Orchis is closing in on Ms. Marvel, with a plan to use her to get to the X-Men. All she has to do is embrace her new mutant identity. But with so many other labels already hanging on her shoulders, Kamala Khan has to wrestle with just what it means to fully accept another one — especially one that comes with giant Sentinels tracking her down everywhere she goes! Ms. Marvel #3 and #4 are written by Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada, drawn by Carlos Gómez and Adam Gorham, colored by Erick Arciniega, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.
Armaan Babu: It’s safe to say that we had some concerns going into this comic book about Ms. Marvel becoming a new mutant, and what that would mean for the character going forward. Now we’re at the end of this miniseries, and the only concern I have is this: that I do not already have the new book Marvel just announced. How do you feel, Tony?
Tony Thornley: It’s always a good sign when you reach the last page of a limited series and say, “Wait, I want more, please!” And the Mutant Menace announcement came at exactly the right time, though I am just a little bummed it’ll have different artists. You and I were talking when we were pre-gaming that this was probably the best and most consistent of the “Fall of X” titles. I still maintain that.
The Dream
Armaan: The penultimate issue of this miniseries takes place largely within Kamala Khan’s dreams. It’s clear that these dreams are important, but with Orchis’ meddling, the stakes are more dire than ever, and we have our resident evil scientist, Dr. Nitika Gaiha, telling us exactly how worried we should be.
Tony: At the end of Ms. Marvel #2, I was worried that we were going to get a not-insignificant chunk of the mini in a dream. It was one part whether the dream would be worthwhile (advancing the plot mostly), but also everything else is so engaging, I wanted to spend more time with Kamala’s adventures. So this issue truly resolved both concerns.
Armaan: A psychic bomb (or perhaps more accurately, a psychic virus) has been planted in Ms. Marvel’s mind. The second it goes off, she — and every mutant she psychically connects to — will be killed. It’s not the best plan given the circumstances — of mutantkind’s three greatest psychics, one is possibly dead and trapped in the White Hot Room, one is dealing with a Sinister infection and has isolated himself on Krakoa (You’re all reading Immortal X-Men, aren’t you? Aren’t you?) and one is keeping her psychic abilities repressed with Tony Stark’s inadvertent engagement ring. It’s a weird set of circumstances, and the mutants aren’t quite as psychically connected as they might usually be.
However, this Trojan Horse will still definitely kill Ms. Marvel if it activates, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s stakes enough!
Tony: Frankly, while I don’t believe Orchis is quite good enough for the virus to spread through the entire mutant network, it definitely has perfect stakes for what happens here. We don’t want to know if it even works half as effectively as they’re claiming, because it would doom Kamala anyway. And it creates a tension that’s different from the norm.
Armaan: The bomb is designed to take the form of something familiar to Ms. Marvel. Something that will speak to her anxieties — something that will offer to make all of her problems go away, just so long as she accepts it. All this to say: Orchis has weaponized Ms. Marvel’s mutant identity. All Kamala has to do is embrace it, and mutantkind is — poetically — doomed.
It feels a little contrived, but not enough to pull me out of the story. It just about works — in fact, it’s a concept I really enjoy. I’m always fascinated by villain plans that, had circumstances been different, could have worked to devastating effect. To dwell on those “What If…” questions.
What if this had happened before the “Fall of X,” when mutants were properly connected by a psychic network? More importantly, what if Kamala Khan had been welcome as a mutant properly? What if she hadn’t died to discover her X-gene, what if she had the time to get to know her fellow mutants, what if they had welcomed her instead of making her their unofficial mascot? What if Krakoa was less of a dream to defend — and was a place that actually had a place for her?
Tony: I think that’s a fascinating question. There’s a massive “What If?” hanging over the “Fall of X.” What if it didn’t fall? What if Jean detected Nimrod a split second earlier and used her TK to protect everyone? What if Tom had shut down the gates? And the character for whom those scenarios plays out differently the most would be Kamala.
And seriously, how insidious is the virus taking the form of her mutant identity? I mean, she’s not fighting this identity, but she’s struggling with it. For this little bit of AI to latch onto that insecurity and have it try to literally embrace her … if we didn’t know it was a dangerous AI, I would say it’s actually a great representation of her feelings and internal conflict in the last few months.
Honestly, that is the plot thread that I most want to see followed up on in Mutant Menace. And how great does Gorham make it look? Seriously, I was thinking he was being underutilized until this issue. The dreamscape is fantastic, and the fanfic “Avengers Assemble!” splash was so much fun.
Armaan: It was delightful!
As it stands, though, Kamala may not be aware that this psychic representation of her mutant self is dangerous — but she does know that it’s not what she wants. Not if it’s going to be all she is. “I was afraid that being a mutant meant I was no longer anything else. But that doesn’t erase any part of me.”
As simple, as obvious a statement as that was…it still so very reassuring to read. Whatever Marvel plans to do with Kamala Khan moving forward, it’s nice that, for at least a moment, it feels like the creative team has their priorities in order.
Tony: Agreed. This is easily the best Kamala Khan story since G. Willow Wilson left, and it clearly comes from a perspective that cares so much about the character, while progressing her story and moving her forward.
Stark Sentinels on campus
Armaan: Bruno, bless him, has been doing his best to help, but even sidekick supergeniuses mess up from time to time. In trying to track just who has been hacking into Kamala’s dreams, he gave Nitika the means of tracking him down — and through him, the whereabouts of Ms. Marvel.
I am genuinely amused by the ways this comic manages to keep Kamala’s identity a secret while also allowing bad guys to invade her dreams and track her down to her dorm room. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve read a comic with some good ol’ convoluted plot twisting to ensure an identity remains secret.
Tony: That was a delightful bit. Frankly that goes right along with how Kamala’s superhero life always goes. She is VERY much a modern version of Peter Parker (which I wish Zeb Wells had done something with on Amazing Spider-Man), but with two added layers: a bit of surrealism and her fangirl personality. You can see that classic Peter Parker come through in how silly and complicated this particular plot thread is.
Armaan: Most of this issue is good, clean, superhero shenanigans. Kamala pulls out every trick in the book trying to keep the Sentinel distracted, while Bruno whips up a MacGuffin that takes it out once and for all. It’s a really fun action sequence — I enjoy seeing Kamala’s powers stretched to their limits (heh). A lot of artists give her the stretchy limbs and call it a day, but here we’ve got the full gamut!
Tony: Exactly! Her shrinking made her indetectable! I don’t remember seeing Kamala shrink very often (though I know she has), so to see her use that power as her hidden weapon — particularly when additional Sentinels show up — is a great touch. And it’s not like Bruno or Synch are in her ear telling her that; she figures it out entirely on her own.
A big problem with the “guy in the chair” trope is that not enough heroes figure things out themselves any more. It’s like what our esteemed BatChat friends have said about Oracle — written poorly, she becomes a deus ex machina rather than a character who’s a resource to the hero. Bruno is a resource and a cheerleader, while Kamala has her agency and is still remarkably competent.
Armaan: Let’s not forget Bruno calling the ESU students out for parroting Orchis propaganda while acting as Ms. Marvel’s unofficial PR agent. It was a quick moment in between the science-y stuff, but appreciated nonetheless. Bruno’s a great sidekick.
Tony: Easily, easily, Bruno is the best “guy in the chair” in comics.
Wrapping up
Armaan: Though Ms. Marvel manages to defeat the Sentinel, it’s a hollow victory. Omega Sentinel just summons some more, and drives home an important point — Ms. Marvel outing herself publicly as a mutant means she’s never going to be safe, so long as Orchis is in charge. “Always looking over your shoulder” — this is what it means to be an X-man. I’m sure Kamala was aware of that, but there’s a difference between knowing things and actually having to run from Sentinels, knowing you’re always a scan away from having to fight for your life.
Though what happens here is far from a win for Orchis, Omega Sentinel still gets a hell of a villain speech — twisting the knife, gloating even while trapped beneath the rubble. It’s a good page.
Tony: I really loved that we saw one of Kamala’s best traits in that denouement, though — her compassion. She could have callously left Omega Sentinel buried in that rubble. Would she have survived if she had? Probably — she’s a Prime Sentinel after all. But Kamala is not that kind of hero. She gives everyone a chance, and never is the sort to leave someone to a worse fate than what she can give them.
That said, if the Stark Sentinels had been closer, Kamala would have run. She definitely has a strong sense of self-preservation, too. I mean, they’re Sentinels.
Armaan: There are a few important things that happen in the wrap-up. Emma Frost tells Kamala that if her mutant power ever does surface, there’s a chance it can replace, not supplement, her current stretchy powers, which is essentially Marvel code for “we’re not quite sure if we’re matching comics Kamala fully to MCU Kamala but we’re reserving the right to, at ANY moment.”
Tony: But there is also a possibility for “why not both?” which could be fun. I mean, ever since Jeff Lemire teased Inhuman mutants in the first arc of Extraordinary X-Men, I’ve wanted to see that executed on page. Is it possible? Or would it harm the person? Hopefully the world will come to know!
Armaan: We also have ex-Orchis agent Dr. Nitika Gaiha set up as a potential future antagonist, which I am excited about. Ms. Marvel has had a great run of stories (and some merely OK), but what she’s really been lacking is a proper nemesis, and I think Dr. Gaiha is set up here to be a great one, given time.
Most importantly though, to me — Ms. Marvel gets her bangle back. This was a big moment for me. Her bangles represent a big part of who she is and her ties to her culture, and her past. The fact that they were nowhere to be seen after her resurrection was one of my biggest concerns.
It’s the little things, really.
All in all, I have really enjoyed this series. There’s a lot of love here that’s been shown for Kamala Khan. It’s a series that wipes the bitter taste of Amazing Spider-Man #26 out of my mouth.
It’s a shame that Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace is only getting a four-issue mini-series because this creative team absolutely deserves an ongoing.
Tony: And what a fitting panel to end this series on — the iconic image of Kamala sitting on a lightpost. It’s almost like a statement of “the journey’s not over, but it’ll be OK.” it embodies the optimism that Kamala has personified more than once.
Great series, glad we got it, and even more glad we’re getting more. Here’s hoping after Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, the relaunched X-Men line has room for the return of a Ms. Marvel ongoing.
Ms. Cellaneous Musings
- What happened to the poor fish whose fishbowl Bruno used to create his MacGuffin?
- Ms. Marvel and her team of fanfictions past is a very fun idea, one I hope to see pop up again. It’s the Marvel U, dreams come to life all the time!
- Minor coloring mistake between #3 and #4: the Sentinel that shows up is in traditional Sentinel colors before we see the one in #4 in the Stark red-and-gold. Though it’s not impossible that Stark Sentinels have color-changing options coded in; Tony’s nothing if not aesthetically minded.
- Is Bruno the best non-love interest supporting character since J. Jonah Jameson? I say yes.
- Sorta glad the wider X-Men team didn’t play a bigger role in this series. It was Kamala’s story beginning to end, fitting into the X-Men universe, rather than an X-Men story with Kamala as the lead.
- That said, let’s see her build some strong relationships with the individual X-Men in Mutant Menace!
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Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
