👽 The Metaluna Mutant

A big-brained insectoid worker from a dying alien world

Also known as Metaluna Mutant, Mutant, This Island Earth

📺 "Tonight we leave the graveyard for outer space! Our guest has a brain the size of a beach ball and, famously, trousers."

        .-~~~~~~~-.
      .' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ '.
     /  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  \
    |  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  |
     \  _         _  /
      \(O)       (O)/
       \    ___    /
        \  /___\  /
   __    \_______/    __
  (  \___/       \___/  )
   \_/  |  |   |  |  \_/
        |  |___|  |
        |  |   |  |
        |__|   |__|

Origin: 1950s atomic-age science fiction
First appeared: This Island Earth by Universal-International (1955 film)
Classic film: This Island Earth (1955)
Pack: Universal Classics

terminal-of-terror monster metaluna-mutant

💀 Facts

The Mutant comes from Metaluna, a planet losing an interplanetary war
It was bred as a worker creature, with a huge exposed brain
The Mutant wears ordinary trousers; the costume's legs were reportedly never finished
This Island Earth was based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones
The film was riffed in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
It's one of the few Universal monsters to come from outer space

📜 Legend

The 1950s swapped gothic castles for flying saucers, and audiences worried about the bomb flocked to science fiction. This Island Earth sends two scientists to Metaluna, a planet losing an interplanetary war, where they meet the Mutant: a creature bred as a worker, with an enormous exposed brain and pincer claws. It's only on screen for the final act, yet it became one of the most recognisable monsters of the decade.

🎬 The Film

Title	This Island Earth (1955)
Studio	Universal-International
Director	Joseph M. Newman
Starring	Regis Parton

🎞️ Shot in Technicolor. Based on the novel This Island Earth by Raymond F. Jones.

🎭 Myth vs Movie

True or false? Make your guess, then click a card (or press r) for the verdict.

The Mutant is on screen for most of This Island Earth.

✘ FALSE

It only appears in the final act, but it's the image everyone remembers.
This Island Earth was filmed in colour.

✔ TRUE

It was shot in Technicolor, which was still costly for science fiction in 1955.
The Mutant's costume covered it from head to toe.

✘ FALSE

The Mutant famously wears a pair of ordinary trousers. The costume's legs were reportedly never finished.

🃏 Stat Card

Strength: 8
Speed: 4
Cunning: 6
Dread: 7

⚡ Powers

Crushing pincer claws
An oversized alien brain
An armoured exoskeleton

🧄 Weaknesses

Changes in air pressure
Being far from Metaluna
A shoestring costume budget

Stats power the Monster Mash: terminal-of-terror mash metaluna-mutant

🎞️ Legacy

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996) riffed on This Island Earth

⌨️ h l previous / next · 1–7 sections · r reveal · g gallery, just like the terminal.