Convivial society, the (im)possible future? The gifted and the question of being (non-)human

The beginning of the 21st century has been characterized by a growing uneasiness regarding humans and their role as the only species with enough power to both transform life on the planet and endanger it to the point of extinction. Departing from these concerns about the environment, this paper wishes to look at the human ecosystem and try to evaluate the possibility of the creation of an ecologically literate society that promotes conviviality and a sustainable and interconnected existence.For this purpose, I intend to analyse the science fiction TV series The Gifted (2017) as a challenge to the anthropocentric discourse that focuses on man’s distinguished and dominating condition. Based on Marvel Comics’ X-Men series, this show introduces a society in ebullition, with humans and mutants in opposing ideological poles and in the midst of a fight for civil rights and social justice. The society portrayed in The Gifted is deeply marked by a wide range of conflicts and tensions, many of them derived from the inability to accept and integrate difference, especially when one feels threatened by an Other who may constitute the next step in the evolution of species.By means of an ecocritical reading of the show and the issues it raises (evolution/regression, humanity/animality, homogeneity/diversity, cooperation/segregation, among others), this paper investigates the (im)possibility of creating a convivial society where fear and anxiety are replaced by constant acts of negotiation that allow for a more inclusive culture and pacific coexistence.