Re-Terrigenesis in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #4

Ms. Marvel’s short-circuiting powers can no longer be ignored, but fortunately for her, the Inhumans are here to help. Kamala needs as much help as she can get, as Dr. Nitika Gaiha finally puts her plan into action, in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #4, written by Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada, drawn by Scott Godlewski, colored by Erick Arciniega and lettered by Joe Caramagna, with design by Tom Muller and Jay Bowen.

We would have gotten this out earlier, but my hastily resurrected mutant-Inhuman body was collapsing into puddles of unresponsive goo at the very worst of times. Don’t you hate it when that happens? It makes typing out reviews a right pain in the neck (when I still have a neck). Nevertheless, this series deserves a wrap-up, so here we are!

Coming Full Circle, the Inhuman Way

Ms. Marvel’s shapeshifting powers have been turning against her throughout this series — randomly spurting out of control, turning her into a splashy mess of malleability. Up until now, she’s managed to keep it mostly under control, but it’s been getting worse. Enter the Inhumans. Remember them?

Never forget, Ms. Marvel is the result of a weirdly specific time in Marvel history; when mutants could not be used in the MCU, and Marvel was doing their damndest to make sure the Inhumans were just as exciting. You couldn’t throw a rock without hitting some new Inhuman trying to take center stage in the Marvel Universe. In all that, Ms. Marvel was the only Inhuman who actually connected with audiences. And with mutant rights now back in Marvel Studios’ hands, Ms. Marvel gets to be a mutant again, like she should perhaps have always been.

This complicated tangle of history is still a part of her, however, as her body is quick to remind her. We learn that the X-Men were perhaps a little too hasty in bringing her back, not accounting for her other heritage in their haste to claim her bright and shiny rep for themselves. Ms. Marvel’s newly resurrected form may have her powers, but it has not — technically — undergone Terrigenisis, which is what’s led to her current instability.

The metaphor is very thinly veiled, but I’m glad it’s there: Marvel’s haste to make Ms. Marvel the Next Big Thing ignored important parts of her past, and where she came from. Ms. Marvel’s history is worth remembering — and worth being given space to be dealt with properly before moving on to whatever is next for her. If that’s this series’ only mission statement, then it’s one that’s been done as well as two miniseries anchored to a rushed, era-ending event could ever be done.

Now, the first time Kamala Khan was exposed to the Terrigen Mists, she was feeling trapped in her home life. She yearned for the world outside her restrictive household, to adventure — to be a hero. As the Mists wrapped around her, enveloping her in a Terrigen cocoon, she saw visions of her hero, Ms. Marvel, backed up by Iron Man and Captain America — a manifestation of Kamala’s desire to be a hero. Indeed, when Kamala first used her shapeshifting powers, it was to become Carol Danvers; the white, blond, swimsuit-clad version of Ms. Marvel.

Kamala’s grown since, and has been through a lot. She no longer needs someone to inspire her to become a hero — she does that every day, without a second thought, no matter what she needs to sacrifice to do so. So when the Mists envelop her once again … she sees her mother. Someone with whom she can be herself, with whom she can have a heart-to-heart discussion about all of her complications. 

It’s a wonderful conversation, about Kamala’s complicated history, about the pride she has in it in a world that would seek to simplify her. It speaks to her Inhuman background, but also to her background as a Pakistani-American. As a girl from New Jersey. As her mother’s daughter.

This scene reminds me of how much I miss when Kamala’s parents knew her secret identity. Kamala’s moments with her mother, especially. Keeping your superheroic identity a secret from your loved ones is a comic book staple, but it’s one that increasingly feels like a staple that should be left behind. This is especially true for Kamala, who has always been strengthened by her connection to her family and friends.

We’re living in an age of growing pride. Where people fight to have their best selves recognized and accepted by the people they love. That fight is also a part of Kamala’s story — one this series has given us glimpses of, working against the constraints of stories past to give us moments like this one. 

The Oft-Overlooked Trouble with Resurrection

This issue isn’t all warm fuzzies, however, because Dr. Gaiha’s secret plan that’s been bubbling away in the background has finally come to a full boil, and it’s kind of horrifying. 

As we saw in issue #3, the thing that everyone forgets about resurrection is all the bodies that are left behind. When Kamala was resurrected, her consciousness was put into a completely new body. So what happened to the old one?

Buried, then likely forgotten when Emma Frost erased people’s memories of Kamala having died in the first place, Dr. Gaiha brought it back in her own way — activating the latent mutant power present there to show Kamala the potential she eschewed in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #4. Dr. Gaiha, see, wants Kamala to embrace this potential, and her mutant abilities can only be unlocked while in a desperate fight for survival.

Assuming mutant powers can, in fact, be activated this way, it’s a good plan, because I can think of nothing better to kickstart the ol’ fight-or-flight response than to have someone FIGHT THEIR OWN MUTATED AND HALF-ROTTED CORPSE THAT’S BEING MIND-CONTROLLED BY YOUR ENEMY!

While the art underplays the horror of this moment, keeping evidence of Corpse-Kamala’s rotting nature to a minimum, the concept is still fairly terrifying. With Corpse-Kamala wearing Ms. Marvel’s old costume, Kamala is fighting against both her past and the literal embodiment of what some people clearly want her to be.

We also get official confirmation here — Ms. Marvel’s mutant power, whenever it may manifest, is exactly the same power she has in the MCU, i.e., projection of hard light. It’s been brought out in Corpse-Kamala, and so will, in time, be brought out in our live (or live-action?) Kamala as well. However, because of the Terrigenesis she’s just undergone, it’s impossible to say when, or even if, Kamala’s mutant power will ever actually manifest. It’s a handy ace up Marvel’s sleeve, for now — Kamala gets to keep her usual, stretchy powers, but Marvel can switch on her light-activated powers at literally any moment they want to. It’s a handy way for them to have their cake and eat it, too.

The fight ends on a lovely moment — Kamala sees past the horror and panic of the fight and offers her corpse-self compassion. Just enough of it for the corpse to keep fighting — and in doing so, wither away as Nitika’s resurrection process was never meant to last forever.

Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace

Being out as a mutant already had Ms. Marvel on shaky ground in the court of public opinion, but Corpse-Kamala’s rampage in the city pushed things all the way over the top. Even her supporters don’t know if they can trust her, and now, Kamala truly knows what it’s like to be hated and feared.

There’s one panel here that feels like a rather harsh shot at the X-Men — though possibly not an unfair one. “The X-Men are too hardened from their own tragedies to be any comfort. They think suffering and being misunderstood is a rite of passage. A badge of honor. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like it.” 

Deep underground, we have an embittered Kitty Pryde, someone who’s perhaps taken the darkest turn during the Fall of X, leaning almost confrontationally toward Kamala as she says, “Welcome to our world. Hurts, doesn’t it?” She looks as if she’s daring Kamala to complain about the unfairness of it all. It’s a panel that’s going to stick with me a while. 

The X-Men are certainly entitled to their bitterness, especially in this era, as their home, the one place they were allowed to truly thrive, is being taken away from them. To imply they hold onto that bitterness a little harder than they should is not inaccurate, but the way it’s put across is, at the very least, unkind. When you’re hurt and looking for comfort and find only harshness, though, unkindness might be your first reaction, too. It’s a moment that works for the character, in the moment, and I like it for that. 

The status quo we end the series on is this: Kamala’s mutant power is confirmed, but held in reserve as the Higher Ups figure out whether they actually want to change Kamala’s powers to match her live-action counterpart. Her status as a mutant is confirmed — with all the pain that comes with it.

There’s also the matter of Lila Cheney and her fans being stuck in New Jersey for a while, and the unresolved romances Kamala’s tangled up in. All in all, it feels like fertile ground for whoever gets to write Ms. Marvel next. At the time of us writing this, there’s no news as to whether Ms. Marvel is going to get another solo series to explore any of this, or if this creative team will return at all. Kamala will be appearing in NYX, a team book handled by another creative team entirely, and we’re certainly curious about that, but for now, we’re not quite sure what’s next for her.

I’m glad we got these two miniseries. As we’ve said repeatedly, this is the most care and love Kamala’s received since G. Willow Wilson left the book. We’ve both really enjoyed these eight issues, and it feels like there is so much more that can be done here, if the creative team is given more of a chance.

Ms. Cellaneous Menaces

• For those who might not know, “Meri jaan” translates to “my love.” Across the Indian subcontinent’s many, maaaany languages, there are a lot of words for “love,” but “Meri jaan” is a fairly common term of affection to hear from older family members to younger ones.
• Whether by artistic choice or oversight, there is no trace of Kamala’s bangles on the cover, or before she enters the Terrigen chamber, but they are seen, and placed prominently, in Kamala’s dream, and the moment she breaks through from the chamber. They’re also easily seen through the rest of the comic.
• Corpse-Kamala has no bangles, but one hell of a left hook.
• Dr. Gaiha shot Kamala unconscious right before she fell in the water, and it’s amazing she didn’t drown. My No-Prize answer is that her powers give her superhuman buoyancy, but I was concerned for a moment there!

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