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History

2.7 million years ago the beings that would become the Evolutionaries, a race existing prior to mankind on the evolutionary tree, were hunted by predators until the Eternal Phastos took pity on them and, using his creative abilities, created armor for them[1] powered by cosmic rays,[3] while restoring injured members to health using nanotechnology and increasing their intelligence[1] and also giving them the ability to enter a dormant state to wait between periods of evolution.[4] Given the task of safeguarding the species farthest along the evolutionary track[1] and protecting them from those who would target them simply for being an aberration,[4] they sought to protect mankind as they evolved, eradicating Australopithecus sediba, and saving the first human children born to them, in order to ensure the days of Homo sapiens.[5]

Evolutionaries and Phastos (Earth-616) from X-Men Vol 3 13 001

Eons later they showed themselves to the early X-Men, informing them they were there to ensure the survival of Homo superior.[5] After a brief battle with the young X-Men, the Evolutionaries sought the help of Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, viewing Magneto as the leader of all mutantkind.[6] Needing Magneto to unite mutantkind, they sought out the young telepath Emma Frost, when they came across the X-Men who, informed by Brotherhood member Quicksilver, had come to keep her from Magneto, the Brotherhood, and the Evolutionaries.[7] After the Brotherhood's successful abduction of Emma, they accompanied the group to the Xavier school grounds and watched as Emma was hooked into Cerebro and began connecting with every mutant mind on the planet.[4] Opposed by the returning X-Men and Magneto's own children, the Evolutionaries were assaulted by a device created by Beast, shutting off their access to cosmic rays and accidentally killing two of them. When Cyclops vowed to protect mutantkind, the remaining Evolutionary reluctantly left, but not before erasing the memory of their presence from the minds of the X-Men and Brotherhood and vowing to return one day.[8]

Many years later, when the remaining mutants, living on Utopia were endangered by the Neo, the Evolutionaries appeared again, exterminating all Neo around the world when threatened with violence, saying the Neo were a threat to Homo Superior. They then informed the gathered X-Men that they would destroy Homo sapiens in order to protect mutants.[5] As Cyclops attempted to prevent the X-Men from attacking their foe as they'd done years ago, the Evolutionaries grew tired of waiting and attempted to kill Cyclops, who was saved by the teleporting Pixie.[6] With Cyclops stored beneath Utopia's soil, the other X-Men engaged the Evolutionaries, who attempted to stop the X-Men using non-lethal means, sighting Magneto and remembering their original encounter with him, Magneto attacked the Evolutionaries, an act that sparked a memory of the Evolutionaries in the mind of Emma Frost as well.[1] Threatened by Toad's group of rebellious mutants, Irma Cuckoo was forced to broadcast Cyclops' memories of the Evolutionaries to the entire island, unlocking the memory in Magneto's mind and bringing all of the X-Men in on the deal Cyclops made so many years ago.[4] Realizing the mistake he made years ago, Magneto rejected the offer of human extinction, and as the Evolutionaries prepared to destroy the X-Men, Cyclops ordered the activation of a device modeled after Beast's original device, destroying all but one Evolutionary. As Cyclops informed him that the X-Men were the protectors of mutantkind, not the Evolutionaries, the remaining Evolutionary escaped, returning to Africa, and vowing to one day return and kill Cyclops.[8]

Evolutionaries and Max Eisenhardt (Earth-616) from X-Men Vol 3 14 001
Their numbers somewhat restored, glowing gold instead of blue and allied with the High Evolutionary, the Evolutionaries seem determined to eradicate those they had deemed "tainted." Appearing in several places, they attacked the Morlocks, the mystical town of New Salem, and mutant/Dire Wraith Hybrid.[9]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Flight; capable of firing destructive blasts; some can fire fiery blasts[3] noted to be a type of cosmic energy.[10]

Cyclops stated that they should be considered an Extinction Level Threat.[11]

They were also able to distinguish beings via their genetic templates, able to see the very DNA composing they're being to determine whether they mutant, Inhuman, Atlantean, or hybrid race.[11]

Weaknesses

Disrupting the flow of cosmic rays to their systems causes their armor to shut down, reverting them to their true forms.[8]

Miscellaneous

Level of Technology

Eternals-level

Representatives

Evolutionary; Numerous unnamed members, most deceased

See Also

Links and References

References

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