Roman writes...

Mr. Weisman,

One thing that has bugged me for years is the situation between Xanatos and the Mutates, particularly in the case of Derek Maza/Talon. Neither Xanatos nor Sevarius ever faced any major repercussions for what they did in ruining the lives of so many good people. Particularly, David never got any comeuppance for experimenting on Elisa’s brother and using him as a means to exercise control over her. And Sevarius never seems to suffer an overwhelmingly devastating defeat, or get his just desserts. In the Bad Guys SLG comics continuation, Sevarius’ manipulations drives a woman, Tasha, to suicide and he just gets away with that. And while it’s amazing that Talon and Maggie were able to find some measure of happiness, and are starting a family together (as Dr. Sato confirmed Maggie was pregnant), it feels like justice hasn’t really been served. One the one hand, in real life bad guys with money do get away with evil deeds all too often and in Gargoyles it makes for compelling, multilayered storytelling to have villains get away with it, but on the other hand it leaves a desire in the viewer to see some balancing of the scales. It’s satisfying to see characters reap what they sow. My question is: do David Xanatos and Sevarius ever get their comeuppance for the Mutates situation? We saw in the show that Xanatos gets a comeuppance for Thailog, but does he get one for Talon? Does Sevarius get what he deserves for what he did to Tasha? I’m a huge Gargoyles fan. It was the first show I watched as a kid and it’s still my favorite show today twenty years later. I look forward to rewatching it again when it launches on Disney+, and I’m hoping, like many other fans, for a continuation on the platform; just like YJ has been continued on DC Universe. You must get this a lot, but thank you for creating a show that is an essential part of my childhood. I also enjoy Spectacular Spider-Man and YJ (can’t wait till season 4), but they got nothing on Gargoyles.

Anonymous writes...

From where did you get the idea for Electro's origin in The Spectacular Spider-Man? Was it the story team's original idea?

I ask because in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Max Dillon turns into Electro almost the exact same way (gets electrocuted and falls into a vat of special electric eels). I'm interested if the movie blatantly ripped off from the show or if there is some comic book/other source material that you would have gotten this origin idea from.

Thanks - I'm a big fan of your shows, and Star Wars: Rebels seems like it will be pretty great.

JC writes...

Hello,

A few days ago I asked the question about Sevaris & his mutates, and I've been thinking about it, and why I like the idea of multi-animal-mutants as opposed to the single-animal variety.
And Ive decided the answer is this: because it just makes more sense.
I know the real-world reason you gave the Labryinth clan multi-animsl abilties is to make them equatable to Gargoyles...but it is the electric eel explaination that resonated w/me. Yes, a creature with that much going on WOULD need a massive energy source, and spending all day eating large farm animals wouldnt be condusive.
But this logic isnt applied to the latter mutates.
For instance:
1) an alliagator (or was Thug a crockodile? Im drawing a blank - but either way) already needs to eat a lot, and due to its bulk is verry slow on land. Wouldnt an even bigger alligator need even more food - especially to power a human-sized brain - and be even slower?
2) Its been said that an insect the size of a human would collapse under its own weight due to their bodies being composed of heavy exoskelitons, and having no muscle mass, only tendonds to move their joints. Why does this not apply to the woodlouse mutate?
It seems to me that combining these two at least would solve both of their problems. The alligator DNA would provide the strength the woodlouse would need to move, and since insects requre little energy and move exeptionally fast (compared to larger animals that is, not literally), the woodlouse DNA would compensate for the alligator's problems.

Also, ARE there any plans to give the turtle (technically a tortious, I
belive) ninja training...maby from a mutant rat? (im just pulling your leg hete...sorry...I cant help myself).

JC writes...

Hello, Mr. Wiesman,

I have a quick question about Dr. Sevaris and his mutate craetions. First, I'd like to say that even as a child I loved the idea of "mutants" that were composed of several animal species (human, bat, cat, & eel), rather than the simple one animal/human hybrid, like the TMNTs.
I was just wondering why you deviated from that approach with every mutate Sevaris made after the Labyrinth clan?
Now Wolf I can understsnd, seeing as how he was the only willing volunteer, and well, his name is simply "Wolf."
But why simply an alligator mutant, a turtle mutant, a woodlouse mutant, & an armadillo mutant, when a combo of all those animals would lead to mare of a varity in abilities (exept a woodlouse and armadillo wpuld be a bit redundant), and not seem like something that has, literally, been done a dozen times - especially the turtle and aligator mutant in particular. As soon as I saw those two, I thought to myself: "they might as well learn ninjitsu and get it over with."

On a related topic; it's been shown that Dr. Sevaris uses human test subjects to create his mutates. But does he need the actual animal(s) they are mutated into and combine them, or just use that/those animal's DNA?

Thank you.

JC

Rebecca writes...

Hi Greg,

Very recently discovered Gargoyles and it's FANTASTIC! I mainlined the entire thing in about a month and can't wait to rewatch it. What an amazing story you told.

I had a question about Talon and the other Mutates. I've searched the archives and haven't been able to find the answer to this specific question, so I hope this isn't a repeat:

When Derek was originally transformed it made sense that he didn't want to go to the police because he still thought Xanatos was working to cure him. But once he realised that Xanatos was behind it all, I'm confused about why he didn't go to the police at THAT point?

I understand that they had come to accept their forms by then, but as a former police officer (even if he had some issues with it as a career for himself), I'm trying to work out why Talon wouldn't want to make the police aware of what had happened. The Mutates themselves are physical evidence of Sevarius' illegal experiments. Even if Xanatos was able to hide the financial trail so it wouldn't be possible to prove he'd been funding Sevarius while he was on the run, then at least the authorities would be after Sevarius?

My assumption is that Xanatos made some sort of report about Sevarius when he originally "discovered" his illegal work (though hiding the existence of the Mutates), so the authorities are already after him, albeit with limited and incorrect information. Without any way to prove Xanatos' ongoing connection, the Mutates decided not to press the matter as they were afraid of being turned into lab rats again if they "went public"?

Would that be accurate? It just surprised me because the show often did talk about police procedure and WHY Xanatos couldn't be charged with things, etc., or characters' motivations that this one's been bugging me.

Thank you for your thoughts, and looking forward to Star Wars: Rebels!

Dattaboy/JGL writes...

Hey Greg hope your novel is turning out well I look forward to reading it.Anyway, these questions are about the mutates, clones and Labyrinth Clan.

1). For the most part how do the majority of mutates and humans view the Gargoyle clones? Is it more of a blessing more bodies or a burden because of the lack development and free will?

2). By 2198 how do the mutate members and the gargoyle clone members view each other is it animosity different origins possibly beliefs, respectful because of shared location or have they established a unique culture that blends the various backgraounds of the groups making alot more differnt than your typical Garg clan?

3) You mention that by 2198 the two different clans in NY would have different priorties which is why they did not merge. Is there any animosity from the two clans because of different origins?

4). We know Talon and Maggie can have children but could different members of the mutate group have kids with another like Claw with Lisa despite being mixed with different species DNA?

5). How does the current Manhatten Clan view the Labyrinth "Clan"(not yet a Clan I know) Do they feel like they need to show the Clones and Mutates, Gargoyle customs or is it more like let them find their own way and we'll give advice as needed kind of deal?

Richard Jackson writes...

According to the timeline:

September 10th, 1995â€"Talon and the other Mutates flee [the Eyrie Building]. (“Metamorphosis”)

December 10th, 1995. Talon, Maggie the Cat, Fang and Claw return to David Xanatos and take up residence at the Eyrie Building. (more than a week before the events in the “The Cage”)

Where did they go in the interim two months?

conflicting looks writes...

Why was the appearance of the mutates changed between metamorphosis and the cage? And why were their tails removed?

Derek writes...

Could humans be turned into Gargoyles by the same process that was used on the mutates? Sevarius didn't say he couldn't do it but that he had no Gargoyle DNA to play around with. Would Gargoyle DNA too complex to use in the same way as the jungle cats, eels etc?

Litwolf writes...

Does Talon have a second-in-command down in the Labyrinth? I know that the Labyrinth members are not part of a true gargoyle Clan but Talon realized he needed to take a stand and be the leader. Is there someone he has chosen (or will chose down the line) to be his second and take over for him when he can no longer lead?

Chip writes...

Sorry, I meant Crocodile...not Crodile

Chip writes...

Did Sevarius Mutate Thug with Alligator or Crodile DNA?

Kchishol1970 writes...

First I want to thank you, after getting upset at how DC is treating Captain Carrot at the end of their latest mini-series, it is a joy to see someone "mainstream" create some beautiful furry business in their own comic as issue #7 shows. Thank you for getting an artist who understands that beauty.

Case in point, Maggie has never been more beautiful then when she's snuggling with Derek upon learning she is pregnant. In fact, it looks like she's purring. Is that a correct assumption?

Reckoning writes...

I just saw the reckoning episode again, and a few questions come out.
Fang said to Demona that he "always respect her as a fellow inmate" Is that true? What were his true feelings for her. I imagine they had some fights...having in count the personallities of the two of them...
Did Demona know the mutates before she saw them in the laberynt?
What did she think about them? Would they talk when they were guarding her? Did she speak with anyone besides Angela?
Did she gain weight after so many days of not doing any exercise?? >:I
I have to stop drinking. Thks for your attention Greg :)

Ernest writes...

Once Talon/Derek Maza discovered that Xanatos (and not Goliath) was Sevarius' partner in his transformation why didn't he try to kill him? I do not mean during the episode "The Cage" since he was clearly outgunned but in future episodes. He originally planned to kill Goliath and Sevarius so once he realized that Xanatos and Sevarius was behind it all why didn't he kill him? After all it was his original intention, he had nothing to lose from it, he knew he could not trust either Xanatos or Sevarius to him a cure for him assuming that he even wanted it and as indicated in "The Cage" he stopped caring for a cure.

Grey Wolf writes...

First off, I'd like to thank you for including strong female characters in Gargoyles. To this day, there aren't enough out there in cartoons/anime or comics/manga. It's expecialy pleasing to me because, being female, I've had to fight off the 'weaker gender' stereotype all my life! In martial arts class, a boy refused to 'contact spar' with me when our master told us to. Why? Because he'd "Never hit a girl and wasn't going to start now." Him being my friend, that stung a bit; but him being my friend was also what kept me from kicking him through the wall. Characters like Elisa, Angela and Demona made Maggie the Cat tollerable. Which, by the way, is the subject of my post.

I neither love nor hate Maggie. I suppose I sort of like her though, at least she's not exactly a coward. But she irritates me a little, she refuses to fight even though she can, she's easily frightened, she didn't react well to the gargoyles after they saved her, ect. I don't really know what Talon sees in her. Maybe you could tell me? And I have a couple more questions.

1. Does Maggie accept her Mutate form by the time of 'Masque'? She seems okay, but I'm not sure.
2. Do the Mutates have tails or not? Comics #3 and #4 have conflicting art. Are their tails retractable?

Caswin writes...

"Which members of the Pack?"

Okay, to elaborate slightly less than before on my Pack/Mutates question (as as far as I can tell, mentioning my rationale sounded too much like an idea, hence its deletion)...

Did The Pack - asking about every member here; I guess Fox would be a safe bet, all things considered, but other than her - know about the Mutates while they were together? Do any of them now?

Anybody writes...

Hi there! Im having these proyect in college, im studing programming computers and im planning to do some kind of video game (with no monetary gain of course, just for the proyect ;)) about the gargoyles and maybe you could give me your opinion in one of the things i have planned so far :)
Its going to be like a Mortal Combat video game, with fights between the character. Here are a few questions, (i really want to do it as much accuretly as possible)
So far the only gargoyle able to defeat Demona in a one by one fight is Bronx, so can i considered him physicaly stronger than the rest of the gargoyles (except Goliath, i guess)
Wich of the gargoyles have the best skills in gliding?
Who is faster when gliding?
Are the mutates better on the air than the gargoyles?
Well those are my little doubts, the rest i can take it from the show. Thanks again for your time, Greg, and gargoyles comic 4 was just AWESOME :D

dph writes...

Was either Fang, Claw, Maggie, or Talon in Manhattan during present-day events of City of Stone?

Caswin writes...

Hey there, fairly recent fan of the series, first-time asker. One question (so far) that I've been curious about - is The Pack aware of The Mutates' existence?

Raye writes...

I've been watching the DVDs and have recently been intrigued by the characters of Claw and Fang, mainly because we don't really know *who* these characters actually are! They are introduced to the series with their human identities hidden (both in physical terms and by giving them aliases). These guys could be anyone! (Claw especially is full of potential considering he can't speak).

I know that asking you who they were in their human forms would be pointless, so I'll try to dodge that question with some others:

1. Will their true identities be important or some sort of plot-twist? (Like the Owen/Puck connection)

2. Did you know who they really are when the show started, or is it an opening in the overall story that you included so you could work on it later? (again, I compare with Owen/Puck; you've said that you didn't know at first that the two were one and the same, but realised the connection soon afterwards).

3. If one, or both of their true identities are important, have there been any hints in the course of the series in character dialogue or situation?

4. Were they approached for the experiment in the same way that Maggie was, or was there something different in how Doctor Sevarius enlisted them?

5. Was there a reason why you decided that Claw would not be able to speak? (that is, to keep his identity secret? Or were you just trying to save money on a voice actor!)

Thank you very much for any answers you give (or decide *not* to give, I know I may be treading on thin ice asking these questions!)

Psycho girl writes...

THREE POSTS IN ONE DAY!!!! Im on a role (hopefully a cinnamon 'role' ;) ...haha a play on words!

Why am I posting soooooooo many...well, posts? Well, you said that you would close the question asking thingy for a while (probably a long while) after January and I just want to hurry and talk to you. (I LIKE YOU!!!).......(Not in THAT way....sickos.) When February comes around, you wont have to deal with my farce anymore, at least for a while.......(snickering).......I typed farce...(snickering)

I have some questions about Lexington.

1. Why dose Lexington walk on his heals sometimes? (He has VERY flexible hips to sit the way he sits)

2. Why did you (they) end his wing membranes at his knees instead at his ankles?

3. Who was Lex's favorite Pack member?

I don't know why, but I just thought about Fang and his voice actor......I really like Jim's performance as Fang! Also, I wonder how Fangs old co-workers thought of him?

I wonder why the animators couldn't get his height right, some times he's right other times, he's the size of a 10 year old....oh well, he still looks good.

Farce.......(hearty laugh)

well, thanks!

P.S. my next one will be rambles about episodes so.....it will be BIG....pre-warning you.....but not today!

Fllay Allster hater AND Kira Yamato hater writes...

1. After "Metamorphosis", where did the Mutates go before "The Cage"?

2. Did they had any adventures or was it just daily struggles to eat/sleep/shelter/hide?

3. Did they met aynone?

4. Did they contribute, intentionally or not, to the gargoyle urban legend?

5. Was there other reasons than the cure that made them return to Xanatos?

Michael McCarthy writes...

Have you ever done any research into the physics oh how the Mutates can "shoot" those electric "blasts" from their hands? As in, to see if it's even possible for electricity to behave in such a way?

Jacob writes...

Will Talon/Derek ever turn bacdk to human? If so what will his response be to Elisa about choosing to work for Xanatos in the first place?

Chaos9001 writes...

Hey greg

love the show(obviously) but i have a question, if Fang was cooped up with demona for at least five weeks by the day that it showed on screen demona changing form, why did he looked so shocked when she turned human?

ANONYMOUS writes...

Not sure if you have answered this but if you have I am sorry to have repeated it. In TGC and by the end of the original show that you worked on it is shows that Xanatos has reformed now that he has Alexander.

1) Is he really reformed or is it just another ploy of his?

2) Why didn't he have the mutates turned back into humans if he was?

3) Would the mutates want to be turned back into humans? Being mutates let's them to help others better than when they were human.

4) Why did Xanatos's go after Derek to make him into Talon? I know that it was not some vindictive plan of his against Elisa since you have mentioned before that he isn't the sort to seek vengeance on someone.

Phil writes...

Here's hoping you've got your timeline with you.

In honor of the birth of my first son, could you please share some of the events that have happened in the gargoyles universe on September 10?

Talon writes...

Could Elisa have told the chief of police about her brother's condition after Metamorphosis or The Cage?

MANDO writes...

HELLO THERE I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU WHAT THE NAME OF THE CHARACTER( THE GARGOYLE THAT LOOKS LIKE A PANTHER'S)NAME IS?AND IF YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF HIM. I WOULD REALLY APPRICIATE IT I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE CARTOON BUT I STILL HAV'NT SEEN HIM. I ONLY SAW IT ONCE AND I LIKED THAT CHARACTER. THANKS

Aaron writes...

Hi Greg. Long-winded question, so bear with me.

One of the recurring themes of Western story-telling is that those who "tamper in God's domain", to borrow a phrase, will be struck down for their hubris. After the enterance of Frankenstein into our collective consciousness, one of the "rules" for Western literature is that Frankenstein must always be destroyed by his monster, for his arrogance in playing god.

The reason I bring this up, is that Xanatos is a man who seems to like playing god. And he has left a trail of monsters in his wake.

I'll ignore Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf for the purposes of this question, since it could be argued that they were already monsters who merely allowed their exteriors to be altered to match their true natures. (Although, it could also be argued that those three were tempted by David and his offers of power and vengeance, but at the end of the day, I still think they all damned themselves willingly)

I'd go so far as to even ignore the mutates, because even though they become monsterous looking, they really don't fit the bill as "monsters". They're just ordinary people who, by virtue of making some bad character judgements, find themselves with fur and wings. (Although it probably doesn't help Xanatos' karma any)

But even ignoring those two examples, you still have...

1. Coldstone. Such an obvious Frankenstein archtype that you joked about it. (The "It's alive! ALLLLLLLIVE!" sequence remains one of my favorites from the whole show) Of course, you could lay Coldstone at least partially at Demona's feet as well, so we'll move on.

2. Thailog. Grown in a lab, created with a mixture of different people, (Goliath's body and temper, Xanatos' mind and ethics, Sevarius'... libedo? Whatever accounts for Delilah) he turns almost immediately on his "fathers" You could call Thailog Sevarius' creature rather then Xanatos' except that David is the force behind his creation, and that Anton, for all his mad scientist posturing, could be seen as no more then a lab assistant, an Igor to David's Dr. Frankenstein.

3. The Coyote robot series. Xanatos' most personal "creature", the one to whom he gave his face (well, half of it) and voice. Loyal (?) to David for now, but unless forming the Ultrapack is David's idea, he presumably goes indepentant eventually. That, and we know he sets his sights on galactic domination in 2198, presumably not with his creator's blessing. (Then again, I could be wrong)

4. The Matrix. Created so that David and Fox could reshape the entire planet at their whim. If that's not arrogance, I don't know what is. Admittedly, I don't think it's becoming sentient along the way was part of the plan, and it's inclusion here might be a bit of a stretch, but I thought it was an example of Xanatos' hubris, if nothing else.

So, I guess, after all that lead up, my question is this: Would the pattern hold true? Would one (or all) of Xanatos' "creatures" come back to bite him in the ass later? As Elisa said "I wouldn't want Xanatos' karma."

There is a second part to this question, but I'll submit it separately, in case it's viewed as an idea.

Quasi writes...

I don't know if you've answered this cuz I can't seem to find it, but what are Fang's and Claw's real names?

Chris Velazquez writes...

If given the chance to revive the Gargoyles series, what role would you personally give to these mostly underused and/or underrated characters:

1. Fang- My favorite character, I wonder if he would be given the chance to become one of the typical " one-liner spitting good guy with bad attitude" character (something I would like) or become a mayor villain.

2. Maria Chavez- Would she ever meet the gargoyles?

3. Claw

4. Wolf

5. Delilah

Also, I would like to know how old Talon, Maggie, Claw and Fang are.

jjwspider writes...

>> Hey Greg,

Just out of curiousity(I hope to what ever god/dess that I spelled that right.) I was wondering why Sevarius did gene splicing to make the Mutates? I watched this thing on one of the educational channels and it said that humans have little bits of DNA from every animal in their DNA codes. So, why didn't Sevarius just activate the exsting genes in them? Or, did he by that gene splicing?

Well off to homework, "yeah".

Greg responds...

Sigh.

Anyone with a scientific background want to field this? Come up with an explanation that justifies what we put into the show?

Be my guest. <<

I believe that the reasoning here would be that as humans we contain DNA that is very similar to the DNA found in amimals (like proteins that have the same structure) but we don't contain the DNA of every animal per se. It may look like we do but that is just because of similarity of structure or similar proteins in our bodies. Sevarius spliced animal DNA to the mutates based upon which section of the animals DNA controlled a certain trait. But putting these DNA samples into their systems they eventually became grafted onto their own DNA structures, mutating the DNA, and causing their appearances to change in order to resemble their now changed genetic code.

I hope that helps Greg!

-Joe Wagner

matt writes...

i have a suspicion that you'll prefer to keep the answers to these questions in mystery, but i'll ask anyway:

1. was the "cure" that Sevarius created in "Metamorphosis" an actual cure for the mutation?

2. was the "cure" that Sevarius created in "The Cage" an actual cure for the mutation?

3. will an actual "cure" for the mutation ever be created?

matt writes...

i recently saw on the Discovery Channel a show about the Electric Eel. it said that a healthy adult Electric Eel can deliver shocks of 700 volts, and i was wondering if the Mutates were capable of shocking with more or less than 700 volts? how many volts do you think?

Vanity writes...

This is about the Light bulb contest, well more correctly the incident itself.
Fang was cracking at gargoyles right, I suppose thier intelligence or whatever. Why was Demona seemingly unoffended by that? While Goliath was atleast perhaps annoyed.

King Cobra3 writes...

The Mutates.

1. Why is Claw always mute? Who would be hired to do his voice if it was ever decided he would talk?
2. Did Elisa ever meet Delilah?
3. What are Fang and Claw's real names?

adam writes...

in the labyrinth clan, who would be considered second after Talon?

Silverbolt writes...

Hey there.

I saw an episode of Batman: the animated Series (not the future one) and saw a rather intresting episode which involved Catwoman being turned into a cat-woman and it also involved a genetically enginnered cat which looked like Talon oh and the worst thing was that the guy who did all this looked exactly Sevarius. Hmmm... i don't know when it was made but i wonder if they nicked the look of the guy from gargoyles. or perhaps everyone thinks made doctors look like red headed lab guys?

oh-well

Gipdac writes...

1) What year was Maggie born?
2) What year was Claw born?
3) What year was Fang born?

matt writes...

matt writes...
is the Labyrinth that the clones and mutates live in really a labyrinth? it didn't seem too much like a maze whenever we would see it in the series, and lots of characters went down there and didn't get lost or anything.

Greg responds...

It's mostly just a name. But there are tons of corridors, tunnels, etc. Some of them hidden, like the one where Fang found the old Cyberbiotics weapons cache. So you could get lost and you could call it a maze.

And honestly, matt, doesn't this question seem a bit nit-picky?

recorded on 09-11-01

___________________________________

ok, i'll admit that sometimes i DO nitpick at things, but generally my questions do have a point. since you asked i'll tell you that i asked this cuz i really did want to know if it was an actual labyrinth or just a name. and now knowing that its just a name mostly doesn't bother me or anything. i just like to know the little details alot of times. its not nit-picking, its just being complete and precise, i guess.

The Cat writes...

Hey Greg,

Just out of curiousity(I hope to what ever god/dess that I spelled that right.) I was wondering why Sevarius did gene splicing to make the Mutates? I watched this thing on one of the educational channels and it said that humans have little bits of DNA from every animal in their DNA codes. So, why didn't Sevarius just activate the exsting genes in them? Or, did he by that gene splicing?

Well off to homework, "yeah".

Sapphire writes...

Dear Greg

You said that if Gargoyles continued there would be more mutates can you give a hint what these future mutates would look like?

matt writes...

why did you decide to redo the look of the Mutates after Metamorphosis? esspecially Talon, his hair got smoother and darker, he lost his tail, and all the Mutates gained retinas in their eyes, not just white like Bronx's. and yes, he did have a tail!

2. in the garg universe do you have an explanation for the change in appearence? like perhaps they were still mutating? i don't know how that explains gaining a tail then losing it...

Lord Sloth writes...

Did Fang act the way he does now before he was transformed, or was it sorta saposta be that he was corrupted by his new powers? The Mutation seemed to affect Derik a bit, or at least have a sort of eye of oden affect on him.

Lord Sloth writes...

Reckoning:
1)At the fun house, when Goliath goes for help, why dosn't he bring Claw and Maggie. I know it's a pretty dumb question, but hey.

2a)Does Sevarius still work at Gen-u-tec, as well as at Nighstone. Does he still work for Xanatos, or do Xanatos new priorities require letting Sevarius go. b)Would Sevarius make somthing like Thailog ever agian? Was he as scared by him as Xanatos was? c) Is Thailog on much better terms with his father Sevarius, or would he still like to kill him if he lost his usefullness?

Epantiras writes...

What are the names of the clones clan?
thanks!

Sapphire writes...

Hi Mr. Weisman

In reference to the mutates Talon and his clan and Wolf the exact term in Genetic engineering to call creatures like these that are genetically engineered with the DNA of different species of animals is the word chimera in reference to the legendary chimara that was part lion, snake, and goat. My question is why did Talon and his clan and Wolf be called mutates instead of chimeras since chimeras is the scientifically way to call human-animal hybrids?

Anonymous writes...

Who has more power in terms of electricity a Labyrinth mutate or Jove of the NOs?

Sapphire writes...

Sorry Matt for picking on you I was just joking any question time.....

Greg you said earlier that Talon would get upset when his sister takes Goliath to be her mate. I was wondering why would he get upset over his sister's choice about the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with?

Anonymous writes...

Which one of the clone gargoyles is going to assume the position of leader of the Labyrinth?

Jim R. writes...

Oh, one other statement on "Metamorphosis":
The course of events leading up to Derek being accidently injected with the mutagenic formula seemed awkward. Was it Xanatos' plan to have Derek mutated? In a way it seems it was Derek's fate to be transformed since he asked to go with Xanatos, even though Xanatos said "That won't be necessary." But Derek insisted and ended up going for the ride.

What if Derek didn't go along or had never made an attempt to take the shot for Xanatos when Sevarius was going to shoot the mutagenic formula at him initially? Xanatos would have been hit with it and he would have mutated. That must have been one hell of a risk he took, not knowing that Derek might not come to his rescue. Seeing how the whole time Xanatos and Sevarius were allied and the whole thing seemed like a setup for Derek. But it still gets me as to why the things happened the way they did? For the story's sake in suppose. I at least would have expected Xanatos to scold Sevarius for almost shooting at him. Or is there something that I am missing?

Jim R. writes...

Some questions about "Metamorphosis" since I watched it yesterday:
1. What did Maggie do or was going to do before she got coaxed by Dr. Sevarius into becoming an experiment?
2. I noticed in this episode that once Derek was mutated and could fly, he looked almost exactly like Fang (which I guess is sort of a cross between a bobcat and a cougar maybe), but then in the later episodes which Derek was featured, his looks were completely different and he looked more like a panther and had black fur. Did you decide to make him look different later or was he essentially still mutating?
3. I also noticed that Fang's initial appearence with the quick shot of the cage they were in when Sevarius was showing Xanatos his work. Fang looked nothing like he does now, well, in a sense. Did you also change his look just for the better or was he still mutating?

Sapphire writes...

Oh Greg the episode Metamorphisis was pretty cool the mutagen thing and all. Do you know in reality how they do gene transference between different organisms like the gene tranference between Derek and a panther, electric eel and bat. Viruses they insert genes into viruses and inject them into a creature where the viruses insert the foreign genes into the creatures DNA and it usually takes 5 months for the creature's DNA to accept the foreign genes as opposed to the 2 days in the episode Metamorphisis. Also there is also a high risk that the immune system would gobble up the mutagen plus the body also gets rid of cells that are mutated so in reality if a mad scientist ever injected you with a mutagen containing the DNA of animals your immune system would destroy the mutagen or the cells that has been mutated

Sapphire writes...

Will it be painful for Maggie when she and Talon have sex?
Because in my biology text book male cats have barbs on their penises,and when cats mate the female is in pain because the barbs scrape her vulva. Since both Maggie and Derek have cat DNA imbedded in their DNA I imagine that she would be in pain during sex with Talon.

Anonymous writes...

Who is going to the gargoyle leader of the labyrinth clan?

Adam writes...

After thinking about Basilisk's post regarding whether the mutates could be un-mutated, I have to disagree with his opinion that it would be impossible to undo the mutations. If Sevarius was able to replace the genes of his test subjects with samples of DNA from other animals, it should be fairly simple to reverse the process. Assuming he used some sort of retrovirus to replace the segments of Derek, Maggie, et al.'s original DNA with DNA from other animals. All he would need to do to change them back would be to use the same virus, only this time instead of giving it lion or eel DNA to insert give it a copy of the mutate's original human DNA. The point is that if Sevarius was able to alter their DNA in the first place, he could certainly alter it again.

The biggest problem would be finding a sample of the mutates' orginal, human DNA. When he created Talon, he replaced a significant portion of the DNA that coded for "Derek Maza" with DNA that coded for "panther" and other creatures. Finding the DNA he was going to use to create Talon was fairly easy, he just sampled it from a panther. But if he wanted to re-make Derek Maza, he would have to replace the DNA that codes for "panther" with DNA that codes for "Derek Maza." The problem is that there was only one source of "Derek Maza" DNA on earth: Derek Maza. And this source was destroyed when Sevarius overwrote Derek's original DNA in the mutation process. So unless an alternate source of "Derek Maza" DNA can be found (e.g. blood sample, hair sample from before the mutation) then it would be impossible to recreate Derek.

However, there could be one other option in the absence of a sample of the original DNA. The mutated DNA could be replaced with DNA from a human donor. Someone from the immediate family would probably be best. The effect would be to make the mutates human again, but not the same humans they were originally. For instance, Derek would have a human nose; but it would look like the nose of the DNA donor, not Derek's original nose.

Given this option, what do you think the mutates would choose? Would they decide to become human again, even if they couldn't be the same humans they were before the mutation? After all, unless their DNA is changed back to it's original state, they'll still be mutates. The only difference is that they'll be mutates who look like humans instead of mutates who look like gargoyles. So I guess the question is which species would they rather be an imitation of?

Sapphire writes...

What is Talon's view on homosexuality?

Sapphire writes...

When Talon and the other mutates die will he and the other mutates that go to heaven in their current forms or their human forms?

matt writes...

when i asked if Claw will ever talk again you said, "I hope not". why do you hope that Claw will never talk again? his not being to talk is psychological not physiological, right? as in its something wrong in his head, not wrong with his physical body. what spin-offs would Claw make appearences in? would he be a main character in any of them?

matt writes...

am i correct in these assumptions of what beasts DNA was used to mutate the following characters:

Wolf - wolf

Talon - panther, bat, e. eel

Claw - tiger, bat, e. eel

Fang - couger?, bat, e.eel

Maggie the Cat - lion, bat, e. eel

matt writes...

will Claw ever talk again? by the way, i loved the cat got your tongue joke!

Basilisk writes...

This question is a little complicated, so please bear with me...

You refer to Talon, Maggie, Fang, and Claw as Mutates, in this case mutated through chemical reactions. The changes to the Mutates are obviously not comestic or superficial. Their musculature, their organs, their bones, their tissues... all of these must have been altered, or else such things as flying, glowing eyes, and electric abilities would be impossible. To put it simply, their very DNA was changed.

Then a "cure" could not truly exist. If their DNA itself was altered, as it must have been to make them as they are, they would need something to restructure it back to its original form in order for them to be "cured". Alterations to deoxyribonucleic acid are permanent, and they cannot revert to a previous form. They must be recreated into a new one.

So was Sevarius merely tricking Maggie and company when he said he had a cure? I mean, he could probably create something that could restructure her DNA back into that of a human... but unless he could somehow use a cell sample from her to redesign it to her OWN human form, I don't see how she could ever be truly "cured". Could you please clarify this for me?

Thank you.

(The Guppi) writes...

[1] You've said before that you had "marriage, etc" in store for Maggie and Talon. I agree that what-ifs are impossible to deal with, but I'm curious to know if they'd ever have ended up together if it weren't for Gen-U-Tech. From the little we saw of their early interpersonal mechanics (I think that's how it's put), all they seem to have in common is their horrifying experience with Sevarius. Shared trauma can be a mightily powerful attracting force, but it just doesn't seem like a strong foundation on which to build a relationship.
It's not merely the old "leader gets the girl" cliche, I'm sure -- the qualities that make Derek a good leader (and XE recruit) would make him quite the catch. But love isn't one-sided. Maggie really is a sweetheart (steel-core and all), and seems exactly the kind of person to balance out the rougher aspects of Talon's personality (and boy does he have a lot). In the beginning, though, does she have much going for her other than a waifish vulnerability, innocence (or naivete, your call), and, well... a nice rack? (I'm not too sure if the so-called catgirl mystique counts -- that's pretty hard to pin down.)
Now, I think Derek and Maggie make a cute couple, and I admit I'm probably just spoiled by the near-perfect matchups of E+G and F+D. So why question a good thing? It's just that they've already shown how good they are at self-deception. For the sake of romance, I hope they aren't just fooling themselves again. :)
[2] What does the Maza family think about their son/brother and Maggie living together?
[3] Not that I expect an answer for these, but... a) Is the Maza name going to be passed on to T&M's hypothetical children? b) Will it die out with the current generation? (Not necessarily the same question :))

(The Guppi) writes...

Those form-fitting spandex suits the Mutates wear are probably a lot more practical than "tattered street clothing", but they don't look very comfortable. (Especially with all that fur underneath.) Do the new threads simply look better as a Kenner action figure? Foster a needed sense of team spirit? Inhibit static electricity? (An ever-present concern in the dry New York climate, I imagine.)

(The Guppi) writes...

I just watched _Metamorphosis_ again, and I have a load of new questions...
1) Why did Talon, Fang, and Claw take on new names? I guess it emphasizes their abandonment of their old lives, and Talon already had come up with it, and Fang probably thought it sounded cool, and Claw's better than nothing... but it's so jalepenin' Super-hero!
2a) What do people call Talon when he's around? And when he's not around? (Actually, maybe I should just ask "Who does call Talon 'Talon'?") 2b) Is his family weirded out by his name change?
3) Just some commentary. Unlike 'Fang' and 'Claw', 'Talon' seems to have raptorial rather than predatory connotations. (Bird vs. Beast, kinda.) Any significance to this? Keeping in with the metaphor, though, would make him 'Tooth' -- OK, maybe a little too Flying Dentist to go over well. :) I liked 'Catscan' from your development notes, but I suppose it wouldn't fit with the current backstory.
4) When Maggie was still trying to make her break, was she thinking about changing her name to something more show-bizzy or sophisticated? That'd add an interesting undertone to her later restraint. (Then again, it looks like Maggie's now set herself up to be mono-named a la Madonna or Cher... or, come to think of it, Fox :D.)

Aaron writes...

Okay, I've been trying to find a way to ask this without tripping over the original ideas restriction. Here goes:

In Metamorphosis, Sevarius says something like: "Aren't you surprised we managed to pull it off at all? It took months of forcing the early test subjects to escape without the gargoyles encountering even one."

What's he talking about?

(The Guppi) writes...

Why'd Cyberbiotics have a hidden underground base? ('Doesn't everyone?' Right. :P) So why and when did they abandon it?

matt writes...

were the mutates eyes supposed to glow like the gargs or was this an animation mistake?

Vashkoda writes...

1a) What had Sevarius actually concocted at the end of "The Cage"? b) What would have happened to Maggie had she drunk it?

matt writes...

can the mutates fly like bats or only glide like gargoyles?

Anonymous writes...

in "the cage" talons eyes glow like the gargs eyes. was this intentional or an animation mistake?

Sapphire writes...

Will there be any more mutates in the future besides the 4 already present?

Sapphire writes...

Would Talon and Maggie ever have any kids of their own?

Sapphire writes...

You said something earlier on that in Bad Guys Fang's family will be introduced. My questions are

1) Did Fang ever have any kids when he was human?

2) If Fang had a child how would that child respond to his/her father since now that he is a bat winged couger man?

Sapphire writes...

In the episode Metamorphisis Dr. Sevarius fires a dart containing mutagen at Xanatos but Derek got in front of Xanatos and the dart hit him instead. Even though Xanatos and Sevarius were just acting the scene to fool Derek so he will be turned into a bat winged panther man, my question is what would have happened if Derek never got in front of Xanatos in time and the dart containing the mutagen hit Xanatos instead of Derek? How would Xanatos respond to Sevarius if the dart hit him turning him into a mutate instead of Derek?

matt writes...

what had happened to claw's wings in future tense?
where was fang by that time? dead?

Sapphire writes...

What are Talon's five favorite movies?

Ed writes...

Would Talon and Maggie have an actual wedding?

Ed writes...

How would Fang come to join the Redemption Squad: I mean, would he escape the Labyrinth first or have to be broken out, as in "THE RECKONING"?

Nyrtleka writes...

Why are the Mutates referred to as such? I mean, the more obvious name would be Mutants. Was this name not used so as to not be confused with the X-Men mutants?

Roe Tarusi writes...

Where exactly Is the Labrynth located? If in New York City, is it in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Statan Island, or the Bronx? Or is it located just outside the city, like Long Island or New Jersy or something?

Charles writes...

You've said that the mutates are capable of true flight, unlike the gargoyles who can only glide. Is this b/c of their energy boost from the electricity thing, or a result of their design, or some other reason?

Siren writes...

METAMORPHOSIS

I have a thing for cat-like characters as well. Catwoman from Batman has always been one of my favorite characters. So I liked the mutantes a lot. I love the electric eel thing too, it was very cool and very different. I like Talon's attitude. And Fang was a nice addition. I like Claw, but wish I could have seen more of him in the series. Maggie was a slight disappointment, mainly cause we didn't get to see her grow as much. They all seem to accept their new form later in the series, enjoy it even. Maggie was very different from the other mutants. She was more afraid, unsure, cautious...can't blame her. I am getting ahead of myself with this episode into other mutant episodes...but oh well...Maggie is very weak at first. Like a scared little kitten really. Very different from all the other strong female characters.
I think this episode also defined the moment for Brooklyn and all Brooklyn fans from then on. Here's ya got a handsome young gargoyle, who loves this new "gargoyle-like" creature and she blows him off, calling him a monster, even though she resembled a gargoyle. Then she runs to Talon. So ya got this sympathy for Brooklyn. Cause Lex and Broadway didn't seem as interested in her as he was. Ya got Demona even, in Temptation, to me, I felt that when he started to trust her, he started to like her, then she betrays him horribly. Then later, Angela goes for Broadway, when a lot of fans, including me, thought it would be Brooklyn. And poor Brook get's upstaged again, by one of his best friends too. Not that I wasn't happy myself. Actually, I like Broadway/Angela better then Brooklyn with her. Broadway isn't so "pushy"...I am gonna get it from all them Brook fans...So Brooklyn grows slightly from this. It's been over a thousand years, most of those sleeping, but the waking, with no females, so ya got this 16 year old boy, trapped on an island and suddenly the only female blows him off. It's hard for him and he develops the jealousy with Talon.
I also was slightly surprised, but certainly not disappointed by the ending. It was perfect for the episode and I wouldn't want to see it any other way.
BTW, I like look you developed later for the the mutants as well.

Blaise writes...

METAMORPHOSIS

Ah, one of my favs. Pity I missed it the first time it aired.
Throughout the second season, the show was on while I was still in school, so I had to tape it all the time. Three times the VCR, for one reason or another, failed to tape. Each time, the eps that aired were new ones--METAMORPHOSIS, THE CAGE, and KINGDOM (are you sensing a pattern here?). What made this twist of fate REALLY cruel is that these are some of my favorite eps. I love cats for one thing, so I was instantly attracted to the Mutates. This episode was also the one that cemented Brooklyn as my favorite character, so there's another. And, in two of the missed eps, Tim Curry, one of my (again) favorite actors, is featured.
Missing this ep didn't put me too far out of the loop. The only reference to it I picked up was Elisa's remark in EYE OF THE BEHOLDER that the Werefox was "human once, just like [her] brother." For some reason I didn't catch the reference to "mutated victims" and in OUTFOXED, after an initial "Huh?", I forgot about Renard's mention of some "Anton Sevarius" (keeping the strength of THAT revelation safe until the second time around). But, I digress. On with the ep itself.

Brooklyn's attraction to Maggie (whom I instantly recognized and grew interested in--what can I say, I have an affinity for cat-women) intrigued me. I always wondered if the fact that she wasn't a true gargoyle even mattered to him. Did I root for him and Maggie to get together? Not neccesarily. Did I *expect* it? Actually, yes. The attitude Brooklyn displays here is usually as deep as most animated shows go in depicting "love." After some intiial shock, my admiration for the series increased when Maggie wound up with Talon and Brooklyn's attraction was shown as just a crush. Regardless, his "love at first sight" mentality was something in Brooklyn I found appealing (a fellow hopeless romantic, perhaps). His experiences here and his final acceptance of the facts grabbed my notice and from this ep on, I always tended to favor him (though I made an effort not to do so at the expense of the other characters).
Looking at the ep, knowing what I know about the characters now, Brodway's ability to "read people" versus Brooklyn's self-delusion is very nicely juxtaposed, and they have some good exchanges. When Brooklyn tells Broadway "You don't know anything about her" there is much irony--Broadway knows more about her than Brooklyn does.

For what it's worth, I believed Xanatos (probably helped because I had seen EYE OF THE BEHOLDER before I got to see this). He seemed sincere enough to me, and mutation seemed ultra-slimy even for him. Boy was I surprised at the end. I was even more surprised by the end than by Sevarius' "death"--you guys had let people die in the series before, why not now? My surprise was tripled when I saw that Sevarius looked much younger and had a less thick accent than how he'd been played. I thought Sevarius the "mad scientist" was the real thing--he was voiced by Tim Curry who is usually thrown into the roles of over-the-top scientists and (in his own words) "east-European villains" so it was a pleasure to see a sort of send-up of type-casting in this. (And who couldn't recognize Sevarius? Even without the accent, he still had Tim Curry's inimitable pipes.)
The ending: Morbidly enough, this ending is one of my favorites because the good guys actually lost this round. Brooklyn's brooding and Elisa's crying really drove this point home. I am, strangly enough, reminded of a joke T-shirt: "Sometimes, the dragon wins."
And FINALLY! I now know who did the voice of the as-yet-unnamed Fang in this ep. I knew it wasn't James Belushi (it didn't have quite the same "growling" quality) but I couldn't for the life of me figure it out, something I can normally do. Truth be told, I would NEVER have guessed it was Jonathan Frakes (though now it seems so obvious to me). Still, the voices are similar enough, and even if they weren't, the Mutates' voices tended to change with their appearance (Rocky Caroll's (sp?) voice for Derek is different than his voice for Talon, and Kath Souci's voice for Maggie was slightly different in KINGDOM than for her first two appearances). But, nice trivia to know.
I hadn't really noticed how much the theme of self-deception was a factor in this, but it makes sense.
And yes, the animation is sub-par, but I just like the story so much I can live with it (and if I can live with the animation in KINGDOM, I think I can live with anything).
POINTLESS OBSERVATION> Not only does Hudson get left at the Clock Tower, but in this ep (as well as TEMPTATION) he doesn't get a single line). In fact his first words to Maggie are "Who's there?" in THE CAGE.

I'm sure there was more I wanted to say, but I think this message is thick enough already.

Aris Katsaris (repost by Aris) writes...

Outside the case of Goliath and Elisa, Brooklyn's attraction to Maggie seems to be the only case where we saw hints for an attempted interspecies relationship... Since (if I remember correctly) the rest of the Trio didn't seem particularly interested in Maggie, and we certainly know that it was not 'true love' on Brooklyn's side... what does his attraction to Maggie signify? By that I mean, is it that her mutation gave her a form which was closer to his gargoyle standard of beauty (so that he pretty much considered her a gargoyle)? Or is Brooklyn more likely than his siblings to pursue *any* sentient female, regardless of species? :-)

Hmm... that was a rather muddled question, wasn't it... Ah well...