Synch graduating to become an Omega level mutant with X-Men #7

The X-Men may be about to christen a new Omega level mutant. These high-powered mutants are the most powerful in the four-tier X-Men mutant classification system, and there are only 25 known to exist. The list is so exclusive that Professor X doesn't even make the list - and he wrote the list.

In 2019's House of X #1, Charles Xavier defined an Omega-level mutant as a "mutant whose dominant power is deemed to register - or reach 0 an undefinable upper limit of that power's specific classification."

So, just who is the possible new Omega-level mutant? Well, that would be spoiling the issue.

Spoilers ahead for X-Men #7 by Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles

It appears that Generation X alum Synch (real name Everett Thomas) could be growing in power, and become the 26th Omega-level mutant the X-Men know of. That's at least what mutantkind's resident medical expert on mutant biology, Dr. Cecilia Reyes, writes in the backmatter to X-Men #7.

Reyes' analysis comes following a brief mission earlier in the issue in which Synch steps up in a fight between some mutated animals sent by Doctor Statis and a short-staffed X-Men team. Only four members of the team (Cyclops, Wolverine, Sunfire, and Synch) are available for the mission, as the remaining three (Marvel Girl, Polaris, Sunfire) are far, far away on Mars.

That doesn't seem to matter though, as Synch not only uses his normal mutant powers to replicate the abilities of the nearby mutants Sunfire and Cyclops in the field but is also able to tap into Jean Grey's telekinetic abilities even though she's literally worlds away on Mars.

"Everett... how did you... she's in space…" his colleague Sunfire reacts after he manifests Grey's power. "Did you somehow synch with Jean?!"

"Wild, right?" Synch responds, before passing out.

What this means for Synch's mutant classification

For those who haven't read X-Men comics in a while, that's new - and the ramifications are huge for Synch and the mutant community as a whole. Since his debut back in 1994, Synch's ability to 'sync' powers with others was limited strictly to those who were near to him. 

"The only plausible explanation returns to the previous entry for this patient. The resurrection protocols are increasing the previous baseline powers, and Synch’s power set may now include the ability to retain a limited 'muscle memory.' His close proximity to Jean since moving to New York may also have helped him pull off this feat."

Synch has gone through a lot in the past two years. Since House of X / Powers of X and the new formalized process by which mutants can be resurrected, Synch has died and been resurrected multiple times. He and Wolverine also had a wild mission inside the Vault in 2021's X-Men #19 in which they lived for over five hundred years. While their bodies died, their memories lived on in their resurrected bodies, which reverted back to their normal ages from before the mission.

"We define an 'Omega mutant' as having no upper limits to their powers, and it may be that we are witnessing the emergence of a new Omega in Synch," Dr. Reyes concludes. "It's unclear what, if any, role resurrection has played in the ability to 'recall' Jean's powers, more data is needed."

The evolution of Synch

Synch's seeming upgrade is a  major rise in the character's profile, especially considering that although he's been around since 1994, he was dead from 2000's Generation X #70 to 2019's House of X #6. Synch's growth in power post-resurrection was first noticed back in 2021's X-Men #18, with Reyes documenting that he was now able to 'sync' not just with mutants, but other non-mutant superhumans as well.

In the alt-reality timeline of House of M, Synch even grew able to permanently retain others' powers - which if echoed in the main Marvel-616, could have major ramifications.

A mutant 'graduating' to a higher level, even Omega level, isn't unprecedented. Iceman's powers (and his ability to control them) grew over time until he was re-classified as an Omega-level mutant, and for a brief period, Cable's telekinesis was augmented to be considered Omega-level.

It seems the story of Synch's power evolution will continue n future issues of X-Men.

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