Warning: SPOILERS for Immoral X-Men #1The X-Men‘s irresistible White Queen, Emma Frost, just proved why power scales such as “Omega-Level” are absolutely meaningless. Single-handedly taking down Mr. Sinister and a host of his chimera creatures, Emma shows that power is not what you are, is what you do.
Immoral X-Men #1, by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, Walden Wong, Victor Olazaba, Jay David Ramos, and Chris Sotomayor, gives readers a good look into the horrific future created by Sinister after he infected Krakoa’s Quiet Council with his own DNA. This includes Emma Frost, who becomes the first target for Mr. Sinister once he realizes that his own creations have become unruly and are taking away control of his utopia. However, Emma is simply too smart and resourceful, and she pursues Sinister all the way to his secret lab. There, Essex unleashes a group of chimeras, creatures made by mixing up mutant gifts (mostly Cyclops’). Emma easily takes them all out with her mental powers, then goes on to berate pointless classifications such as Omega-Level, which fail to grasp her true power.
Emma Frost Does Not Care About Things Like Omega-Level
In the Marvel Universe, Omega-Level is a term used to describe the most powerful mutants, according to the Krakoa-era definition, those whose dominant power can reach an undefinable upper limit of that power’s specific classification. Known Omega-Level mutants include Magneto, Storm, Jean Grey, and Cyclops’ brother Vulcan. These distinctions, however, have always been a bit loose. Telepaths, for example, have their own sub-category: Omega-Level telepaths. Charles Xavier and Emma Frost, in fact, are not considered Omega-Level mutants, but they are both Omega-Level telepaths because their mental powers are almost peerless.
In Emma’s case, however, her abilities are often underestimated, perhaps because, compared to other mutants such as Xavier or Jean, she is a lot more subtle in the use of her powers. In this confrontation against Sinister and his chimeras, Emma’s internal monologue sounds almost like a direct criticism of the obsession with power levels and classifications that some fans have. As she points out, Omegas walk around “puffing themselves like insecure boys in the shower“, but true power is not something that can be measured on a spreadsheet. True power comes from how you use your gifts, and Emma demonstrates it by cleverly mixing her two mutations to effortlessly subdue the chimeras with telepathy and then physically overpower Sinister.
The White Queen is used to getting what she wants, and the addition of Sinister’s DNA has made Emma Frost even more ruthless and dominant. While Emma’s powers are not the flashiest among the X-Men roster (but she makes that up with her daring outfits), the White Queen has demonstrated that theoretical classifications like Omega-Level are children’s games that have very little to do with true power.
Immoral X-Men #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
