Armando Muñoz (Earth-616)

Armando was born different from other children. By age four, he was bald, his arms were longer than normal, and his eyes seemed to change. His father abandoned them around this time, and his mother blamed Darwin for his mutation. She treated him like he wasn't her son even at the ages a kid needs attention.

He grew up in the face of rejection, with even his own mother despising him, but he didn't hate her for that. He did everything he could to make her love him. A day came when he was asked to take an IQ test. Unknown to anyone at the time, Armando's desire to impress his mother subconsciously activated his mutant power and allowed him to test off the charts. He was quickly enrolled in a renowned boarding school, the Biltmore Academy, but he was sent away mostly because his mother still hated him.

Darwin recovering

Although his teachers loved him, he was bullied constantly by other students. One day the bullies put his head in the toilet and Armando noticed he could breath underwater. He lifted his head out and began fighting back, feeling his arms become tough, almost like cement when he punched them. The bullies fled and Armando never brought up what had happened.

His mother had become a heavy smoker. One night she had fallen asleep with one of her cigarettes still lit, accidently setting their house on fire. Armando carried her out, unaffected by the flames to the astonishment of firefighters and paramedics. Tests were done at the hospital, and scientists were brought in.

Armando was told he was a mutant and was nicknamed 'Darwin, the Evolving Boy' (after Charles Darwin) because he seemed to adapt to every condition the scientists could think of. For example, they placed him in a pitch-black room and he gained night vision. There was even a lengthy report that was published about Armando.

Unfortunately, his mother continued to reject him, denying that she could ever give birth to such a thing. Dejected, he attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the roof. Instead, he bounced off the ground. After talking about what happened with the school psychiatrist, he was told that 'someone who works with other kids like him' had read about Armando and was interested in meeting him. This person turned out to be Moira MacTaggert.

Moira MacTaggert recruited Armando as one of her "fosters." He was in the first team, along with Vulcan, Petra, and Sway to attempt to rescue the X-Men from Krakoa.

While Petra and Sway were killed by Krakoa, Darwin and Vulcan were swallowed in the earth by a combination of Sway and Petra's dying powers. Darwin absorbed the remains of the two girls and then converted himself into energy to fuse together with Vulcan. This gave Vulcan the powers of Darwin, Petra, and Sway.

Darwin fighting Shi'ar officials

Years later, Rachel Summers managed to expel Darwin's presence from Vulcan, who then took off for space. While dealing with the shocking revelations of the truth about Krakoa and Vulcan, Beast found out that Darwin was still in fact alive. He was brought back to the Institute, where Beast determined Darwin is now a being of pure energy. While not conscious, he was shown to still have brain activity and was still alive, located at the X-Mansion. Once separated from Vulcan, Darwin's abilities caused him to develop a physical form once more.

When the Uncanny X-Men team (including Warpath, Havok, Polaris, Marvel Girl, Nightcrawler, and Professor Xavier) left to go hunt down Vulcan and stop him from destroying the Shi'ar, it was revealed that the Professor brought Darwin with them with hope that his friendship with Vulcan would help. When Shi'ar agents abducted Professor X, Darwin followed, and secretly jumped onto their spacecraft as it fled.

After successfully rescuing Xavier from his captors, Darwin was well on his way to freedom when D'Ken was revealed to be alive and well. Recaptured by the Imperium guards, Darwin failed in his attempt of rescuing his mentor and reluctantly accepted the Vulcan's offer of becoming Best Man at his and Deathbird's wedding.

Though obviously against the union, Darwin attended the wedding - albeit in shackles - and was caught in the crossfire when the X-Men and Starjammers attacked. Fearing his great day to be completely ruined by the interference, Vulcan trapped Xavier within the M'Kraan Crystal. Naturally fearing for his mentor's safety, Darwin followed Xavier into the depths of the crystal, and rescued him. He was taken to the X-Men's space ship with Professor X and Lilandra Neramani sent the ship on its way back to Earth.

Darwin was one of the X-Men who heeded the call for help when Hulk came to the Xavier Institute. While fighting the Hulk he evolved the ability to absorb gamma radiation. Darwin attempted to absorb gamma radiation from the Hulk only to find that the Hulk's gamma radiation supply was far more than he could drain. His body then determined the best way to confront the Hulk was to not confront the Hulk at all, and Darwin gained teleportation powers which promptly teleported him out of the Hulk's path of destruction.

Darwin reappeared in Messiah Complex and fought alongside the X-Men against the Marauders, Purifiers, Predator X and Cable.

Sometime after Messiah Complex, Darwin goes in search of Professor Xavier because he wants to help him. He encounters Longshot who tries to lead him to the Professor by using his powers. Longshot, however is unsure if his powers have been working correctly and tests them out on a group of people which turn on Darwin and attack. After a brief fight, Darwin manages to get away and the crowd turn on Longshot. Afterward, Longshot meets back up with Darwin and they are attacked by Jazinda and She-Hulk who are trailing after Longshot, who is really a Skrull.

Meanwhile, Darwin's father hires X-Factor Investigations to help him find Darwin because he feels bad for walking out on him and his mother when he was younger.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Darwin is an Omega-level mutant.

Instantaneous Adaptation: powers of self-protection and continuous circumstantial evolution. Darwin is able to adapt to any situation. His reactive mutation adjusts his capabilities to his environment. For example, his eyes would adapt to seeing in darkness, his lungs would adapt to poisoned air. He would become impervious to heat or smoke in a fire and he would grow gills when put underwater.

Abilities

None known.

Strength level

He's as strong as he need to be.

Weaknesses

None.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

No special notes.

Trivia

No trivia.

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Links and References

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