Pit Mutagen

"Instead, he saw the insect flailing away in the muddy waters, wings beating furiously. Then, to the Toa Nuva's shock, the Nui-Kopen started to transform. Tentacles sprouted from its sides, its wingspan expanded, and its tail transformed into a wickedly sharp, barbed stinger. When it flew again, it was as a vastly different creature than it had been just moments before."
— Narrator, Swamp of Secrets

Pit Mutagen
Substance
Function	Causes mutations
Known states	Liquid
Primary location	Black Water Karda Nui (formerly) The Pit (formerly)

The Pit Mutagen was a substance created by the combination of salt water from the Aqua Magna ocean with energy radiation emitted from sources within the Matoran Universe.

History

Passing by Aqua Magna, the Great Spirit Mata Nui fell into a coma, and crash landed on the ocean planet. The waters of the ocean were affected by the natural energy radiating from the engine of the robot, and turned mutagenic. Large amounts of water containing Pit Mutagen leaked through the hole in the Southern Continent's dome, caused by Voya Nui breaking up through it, and into Karda Nui, where it created a swamp at the bottom. Prisoners attempting to escape from the Pit entered the waters, and were mutated. The Pit itself filled up with the mutagenic waters.

The mutated Barraki

The landmass of Mahri Nui later broke off from Voya Nui, and fell into Aqua Magna. The Matoran there were affected by the mutagen, but were saved by bubbles of air forming a protective dome around the city. The mutagen had affected their bodies, undoing the alterations made to them by Karzahni. However, it also damaged some of their weapons.

In Karda Nui, numerous Rahi and three Makuta were mutated by the Pit Mutagen. The Makuta lost many of their powers and their ability to shapeshift, becoming locked in the insectoid forms they had taken for that mission, as well as being afflicted by a number of other mutations.

After Mata Nui reunited Spherus Magna, he sent a wave of Life energy throughout the planet, which, among other things, curing the mutated beings mutated by the Pit Mutagen, but also letting them keep their ability to breathe water, making them amphibious. However, he did not revert the Matoran of Mahri Nui to their rebuilt state.

Alternate Universes

The Kingdom Alternate Universe

In this alternate timeline, Pit Mutagen flooded into the domes of the destroyed Matoran Universe after Mata Nui's death, mutating any creatures that survived beyond recognition.

Properties

The Pit Mutagen is a diluted form of radiation naturally emitted by sources such as the Codrex. The energy is invisible and ordinarily harmless. However, combined with the Black Water of Aqua Magna, the energy formed a mutagenic substance. The mutagen alters the physiology of those affected, frequently rendering them unable to breathe air. When the Black Water flooded Karda Nui, where it pooled as the Swamp of Secrets, it kept its transformative properties. Beings that touched the swamp mutated but kept their ability to breathe air.

The mutagen has affected the Matoran of Mahri Nui and the Barraki, among other beings. The effects of the mutagen vary. Brief exposure to the mutagenic waters will produce no change at all, as Botar was not mutated every time he made a brief visit. Longer exposure yields drastic changes. Sarda and Idris gained the ability to breathe underwater. Krika, Gorast, and Bitil were mutated by the Swamp of Secrets' mutagenic waters, but only Krika and Gorast gained the new needs to absorb energy to survive because Bitil quickly escaped the waters. Several species are immune to the mutagen, such as Nocturn's species and the Zyglak. Pit Mutagen can also be damaging to Kanohi and weapons: it affected the Ignika, Brutaka's Olmak, and tools used by the Mahri Nui Matoran.

Before the mutagen mutates beings, it first undoes any pre-existing mutations. For example, the mutagen reversed the alterations that Karzahni had made to the Matoran of Mahri Nui. The Matoran then prevented themselves from being mutated further by traveling with personal air bubbles.

Beings Affected

• Karzahni
• Lesovikk
• The Piraka
• The Matoran of Mahri Nui (reversed Karzahni's alterations)
  • Sarda (water breather)
  • Idris (water breather)
• Three Makuta dispatched to the Swamp of Secrets (disabled shapeshifting power)
  • Bitil
  • Gorast
  • Krika
• The escaped prisoners of the Pit
  • The Barraki
  • Brutaka
  • Five unnamed Pit prisoners
• Several Rahi
  • Keras Crabs
  • Pit War Tortoises
  • Several Manas
  • Niazesk
  • At least one Nui-Kopen
  • At least one Spider Crab
  • Spinax
  • Swamp Stalkers
  • Takea Sharks
  • Several other Rahi
• The flora of Karda Nui (effects unknown)

Beings Immune

• Hydraxon's replica
• Nocturn's species
• The Toa Mahri
• Zyglak

Trivia

• The only known cure for the mutagen is the power of the Kanohi Ignika.
• The organic creatures of Aqua Magna are not immune to the mutagen; it simply affects them so slowly that the effects are almost unnoticeable. This happened to the Sea Squid.
• Though they were not mutated by the Pit Mutagen, the tube-like gills of the Toa Mahri and Hydraxon's duplicate resemble those of Lesovikk, Sarda, and Idris.
• The original idea for the mutagen was a microscopic parasitic life form inspired by bacteriophages, which would have infected Barraki and transformed them into sea monsters. This would have been reflected in the preliminary concept for the Barraki line packaging.
• The mutated forms of the Piraka were based on an idea from the set design team, who had at one point discussed releasing the mutated Piraka as sets.