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72-473: The villains of the crossover were the formerly imprisoned survivors of a race of alien parasites named Angon, Gemir, Glonth, Lissik, Pritor, Venev, and Slodd that could shapeshift into humanoid form. These humanoid forms were based on the initial entities they first encountered, a squadron of L.E.G.I.O.N. soldiers, most of whom perished. The bite of the Bloodlines Parasites was administered to

144-416: A humanoid of dinosaur origin. Over geologic time, Russell noted that there had been a steady increase in the encephalization quotient or EQ (the relative brain weight when compared to other species with the same body weight) among the dinosaurs. Russell had discovered the first Troodontid skull, and noted that, while its EQ was low compared to humans, it was six times higher than that of other dinosaurs. If

216-483: A cadre of teen runaways to test for the metagene, leading several of these individuals to develop superpowers. In the episode "Runaways," a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist surmises that the gene is "opportunistic" in as much as it causes its user to develop powers seemingly based on their personal experiences or surrounding depending on circumstances. In the third season a recurring plot-point is the trafficking of metahumans after humans learn to detect and activate metagene after

288-405: A generally humanoid shape is likely, though octopus- or starfish-like bodies are also possible. An opposing view is given by Mike Wall, who argues that intelligent extraterrestrials able to contact Humans would most likely have reached a phase allowing them to develop themselves into machines. Several in-universe explanations have been offered for the abundance of humanoids. One of the more common

360-495: A genetic variant called the "metagene", which causes them to gain powers and abilities during freak accidents or times of intense psychological distress. The term was first used as a reference to superheroes in 1986 by author George R. R. Martin , first in the Superworld role playing system , and then later in his Wild Cards series of novels. The term was first used by a fictitious race of extraterrestrials known as

432-494: A hierarchy of cooperating systems that make up any organism . Luis Villazon points out that animals that move necessarily have a front and a back; as with animals on Earth , sense organs tend to gather at the front as they encounter stimuli there, forming a head . Legs reduce friction, and with legs, bilateral symmetry makes coordination easier. Sentient organisms will, Villazon argues, likely use tools, in which case they need hands and at least two other limbs to stand on. In short,

504-720: A multitude of worlds toward a humanoid form. In the television series Stargate SG-1 , the Jaffa are explained as being a hundred-thousand year offshoot of humanity bred by the Goa'uld to suit their purposes, hence their almost-human appearance and physiology, while many other "alien" characters are actually the descendants of human- slaves who were removed from Earth by the Goa'uld. Any humans isolated on multiple planets after 100k+ years of adaptations would most certainly seem "alien" to Earthlings. Similarly, in its spin-off show Stargate Atlantis ,

576-410: A navel, as a placenta aids the development of a large brain case. However, it would not have possessed mammary glands and would have fed its young, as birds do, on regurgitated food. He speculated that its language would have sounded somewhat like bird song . Russell's thought experiment has been met with criticism from other paleontologists since the 1980s, many of whom point out that his Dinosauroid

648-613: A race of superpowered slaves. The Invasion! miniseries provided a concept for why humans in the DC Universe would survive catastrophic events and develop superpowers. One of the Dominators discovered that select members of the human race had a "biological variant," which he called the metagene (also spelled "meta-gene"). This gene often lay dormant until an instant of extraordinary physical and emotional stress activates it. A "spontaneous chromosomal combustion" then takes place, as

720-588: A race or species; the Huntress is described as being "half-metahuman" on her mother's side. On the television series Smallville , metahumans can occur naturally. However, the majority are the result of exposure to kryptonite , which in the Smallville universe can turn people into superpowered " meteor freaks ", often with psychotic side effects. For many seasons of Smallville , all superpowered people other than Kryptonians were so-called meteor freaks, but as

792-519: A real person as possible, although these words are frequently perceived to be synonymous with a humanoid. While there are many humanoid robots in fictional stories, some real humanoid robots have been developed since the 1990s, and some real human-looking android robots have been developed since 2002. Similarly to robots, virtual avatars may also be called humanoid when resembling humans. Deities are often imagined in human shape (also known as " anthropotheism "), sometimes as hybrids (especially

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864-498: A result of similar evolutionary pressures. American psychologist and Dinosaur intelligence theorist Harry Jerison suggested the possibility of sapient dinosaurs. In a 1978 presentation at the American Psychological Association , he speculated that dromiceiomimus could have evolved into a highly intelligent species like human beings. In his book, Wonderful Life , Stephen Jay Gould argues if

936-522: A superpower. These new parasites managed to take control of, or incapacitate, the entire Justice League on the moon. In order to stop them from reaching earth, Hitman (who was invited to the JLA Watchtower so that his blood could be analyzed) had to kill or maim several of the astronaut hosts. While some members of the JLA felt that this was murder, others recognized that Hitman stopped the invasion in

1008-634: A trait of primates , crows , and dolphins , at some point. In 1982, Dale Russell , curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa , conjectured a possible evolutionary path that might have been taken by the dinosaur Troodon had it not perished in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, suggesting that it could have evolved into intelligent beings similar in body plan to humans, becoming

1080-645: A version of the Phantom Zone . The White Martians also created a metavirus, a metagene that could be passed from host to host via touch. This metavirus was responsible for the empowerment of the very first Son of Vulcan . From that time onwards, the Sons of Vulcan passed the metavirus down in an unbroken line, sworn to hunt and kill the White Martians. The terms "meta" and "metahuman" do not refer only to humans born with biological variants. Superman and

1152-607: Is a non- human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of the human skeleton . Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it is now considered rare. More generally, the term can refer to anything with distinctly human characteristics or adaptations, such as possessing opposable anterior forelimb - appendages (i.e. thumbs), visible spectrum - binocular vision (i.e. having two eyes), or biomechanic plantigrade - bipedalism (i.e.

1224-471: Is a robot that is based on the general structure of a human, such as a robot that walks on two legs and has an upper torso, or a robot that has two arms, two legs and a head. A humanoid robot does not necessarily look convincingly like a real person, for example, the ASIMO humanoid robot has a helmet instead of a face. An android (male) or gynoid (female) is a humanoid robot designed to look as much like

1296-531: Is overly anthropomorphic. Gregory S. Paul (1988) and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. , consider it "suspiciously human" (Paul, 1988) and Darren Naish has argued that a large-brained, highly intelligent troodontid would retain a more standard theropod body plan, with a horizontal posture and long tail, and would probably manipulate objects with the snout and feet in the manner of a bird, rather than with human-like "hands". (Although bipedal dinosaurs often do have hands , if they don't turn them into wings.) A humanoid robot

1368-463: Is possible for individuals skilled in science and biology to manipulate, dampen or modify the activities of the metagene. During the Final Crisis , while the Dominators devised a Gene Bomb able to accelerate the metagene activity to the point of cellular and physical instabilities, an anti-metagene virus was spread as a last-ditch weapon in the invaded Checkmate quarters. This metavirus has

1440-404: Is that authors use the only example of intelligent life that they know, humans. In live-action television and films, using humanoid aliens makes it easier to cast human actors to portray alien characters. A study by the zoologist Sam Levin suggests that aliens might indeed resemble humans, given that they are presumably subject to natural selection . Levin argues that this can be expected to produce

1512-529: Is that the humanoids in the story have evolved on an Earth-like planet or natural satellite , totally independently from Humans on Earth . However, some works have offered alternative explanations: In Star Trek , the explanation is given that a primordial humanoid civilization, the Ancient humanoids , seeded the Milky Way Galaxy with genetically engineered cells to guide the evolution of life on

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1584-511: Is used in the animated TV series Static Shock . On the television series Birds of Prey , metahumans included heroines the Huntress and Dinah Lance . New Gotham has a thriving metahuman underground, mostly made of metahumans who are trying to live their own lives, although a self-hating metahuman, Claude Morton ( Joe Flanigan ), tries to convince the police that all metahumans are evil. In Birds of Prey , metahumans are treated seemingly as

1656-646: The Blackest Night crossover, where Doctor Light mockingly mentions that most of the Blood Pack heroes had died and were quickly forgotten by the rest of the superhero community. Hitman/JLA #1, set before this, sees the Wally West Flash mention the Bloodline heroes' long casualty list and states, with irritation, that most of them are incompetent and are constantly trying to 'team up' with

1728-463: The Arrowverse family of live-action shows, "metahuman" is used more narrowly than in the comics, typically referring to a human being who becomes transhuman and has uncanny abilities, often acquired following some kind of strange accident. In the television series Gotham , Professor Hugo Strange experiments with dead (and alive) bodies of criminals, Arkham Asylum patients, and civilians under

1800-493: The Blood Pack miniseries. Gunfire also had a short-lived series. Some of the heroes created by the aliens died in the 2005-2006's Infinite Crisis event. The only New Blood character to succeed as an independent property was Hitman , who first appeared in 1993's Demon Annual and went on to star in his own sixty-issue ongoing series from 1996 to 2001 written by Garth Ennis and drawn by John McCrea . In fact, of

1872-531: The DC Universe . The Bloodlines crossover event spanned 23 of DC's regular titles and wrapped up in the two-part miniseries Bloodbath . The alien parasites that came to Earth to gather spinal fluid sacrificed themselves to help birth a gigantic alien known as the Taker. Many long-term heroes were absorbed into the monster, only to be saved by the very heroes the parasites had created. This series spun off into

1944-595: The Dominators when they appeared in DC Comics ' Invasion! mini-series in 1988. The Dominators use this term to refer to any human native of the planet Earth with "fictional superhuman abilities". The prefix " meta- " simply means " beyond ", denoting powers and abilities beyond human limits. Metahuman may also relate to an individual who has exceeded what is known as "The Current Potential", meaning one's ability to move matter with mind (see Telekinesis ). Before

2016-536: The Martian Manhunter (aliens) as well as Wonder Woman (a near-goddess) and Aquaman (an Atlantean ) are referred to in many instances as "metahumans." It can refer to anyone with extraordinary powers, no matter the origins and including those not born with such power. According to Countdown to Infinite Crisis , roughly 1.3 million metahumans live on Earth, 99.5% of whom are considered "nuisance-level" (such as kids who can bend spoons with their minds and

2088-694: The White House taking the Bloodlines parasites as so big a threat that they were willing to launch nuclear missiles at the Justice League to prevent the parasites from reaching Earth again. The seven Bloodlines Parasites were created for the Bloodlines crossover . The parasites premiered in Lobo (vol. 2) Annual #1 written by Alan Grant and drawn by Christian Alamy. The Parasites came from

2160-592: The gods of Ancient Egyptian religion ). A fragment by the Greek poet Xenophanes describes this tendency, ...Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and narrow-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair. In animism in general, the spirits innate in certain objects (like the Greek nymphs ) are typically depicted in human shape, e.g. spirits of trees ( Dryads ), of

2232-804: The Black Lagoon , made in 1954 by Jack Arnold . Metahuman In the DC Universe , a metahuman is a human with superpowers . The term is roughly synonymous with the terms mutant , inhuman and mutate in the Marvel Universe and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term is used loosely in most instances to refer to any human or human-like being with extraordinary powers, abilities or other attributes, either cosmic, mutant, scientific, mystical, skill or technological in nature. A significant portion of these are normal human beings born with

Bloodlines (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-509: The Canary Cry. The prefix meta - , in this context, simply means "beyond"—as in metastable , which is beyond regular stability and ready to collapse at the slightest disruption, or metamorphosis , which is the state of going beyond a single shape. In the DC comic miniseries Invasion! , the Dominators point out that the metagene is contained inside every cell of the human body. In

2376-553: The DC Comics universe, metahuman criminals are incarcerated in special metahuman prisons, like the prison built on Alcatraz Island, which is outfitted not only with provisions to hold criminals whose powers are science - and technology -based, but even mystical dampeners to hold villains (including Homo magi ) whose powers are magic -based. Prisoners in this facility are tagged with nanobyte tracers injected into their bloodstream that allow them to be located wherever they are. It

2448-546: The DC Universe, while superhuman beings in the Marvel Universe are referred to as either mutants or mutates. However, both DC and Marvel Comics have made use of the term "metahuman" and "mutant" in their universes. The first use of the term 'metahuman' in the Marvel Universe occurred in New Mutants Annual #3, written by Chris Claremont , published in 1987, in which a Russian security officer describes

2520-508: The League, while Green Lantern Kyle Rayner simply sums them up with: "Those guys are lame. I mean, they are really lame ". Hitman and Hitman/JLA both offered up sequels to Bloodlines . The first had the CIA trying to duplicate the power-giving effects of the parasites. The second, set chronologically earlier, had a separate breed of Bloodlines parasites. Hitman/JLA also had a scene showing

2592-671: The Reach invasion. In some cases, the metagene in some families is shown to be the source of similar abilities, as with Terra , Geo-Force , and their maternal uncle Baron Bedlam . In "Evolution", it is revealed Vandal Savage was the first metahuman because of the fallen meteor which bestowed him a healing factor and super-intelligence on Mongolia during the Pleistocene . Earth's metahumans, many Atlanteans, and all homo magi in Young Justice all trace their lineage to Savage. In

2664-474: The Taker was destroyed with the help of all the human New Bloods. Pax helped banish these aliens by sealing them up in the other-dimensional home of the Taker. The superhumans whose powers were awakened by the alien parasites were known collectively as "New Bloods". Individually, they were: Another New Blood, Freight Train, was introduced in Outsiders vol. 4 #30, described as: "Black Canadian mercenary with

2736-521: The Totality crashed to Earth and introduced the various forms of Heavy Metal and other mysterious forces into the world, The Bear tribe and Vandar Adg of the Wolf Tribe were the first ones to encounter the Totality. They were all mutated by the radiation of the Totality, granting them immortality and making them the world's earliest iteration of metahumans. The word "metahuman" is often attributed to

2808-613: The White Martians arrived on Earth, Lord Vimana, the Vimanian overlord from the Xenobrood mini-series, claimed credit for the creation of the human race both normal and metahuman, due to their introduction of superpowered alien genetic matter into human germline DNA . The Vimanians in the series forced their super powered worker drones to mate with humanity's ancestors Australopithecus afarensis (3 million years ago), and later Homo erectus (1.5 million years ago) in order to create

2880-468: The ability to absorb kinetic energy and give himself superdense skin, superspeed, and superhuman strength". With corporate backing, and under the leadership of seasoned veteran Jade , some of the New Bloods formed a superhero team known as the Blood Pack. The series was created by Charles Moore and Christopher Taylor. Blood Pack was a four issue limited series. Loria would die in the final issue of

2952-900: The ability to walk on heels and metatarsals in an upright position). Humanoids may also include human-animal hybrids (where each cell has partly human and partly animal genetic contents) and human-animal chimeras (where some cells are human and some cells are animal in origin). Science fiction media frequently present sentient extraterrestrial lifeforms as humanoid as a byproduct of convergent evolution . Humanoid characters are defined by their human-like physical characteristics and forms, which can vary. These characters may appear entirely human, predominantly human-like (e.g., Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z , Martians and Kryptonians from DC Comics ), or they may possess general non-human traits while still having human-like physical characteristics (e.g., human-like Pokémon , ThunderCats characters, various characters from The Amazing World of Gumball ). In

Bloodlines (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-399: The back of the neck by a mouth-within-a-mouth. This bite is intended to remove the spinal fluid for sustenance. This usually killed the victim for food, but occasionally awakened superhuman powers in the recipient. This was also the means by which the creatures could reproduce. Each of the annuals involved in the crossover used this plot device to introduce a new super-powered character to

3096-501: The black ring cycling through the power set of emotions, resulting in a burst of colored energy that destroys Black Lanterns. Geist and Nightblade would later appear during Final Crisis , amongst a large group of "forgotten" characters encountering Superman in Limbo. A new Blood Pack was introduced in Faces of Evil: Prometheus , made up of other surviving Bloodlines heroes. Led by Argus ,

3168-648: The explanation offered for the humanoid appearance of the Wraith is that the Wraith evolved from a parasite which incorporated human DNA into its own genome after feeding on humans, giving the Wraith their present form. In the field of ufology , humanoid refers to any of the claimed extraterrestrials which abduct human victims, such as the Greys , the Reptilians , Nordics , and Martians . In fantasy settings

3240-524: The few times New Blood characters made appearances after the Bloodlines event, a majority of the time they are killed off. Faces of Evil: Prometheus and JLA/Hitman #1 are examples. The former featured a brief cameo of the remaining members of the Bloodpack, only to have a majority of the team killed or maimed by the titular villain; it was referenced in the Justice League of America tie-in to

3312-565: The first announcement of the Everyman Project in 52 #8. The project was controversial, creating unstable heroes that gave Luthor an "off switch" for their powers, creating countless mid-flight deaths. In Road to Dark Nights: Metal , the Joker revealed to Duke Thomas that the term "meta" originated from a rudimentary hospital program used to automatically flag Nth metal toxicity found in a person's bloodstream, similar to iron or zinc,

3384-579: The general metahuman population, were sharply increased by the new cosmic radiations affecting the universe. The 52 miniseries introduced a toxic mutagen called the Exo-gene (also referred to as the Exogene). It is a toxic gene therapy treatment created by LexCorp for the Everyman Project , which creates metahuman abilities in compatible non-metahumans. It first appeared in 52 #4, with

3456-486: The latter case, they often overlap with anthropomorphic characters, with humanoid characters being a subtype of anthropomorphism, specifically in terms of physical characteristics. Although there are no known humanoid species outside the genus Homo , the theory of convergent evolution speculates that different species may evolve similar traits, and in the case of a humanoid these traits may include intelligence and bipedalism and other humanoid skeletal changes , as

3528-418: The metagene can activate spontaneously and without any prior appearance in the ancestry. One well-known example involves Dinah Laurel Lance, the second Black Canary . Although her mother (Dinah Drake Lance, the original Black Canary) was a superhero, neither she nor her husband Larry Lance were born with any known metagenes. However, Dinah Laurel was born with a metagene, the infamous ultrasonic scream known as

3600-436: The metagene takes the source of the biostress – be it chemical, radioactive or other similar phenomenon – and turns the potential catastrophe into a catalyst for "genetic change," resulting in metahuman abilities. DC does not use the "metagene concept" as a solid editorial rule, and few writers explicitly reference the metagene when explaining a character's origin. DC also has characters born with superhuman abilities, suggesting

3672-594: The old lady "who keeps hitting at Powerball "). The other 0.5% are what Checkmate and the OMACs consider alpha-, beta- and gamma-level threats. For example, Superman and Wonder Woman are categorized as alpha-level, while Metamorpho is considered a beta-level and the Ratcatcher is considered a gamma-level. However, since the destruction of the Source Wall, the number of Alpha and Beta level metahumans, as well as

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3744-630: The only way that he could. Another parasite, alone, is found by the Outsiders in a Gotham City club, being held captive, and admission charged for those wishing to gain superpowers. Nonetheless, as the parasites only activate the metagene in a number of humans, most customers do not survive the ordeal. Although the ending of Batman and the Outsiders (vol. 2) #10 had it flying off into the Gotham night with Batman on its back trying to bring it down,

3816-535: The opposite effects of the Gene Bomb, curbing and shutting down the metagene and stripping the metahumans of their powers for an unspecified amount of time. The genetic potential for a future metagene was discovered in ancient Homo sapiens' DNA (500,000 - 250,000 years ago) by the White Martian race. The White Martians performed experiments on these primitive humans, changing how the metahuman phenotype

3888-476: The orders of the Court of Owls. There, Strange gives his victims superhuman abilities such as shapeshifting ( Clayface ), mind control (Fish Mooney) and super strength ( Azrael ). By the end of Season 2, Strange's victims escape and wreak havoc in the city. Throughout the series, the metahumans are commonly referred to as Strange's Monsters, simply Monsters (an allusion to the miniseries Dark Moon Rising: Batman &

3960-456: The protagonists as "metahuman terrorists". In the limited DC/Marvel Comics " Amalgam Comics " crossover event, in JLX #1 (April 1996) (combining DC's Justice League and Marvel's X-Men ), metahumans are replaced with metamutants (a portmanteau of DC's metahumans and Marvel's mutants ) who are said to carry a 'metamutant gene'. In the animated version of the DC universe , the term metahuman

4032-471: The same dimension as a powerful Shaman named Pax who gained his own powers due to being bitten by one of them and left for dead. The parasites escaped from their prison dimension. In the Lobo issue, they encountered a grouping of L.E.G.I.O.N. officers, whom they killed and took their alternate human forms from. They later ended up on Earth; while there they took to feeding on humans. The aliens feed by draining

4104-422: The same universe infiltrated a space shuttle returning to earth. When the JLA sent Green Lantern to investigate, his ring's readings showed that these parasites had genetic similarities with the Bloodlines parasites. These aliens, however, were much smaller and permanently attached themselves to their human hosts. They controlled their hosts' minds, could communicate telepathically, and gave each non-superpowered host

4176-560: The series. Most of the team's members - Ballistic, Geist, Mongrel, Nightblade and Razorsharp - were slain by Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis #7, the final issue of the 2005-2006 DC event, incinerated by his heat vision. During the events of Blackest Night , the five slain heroes were reanimated as members of the Black Lantern Corps and head for Earth Prime to torment Superboy-Prime. He destroys them by using

4248-490: The seven parasites. All parasites had a heavy exoskeleton, four digits on each limb (one of which is small and opposable ), skeletal faces, and the aforementioned feeding proboscis. Each parasite, however, had unique features and personalities based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Angon was red, had spiked shoulder plates, and was driven by anger. She was responsible for creating Edge, Ballistic , Jamm, and Prism. Gemir

4320-634: The show went on, it began to explore further corners of the DC Universe. Non-kryptonite metahumans include the Smallville versions of Aquaman , the Flash , the Black Canary , and Zatanna . On the animated series Young Justice , the aliens known as the Kroloteans have frequently used the term and have even researched into the discovery of a "metagene" by abducting and testing on random humans. The alien Reach conduct similar experiments and kidnap

4392-563: The spinal fluid of their prey after administering a small dose of paralytic venom . They feed using a secondary proboscis -like jaw similar to the Xenomorphs from the Alien movies. If the feeding process is performed on a human possessing the metagene , the trauma of feeding on that victim will usually activate their metagene, granting them superpowers. Those so activated took to calling themselves "New Bloods". The eight aliens included

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4464-402: The story was interrupted with a Batman R.I.P. crossover, leaving the parasite's story unresolved. Some of the characters whose metagenes were activated by the parasites are Argus , Loose Cannon, Razorsharp, Terrorsmith, Hitman and Gunfire . If too much parasite venom was absorbed by the host's system it would cause hideous abnormalities, as seen with Terrorsmith. The mother alien known as

4536-403: The tape of life were re-wound and played back, life would have taken a very different course. Simon Conway Morris counters this argument, arguing that convergence is a dominant force in evolution and that since the same environmental and physical constraints act on all life, there is an "optimum" body plan that life will inevitably evolve toward, with evolution bound to stumble upon intelligence,

4608-419: The team included Gunfire, Anima, and Hook. Hook was killed by an impostor Prometheus. Gunfire's hands were amputated and Anima was killed in an ensuing encounter with the real Prometheus. Bloodlines was divided into four "chapters": Outbreak , Earthplague , Deathstorm , and Bloodbath . The order of the storyline is as follows: As part of The New 52 (a reboot of DC's continuity), the Bloodlines crossover

4680-595: The term humanoid is used to refer to a human-like fantastical creature, such as a dwarf , elf , gnome , halfling , goblin , troll , orc or an ogre , and Bigfoot . In some cases, such as older versions of the game Dungeons & Dragons , a distinction is made between demi-humans , which are relatively similar to humans, and humanoids, which exhibit larger differences from humans. Animals that are humanoid are also shown in fantasy. Humanoids are also used in some old horror movies, for example in Creature From

4752-651: The trend in Troodon evolution had continued to the present, its brain case could by now measure 1,100 cm ; comparable to that of a human. Troodontids had semi-manipulative fingers, able to grasp and hold objects to a certain degree, and binocular vision. Russell proposed that this " Dinosauroid ", like most dinosaurs of the troodontid family, would have had large eyes and three fingers on each hand, one of which would have been partially opposed . As with most modern reptiles (and birds), he conceived of its genitalia as internal. Russell speculated that it would have required

4824-406: The woodlands (the hybrid fauns ), of wells or waterways ( Nereids , Necks ), etc. With regard to extraterrestrials in fiction , the term humanoid is most commonly used to refer to alien beings with a body plan that is generally like that of a human, including upright stance and bipedalism , as well as intelligence. In much of science fiction , humanoid aliens are abundant. One explanation

4896-532: The “meta” being short for the "metal" it detected. This natural toxicity is the "variant" that changes the individual's DNA results in the metagene and its various heightened abilities and powers. The lineage of metahumans and their origins can be traced by this Nth Metal connection, dating back to three tribes from the earliest known era of humanity; the Bird Tribe, the Wolf Tribe and the Bear Tribe. When

4968-577: Was expressed by the metagene. Due to their experiments, they altered the destiny of the human race. Whereas before, evolution would have eventually made mankind into a race of superhumans similar to the Daxamites and Kryptonians , now only a select few humans would develop metahuman powers. As punishment for this, the group of renegades known as the Hyperclan was exiled to the Still Zone ,

5040-413: Was red with bat-like wings. He was motivated by greed and had flaming hair in his human form. He was responsible for Joe Public, Myriad, Sparx , Cardinal Sin, and Samaritan. Glonth was a light blue, rotund beast with a lion-like mane who was motivated by gluttony. He created Loose Cannon, Hitman , and Chimera. Pritor was the prideful blue parasite with butterfly wings. He created Lionheart and Geist. Lissik

5112-426: Was revamped and integrated as a six-issue miniseries. When a meteor crashes to Earth, bringing with it an unspeakable alien presence that terrorizes a nearby small town, the lucky ones die first. As for the rest, they find themselves locked in a hellish struggle for control of their bodies and their minds. Humanoid A humanoid ( / ˈ h juː m ən ɔɪ d / ; from English human and -oid "resembling")

5184-479: Was the lustful pink/purple parasite with moth-like wings. She created Anima , Nightblade, Hook, Terrorsmith, and Mongrel. Slodd was a slothful, off-white parasite with large patagium beneath his arms. Venev was an envious, green, six-armed parasite responsible for creating Argus , Razorsharp, Gunfire and Ragnarok. All of the Parasites gave themselves over to feed the Taker. A new group of parasitic aliens from

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