Mutagens, agents that change the genetic material of an organism and increase the frequency of mutations above the natural background level, are a popular plot device in science fiction and video games, although they are often not accurately represented. Mutations have more often a destructive character than actually "improving" an organism, which usually means augmenting an organism's fitness. This is a list of creative works where a mutagen is featured. Where a work is represented in more than one genre, it is listed in the genre where it first appeared.
Video and computer games
The Metroid Prime trilogy is based around Phazon, a highly radioactive substance, which is characterized by its highly mutagenic and corruptive properties.
Tiberium, from the computer game series Command & Conquer, is a crystalline expanding mutagen that mutates all substances into Tiberium, and subsequently killing most living organisms.
In the PlayStation 3 game Resistance: Fall of Man, the invading Chimera, an alien race, infect humans with a mutagen to transform them into more Chimera.
In the Halo series the Flood parasite produces a powerful mutagen, turning its hosts into either a "combat form" or "carrier form" to propagate the race.
In the Resident Evil series the T-Virus is described as a mutagen exploited by the Umbrella corporation in its biological warfare tests.
The Witcher series features mutagens. First in the formation of a witcher, mutagens are given to enhance the body to superhuman abilities and enhanced senses, thus leaving the body immune to disease but also infertile. Some abilities are also gained by manufacturing mutagenic potions.
In Crash Bandicoot, Dr. Nitrus Brio throws mutagens at Crash.
In System Shock, SHODAN produces a mutagen to affect the flora and fauna on Citadel Station, Beta Grove.
In the Fallout (video game) series, FEV is a powerful mutagen that increases strength and body mass, but often decreases intelligence. It is also the origin of the Super Mutants.
In the PC / Xbox game BioShock, a mutagen deemed Adam is discovered in the undersea city of Rapture, and though it grants the citizens supernatural powers, it eventually corrupts them and dooms the city to bloody turmoil. Adam is used to grant the player special abilities throughout the game.
In the MMORPG Warframe, one of the obtainable resources, Cryotic, was shown to be mutagenic during the Shifting Sands event, wherein large quantities of the substance turned local fauna different colors and boosted their physical toughness.
In the Lego Bionicle franchise, the water surrounding the pit is mutagenic, causing mutation in most of the major characters that enter the water.
List of mutagens in fiction Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
