liners all list Jesse's age as "early 20's," thus younger than Shalimar, who is described as either "mid-20's" or "late 20's." Yet he's 28 in Season 3, whereas Shalimar, having been found by Adam 10 years prior at age 15, can't be older than 25 or 26 in Season 3.
4. Mutant X comics. Though "Time Squared" shows that Adam joined Dr. Paul Breedlove's team at Genomex in 1978, the one-shot Mutant X: Origin asserts that both Adam and Paul (his genetics professor at Pennsylvania Institute of Technology) weren't recruited to Genomex until 1980. Mason (called Marcus in the comic) was hired 3 years later (1983); his immune system was destroyed 6 months afterwards, and Adam left Genomex 15 years later (1998).
Return to The Mutant X Warehouse
An early magazine article stated that Mutant X's location and time were never precisely defined, in order to make the show's events applicable to anytime in the near future. This, of course, has not prevented fans from trying to determine when the series takes place. Yet establishing a single valid Mutant X timeline based on all available official data is a herculean task due to continuity discrepancies throughout the show's three seasons, as well as contradictions between these episodes and the content portrayed on the Mutant X official website, Tribune Entertainment's faux websites, the one-shot comic books and the DVD release liner notes (see "Timeline Contradictions" below).
A timeline based upon the official/faux websites and the first season's episodes is here.
A timeline based upon the official website and Shalimar Fox's history is here.
I've based the following timeline upon the official/faux websites and all three seasons.
Mutant X Timeline
1850's The Creator begins his work
1913 William Kilmartin is born
1931 Dr. Paul Breedlove (née Kurt von Schuler) is born
1934 Dr. Eleanor Singer is born
1943 Colonel Henry Burns begins Operation Immortalis
1950's Dr. Breedlove becomes a U.S. citizen
1957 Twins Marcus and Mason Eckhart are born (*alternate date 6/6/1962, per U.S. Army records)
1959 Adam Kane and Dr. Kenneth Harrison are born
1961 Dr. Breedlove marries Dr. Eleanor Singer
1968 The first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, is born
1969 Feral scorpion Lorna Templeton and psionic precog John Bishop are born
1970 Molecular explosive Hector Friemark is born; Marcus Eckhart drowns
1971 Brennan Mulwray's fighter pilot biological father is shot down in Vietnam
1972 Elemental electrical Brennan is born; Adam befriends Dr. Benjamin McTeague
1975 Moleculars Jesse Kilmartin, and Lexa and Leo Pierce are born
1976 Psionic telepath Riley Morgan (née Isabella Eastham) is born
1978 Adam begins work at Genomex
1979 Gabriel's podded for murdering his parents; feline ferals Shalimar Fox and Nikki Rogers are born
1980 Genomex's stem cell research program is underway; Psionic telepath Johnny Cummings is born
1981 Adam and Mason form a partnership
1982 Adam has an affair with Lucy McTeague; Brennan's mother dies
1985 Stealth molecular Danielle Hartman returns to Genomex for treatment
1986 Stealth molecular Catherine Hartman is born
1988 Shalimar is institutionalized; Adam's last dinner with Charlotte and Anthony Cooke; Johnny Cummings burns down St. Pastor's Hospital
1989 Lexa and Leo leave the military facility; Dr. Eleanor Singer Breedlove dies
1991 Lexa is hired by Mason Eckhart
1992 Adam recruits Lexa for Mutant X 1.0; thermal elemental Joshua Valentine is born
1993 Nick Maddox becomes a thermal elemental
1994 Lexa leaves Adam; Adam recruits Shalimar and Nikki for Mutant X
1996 Shalimar breaks up with psionic illusionist Zack Lockhart
1998 Leo escapes from Genomex and Lexa joins The Dominion
2001-2002 Season 1
2002-2003 Season 2
2003-2004 Season 3
Evidence by Episode
" Shadows of Darkness." Psionic Johnny Cummings was born in the summer of 1980, when Genomex's genetic embryo research "was in full swing." At 8 years old (1988), he burned down St. Pastor's Hospital and remained there for 15 years until "Shadows of Darkness." That means that the first episodes of season 3 take place in 2003.
" Divided Loyalties." While making Brennan's rap sheet, Jesse mentions that it's been three years since Brennan joined Mutant X in " I Scream the Body Electric." This means that each season lasts a little longer than a year, so season 2 runs from 2002-2003, and season 1 from 2001-2002. This is confirmed in season 2's " Inferno," where Ray Larkin's obituary lists his death year as 2002.
" Time Squared." Young Adam's first day at Genomex was in October 1978; actor John Shea specifies Adam was then 19 (thus born in 1959). Adam's Genomex.net profile confirms Breedlove recruited him as "a teenage phenomenon who had already obtained several advanced science degrees." Adam meets the 10-year-old Gabriel Ashlocke 2 weeks later (implying Gabriel was born in 1968). Gabriel murdered his parents six months later on April 16 1979, and was placed in stasis until his release at the end of season one. In " Past as Prologue," Gabriel confirms he'd been podded about 25 years (2002).
" The Meaning of Death." Regenerative molecular Charles Marlowe mentions that Adam and Mason forged their partnership 20 years earlier (1981). Genomex.net's background check for Mason states he was born June 6, 1962 (with the caveat "There are documents that list his birth date as five years older or four years younger, but US Army records state this is the correct data"), spent his adolescence in military academies, lost his twin brother in 1970, was recruited from West Point by the bureau, then advanced to Genomex security in the 1980's "to off-balance the rising influence of Adam." kincsem points out that if the 1962 birthdate is correct, Mason would only be 19 at the time of his partnership with young Adam in 1981. If Mason was in fact born in 1957, however, he'd be 24.
“ A Normal Life.” Shalimar says she’s been with Adam for 10 years, so she must have met Adam in 1994. Since we learned in " Understudy" that Adam found her and Nikki Rogers when they were 15 years old, that means that both Shalimar and Nikki were born around 1979. It also means that Shalimar is about 25 years old in this episode. Her official site bio confirms she's in her mid-20's.
" Ex Marks the Spot." Shalimar complains that when she last saw psionic thief Zack Lockhart 6 years before, he'd stashed stolen loot in her freezer. Unless she's referring to Sanctuary's freezer, Shal must have briefly lived someplace else, perhaps returning to Adam at the end of the relationship.
“ Brother’s Keeper.” Leo Pierce’s age in the database is listed as 28, so his fraternal twin Lexa must also be 28. That means Lexa and Leo were born in 1975. Lexa and Leo left the military facility when they were 14 (1989); Lexa then joined the GSA to pay for his treatments. Lexa joined The Dominion five years prior to "Brother's Keeper" (1998) to look for Leo after he escaped from Genomex.
" Into the Moonless Night." Lexa says she was part of Mutant X 1.0 for two years. Since Shalimar and Lexa did not meet while each lived at Sanctuary, Lexa must have been gone by the time Adam found Shalimar in 1994.
" Lest He Become." Jesse says that he's "been waiting 28 years to trust someone." If he's 28 in this episode, he was born around 1975, thus about the same age as Lexa and Leo Pierce.
" No Man Left Behind." If Brennan's biological father was shot down in Vietnam in 1971, the latest he could have been born is 1972. That would make him 29 or 30 years old. His official site and Genomex.net profiles confirm his age as "late 20's/early 30's." During his Mutant X Lives interview with Adam, Brennan states his mother died when he was 10 (1982).
“ The Assault.” The Creator states that he began his projects 160 years before season three, which would be in the mid-1800s.
" Age of Innocence." Jesse's grandfather William was part of Project Immortalis in 1943. When he de-ages, he has the body of a 30 year old, so he must have been born sometime around 1913.
" Whiter Shade of Pale." Adam says he met Danielle Hartman at Genomex 16 years before (1985); Danielle's daughter Catherine has just turned 15 years old (born in 1986).
" Under the Cloak of War." 20 years ago (1982), Adam had an affair with the wife of his best friend, Benjamin McTeague. At that time, they had been friends for 10 years (1972).
" Crime of the New Century." Josh Valentine, the son of psionic telepath Lisa Valentine, is 10 years old in this episode. He must have been born in 1991.
" Altered Ego." Adam says the last time he dined with Charlotte Cooke and her father was 13 years prior.
" Deadly Desire." Scorpion feral Lorna Templeton's age is listed as 32 in the mutant database. She was therefore born in 1969.
" Within These Walls." Jesse discovers that the assassin Nick Maddox was made into a mutant 10 years prior (1992 or 1993).
" The Taking of Crows." Molecular Hector Friemark's age is listed as 32 in the mutant database, so he was born around 1970.
" The Prophecy." Precog John Bishop's age is listed as 34 in the mutant database, putting him around the same age as Lorna Templeton. Riley Morgan (Isabella Eastham) is 27 years old, meaning that she was born a year after Jesse and Lexa.
TAGC and The Breedlove Foundation concur that Dr. Paul Breedlove (née Kurt von Schuler) was born in July 4th 1931, emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950's and married Dr. Eleanor Singer (1934-1981) in 1961.
Genomex.net lists Dr. Harrison's birthdate as March 20, 1959, stating he moved to England in 1970.
Timeline Contradictions
1. Lexa and the GSA. In "Brother's Keeper," Lexa says she worked as a GS agent in exchange for her brother's treatment in a Genomex facility. Since Mason Eckhart did not officially create the GSA until the beginning of season one, this would mean that the 16-year-old Lexa was a GS agent 10 years before the GSA was actually formed. Some fans have pointed out that Frank Thorne’s statement in " Shock of the New": “Our GS agents are new at this,” along with Adam’s assertion that Emma’s pursuers were from the security branch of Genomex imply that the GSA might have existed in some form before Paul Breedlove’s death.
2. That **** episode. One of many continuity crimes committed in season 2's " Final Judgement," prosecutor John Warren references these events:
April 14 last year = “ Lit Fuse”
September 7 last year = “ Blood Ties”
October 15 last year = “Shock of the New”
June 29 this year = “ Whose Woods These Are”
July 12 this year = “No Man Left Behind"
This implies that Brennan’s "Shock of the New" bank robbery occurred after Shalimar and Emma’s "Blood Ties" Nexxogen break-in; Warren immediately contradicts himself by asserting that Emma only joined Adam’s team after Mutant X rescued her in “Shock of the New,” though she's clearly already with Shalimar during the "Blood Ties" break-in.
3. SORASing mutants!
a. Patient Zero. My Friend's Bookstore's biography of Gabriel Ashlocke states that his parents didn't sign up for enhanced embryo implantation until they were forced to flee Europe in the early 1970's, and that he killed them when he was 14. In "Time Squared," however, Jesse, Brennan and Adam all assert that Gabriel was 10 years old both when he met Adam on October 13, 1978 (thus born around 1968), and when he killed his parents 6 months later on April 16th, 1979.
b. Danielle Hartman. Danielle Hartman's Genomex.net profile states she was 20 when last seen at Genomex, but since she must have been born after the first new mutant, Gabriel Ashlocke, in 1968, the oldest she could have been during her 1985 affair with Adam is 17.
c. Jesse Kilmartin. The official site, Genomex.net and DVD liners all list Jesse's age as "early 20's," thus younger than Shalimar, who is described as either "mid-20's" or "late 20's." Yet he's 28 in Season 3, whereas Shalimar, having been found by Adam 10 years prior at age 15, can't be older than 25 or 26 in Season 3.
4. Mutant X comics. Though "Time Squared" shows that Adam joined Dr. Paul Breedlove's team at Genomex in 1978, the one-shot Mutant X: Origin asserts that both Adam and Paul (his genetics professor at Pennsylvania Institute of Technology) weren't recruited to Genomex until 1980. Mason (called Marcus in the comic) was hired 3 years later (1983); his immune system was destroyed 6 months afterwards, and Adam left Genomex 15 years later (1998).
Return to The Mutant X Warehouse