Was Dr. Fauci seemingly confirming the existence of X-Men-like “mutants” in a recent press conference about COVID-19 updates? Did he sneak an X-Men reference? No, not at all. But, the internet still likes to find ways to find a little humor in decidedly unfunny situations because, well, we’ve been stuck inside for nearly a year at this point and people have got to find joy in something.
A parody video of a recent Fauci presser in which he talked about COVID-19 variants, titled “Dr. Fauci Confirms the Existence of Mutants” has gone viral for playing the theme song and title sequence from the 90’s “X-Men: The Animated Series” while Fauci was discussing the presence of more contagious COVID-19 “mutants” or mutations now circulating globally, including variants from the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
The 19-second-long clip features Fauci educating the public about the highly transmissible mutations. He asks, “What is it about these mutants that you’re hearing about?” and continues explaining, “The mutants in the UK, which we know are in about 20-plus states, the mutants that we’re seeing in South Africa, and in Brazil,” at which point Fauci is cut off and the intro to the X-Men show plays. Judging by various Twitter comments, it seems that the creator of this clip is not the only one to think of X-Men when they hear Fauci talk about mutants.
One Twitter user wrote, “The fact that every time Fauci says ‘mutants’ I think of either turtles or X-men shows how I’ve lived my life.”
The fact that every time Fauci says "mutants" I think of either turtles or X-men shows how I've lived my life.
— Professor Beekums (@PBeekums) January 28, 2021
Someone else wrote, “Fauci is on tv talking about ‘mutants’ and we’re definitely entering X-Men territory.”
Fauci is on tv talking about "mutants" and we're definitely entering X-Men territory.
— portnoy (@eddyportnoy) January 26, 2021
Another wrote, “Dr Anthony Fauci breathes new life into Marvel’s X-Men series.”
Dr Anthony Fauci breathes new life into Marvel’s X-Men series. pic.twitter.com/49WKtEj9zg
— The Boy With The Banksy Tattoo (@newsbanks) January 29, 2021
Someone else poses the key question, “Are we still talking about COVID? Or is Fauci prepping everyone to combat the coming of the X-Men?”
Are we still talking about COVID? Or is Fauci prepping everyone to combat the coming of the X-Men? #COVID19 https://t.co/EzFxsxr0CV pic.twitter.com/4mA6Owb2rM
— Jamie Gustafson (@IndianKid23) January 29, 2021
It’s definitely at least a little funny to hear one of the country’s leading and most recognizable public health experts talk about mutants, but I guess it’s just a part of life now with COVID-19. But as the all too real COVID-19 mutations are infecting people across the globe, we wish we could have extra help from Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops as we continue to fight COVID-19.
