20 Of The Weirdest X-Men Stories Ever

Beak and Angel Salvadore’s beautiful new babies (Image via Marvel)

19. When a Bird Mutant and an Insect Mutant Love Each Other Very Much…

They create terrifying hell babies, that’s what.

I mean, maybe that’s a tad uncharitable. But the circumstances of this particular mutant family’s origins are more than a little strange. You see, Barnell Bohusk was originally born with a striking mutation. At puberty, his body essentially morphed into that a giant bird. He got a beak, talons, double-jointed knees, and grotesquely bulging eyes. His X-Men code name was, cruelly, “Beak”. Even more unfair: his “powers” are practically nonexistent.

Apart from increased agility and the ability to glide, Beak’s got nothing to make up for his appearance. He can’t even fly until he becomes depowered (returning to his previous human form) and gets a super suit.

Eventually, he falls in love with fellow mutant, Angel Salvadore. Angel, also known as “Tempest”, has housefly-based powers. She looks human enough, but sports a pair of insect wings. Angel also digests her food like a fly. Dates are, predictably enough, a little difficult for her.

One thing follows another, and Angel ends up pregnant. The two parents-to-be are understandably a little concerned – they have no clue what their children will look like, or even how exactly they’ll enter the world. The X-Men are pretty cool about it, even when the six children hatch out of eggs. Some have Angel’s mutations, like wings, while others have flashy feathers or even beaks.

After the House of M event (long story, honestly), all of the family becomes depowered. Sure, they lose their mutant abilities, but they also blend into society much more easily. There’s plenty to say there about societal acceptance, in the vein of the most compelling X-Men stories. It’s just done with some of the strangest characters around.