Real Name: Armando MuñozThe physical aspects of Armando’s mutation were obvious since birth. His physiology was very different, with longer than normal limbs, an oversized head, and no hair anywhere. His mother despised having him as her son, since his appearance scared away his father, but Armando never stopped trying to make her happy, but that only happened when he was discovered to be a prodigy and she was glad some boarding schools would pay her to let them teach her son. She sent him away to boarding school, where the teachers loved having a student like him, but the students weren’t so welcoming. One day, when he was sixteen, a couple bullies took things too far, and nearly drowned him in a toilet, but he discovered he could breathe underwater, and when he fought back, his skin turned rock hard, knocking them unconscious. Still, he was in denial about what happened, until he returned home one year, and the house was burning down. He managed to rescue his mother, walking through the fire as if he was fireproof.
Word about Armando quickly spread, and the scientists at the academy began to study him. They noticed his body adapting to whatever they threw at him, and nicknamed him Darwin, The Evolving Boy, and he finally learned the fact that he was a mutant. This infuriated his mother even more and she effectively disowned him. This depressed him greatly, and tried to throw himself off a building, but only landed softly, with no injuries. He had to laugh that he couldn’t even kill himself, but came to the realization that he was glad he was alive. In the psychiatrist’s office that same day, both Darwin and the doctor realized no medication would help his situation, so the doc thought that maybe someone who’s wanted to see Darwin since the news of him had spread could help.
The person in question turned out to be Moira MacTaggert, and she brought him to train at her own little school for mutants, alongside Petra, Sway, and Kid Vulcan, with whom he became quick friends. He was even observed on occasion by Professor Xavier himself, and he came to them for help in one of his darkest hours. He had lost contact with his X-Men after they were sent to Krakoa and he needed help to save them. The kids agreed to help, and Xavier put them through mental training that would make them think and feel like they had been training with him for months. He then gave them their own uniforms and sent them to Krakoa.
Once there, they lost contact with the professor, but were able to free Cyclops from the island’s captivity, but severely hurting Krakoa in the process. This infuriated the living island, and after they got Scott on their jet, they went back for the others, but it sent a volcano creature after them. Sway was almost immediately killed, but her last moments of life allowed her to expel her mutant powers to slow time down for them, allowing Petra to try and save them by having the ground swallow them up, although she perished as well. Darwin and Vulcan were left barely clinging to life, when Darwin used his power to convert himself into pure energy, and merged himself with Gabe, allowing him to survive all the years in space after the island was sent there.
Many years later, after M-Day, a wave of the mutant energy washed over the rock where Vulcan lay dormant, and he was resurrected. He discovered how much time had passed and realized what happened and wanted revenge. But, he couldn’t find Xavier, neither could anyone else, and he began to torment the next closest ones to him, the X-Men, even killing Banshee. It all led up to a conflict with them, where Charles finally revealed himself and the secrets behind this missing team of X-Men. As Vulcan was distracted due to all of his memories finally returning, Marvel Girl finally made her move and reawakened a presence that was sharing Gabe’s body with him. A lot of energy flowed out of his body, and the X-Men attacked as he was weakened, but Vulcan was still able to fend them off, and he headed for the stars, with revenge on his mind. However, back on earth, the energy that came from Gabe began to take a human shape. The X-Men brought it back to the mansion, where it took the form of believed dead X-Man, Darwin. Beast didn’t know how to explain it, but since Darwin’s mutation is practically to evolve to live, who knows what exactly he could survive.
Special thanks to Specter313 for most of this bio's info.
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