After her tribe’s reservation is mysteriously destroyed, Danielle “Dani” Moonstar wakes up in a deserted hospital being run by Dr. Cecilia Reyes, who informs her that she is the only survivor. Reyes informs Dani that she is a mutant and that Reyes brought her here to develop her abilities alongside other mutant teenagers. Dani meets Roberto, who can manipulate energy from the sun; Sam, who can fly at a high speed; Illyana, who has magical powers which can, due to her sexual abuse, manifest as beings called the “Smiling Men”; and Rahne, who is a werewolf. This group represents the New Mutants, and they are better known in the comics as Mirage, Cannonball, Sunspot, Magik, and Wolfsbane. Reyes is also a mutant, one with the power to create force fields. She is using her power to keep the New Mutants at the facility; Reyes informs them that she will train them until they are safely able to leave the facility.
Although the group is initially wary of newcomer Dani, the teenagers get to know each other and become familiar with each other’s abilities. The group believes that they are being held with Reyes in order to train to eventually join the X-Men. Meanwhile, Dani’s abilities begin to manifest, and she inadvertently causes her new roommates to experience illusions of their worst memories. When Reyes tests and discovers Dani’s power, Dani also discovers that Reyes is not who she seems ‒ she has a vision that shows her Reyes has been experimenting on mutant children, and the group of New Mutants are being held captive.
(Photo Credit from Amazon Studios)
Reyes’ boss, the Essex Corporation, informs her that Dani is too great a threat and must be killed. However, when she takes Dani away and straps her to a gurney to begin the process, Rahne attacks Reyes in werewolf form and escapes with Dani. They regroup with Sam, Roberto, and Illyana to discuss an escape plan, and they realize that they will never be able to leave as long as Reyes is alive.
Their final confrontation with Reyes forces each of the mutants to embrace their powers and identities; this is most true for Dani, whose powers cause her fears to manifest in the form of a “Demon Bear” (which was also the cause of her reservation’s destruction). The bear kills Reyes and begins to go after the other mutants; however, Dani is able to face her fears and calms the bear until it disappears.
With Reyes dead, they realize that there is no longer a force field keeping them inside the hospital grounds. Although they are uncertain of what the future holds, they decide to stay together and figure out their next steps as a team.
Each of the New Mutants has experienced great tragedy and loss; however, by being open with one another, they have enabled themselves to find a new, chosen family. It can be easy to sink into negativity after a difficult event occurs in our lives; however, we have the ability to choose to work bringing healing and positivity into our life. Tragedy is unfortunately inevitable in life, but we can choose how we react to it.
New Mutants Fight Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWJ3uJc8E1E
Individual Online Therapy in Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, and Utah
At Calming Transformations Counseling, our therapists understand how life’s challenges like losing family can affect your emotional and mental well-being just like the New Mutants. We offer support for those experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, or relationship issues, including individuals seeking a religious or faith-based perspective. In addition to our standard therapeutic approaches, we also provide movie therapy—an engaging method that uses the power of film to explore emotions, promote self-reflection, and spark meaningful discussions about personal growth.
