Mutant

A term that started to become popular within some subcultures towards the end of the Age of Heroes. Used to refer to supernormals, when people realised that they existed but there was no official acknowledgement of their existence and nobody knew where their powers came from.

There was a common belief that they were either freaks caused by leftover radiation from the Blast, or some kind of next stage of evolution who were going to wipe out normal humans. The people who used the term tended to regard all masks as freaks, as subhuman or as the enemy, even if they were fighting to uphold the law.

Since the Hope Tower Incident, the word has entered the mainstream vocabulary; but variously means either supernormals in general, or those who gained powers as a result of being exposed to Savant Radiation which changed their bodies at a cellular level, making them resistant to dialysis.