The X-Men introduced audiences to a new breed of superhero – champions who were hated by the people they tried to protect simply because they were born different from “normal” humans. It was a stunning metaphor that allowed comics to explore racism, trans phobia, and other forms of prejudice through a superhuman lens.
However, while the X-Men contained more than their share of angsty teenagers with tragic pasts, some of Marvel’s best mutant characters never attended Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters – or became a traditional “superhero.” One young mutant, in fact, gained the sympathy of many readers simply for the way she lived her life amid rampant mutant bigotry.
In Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ celebrated miniseries Marvels, readers got to see the history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of everyman character Phil Sheldon. A professional photographer, Phil’s job allowed him to cover many major Marvel events, including Captain America’s early days in World War II, the coming of the Fantastic Four, and even the Death of Gwen Stacy. Despite his exposure to such drama, however, Phil sought to keep his professional life with the superhumans separate from his suburban life with his wife and daughters – until the two collided in the most unexpected fashion.
As the Mutant Scare began sweeping across ordinary households across America, Phil was nervous but relieved that his two daughters Maggie and Marcia seemed to be living happy, carefree lives as they played and collected table scraps for what he thought was a stray dog. One night, however, Phil came home from work to discover that the “dog” his girls had been taking care of was a mutant girl named Maggie – no older than six – with abnormally large eyes and a skull-like head with two tiny pigtails.
Telling Phil that her parents had abandoned her because of how she looked, Maggie tearfully asked if Phil was going to make her leave too. Although Phil’s daughters insisted that Maggie was their friend, Phil was filled with fear that Maggie was somehow contagious and had infected his daughters. Yet as he looked into her scared eyes, Phil was reminded of the haunted faces he had seen while photographing concentration camps during World War II, and couldn’t bring himself to turn the little girl away.
Phil and his wife cared for Maggie and made sure she received new clothes and food. Phil, however, was terrified their neighbors would find out about the mutant girl and turn on them. His fears reached a critical point when the government deployed mutant-hunting Sentinels, increasing mutant hysteria. As the X-Men fought the Sentinels on TV, Phil rushed home – only to discover that Maggie had run away after hearing the news, leaving behind a note thanking the Sheldons for their kindness but telling them that she didn’t want them to get hurt because of her. Unable to do anything more than hope that Maggie would be okay in a world that seemed hellbent on killing mutants, Phil tried to comfort his frightened daughters.
Maggie’s hauntingly sad appearance was based on a mutant child from the EC Comics series Weird Science #20. In the short story, “The Loathsome,” exposure to hydrogen bomb tests causes a sailor’s little girl to be born deformed. Encouraged by the doctor to give up the child and claim that she died in childbirth, the sailor ends up giving the child to an orphanage more interested in the regular monthly stipends attached to the girl than the child herself.
Hated for her “loathsome” appearance, the little girl spent the next ten years being isolated from other children and emotionally abused by the orphanage’s nurses who told her how much they hated her. When the nurses saw the girl sneak out to hide notes in trees, they became convinced the child was conspiring with other mutant children and chased her until she fell from a tree and died in the fall. In the final panel, the nurses and the readers learn that the girl’s note simply read, “To whoever finds this note: I love you.”
Maggie’s tragic origins, both in Marvels and in the comic that inspired her, seemed to indicate that her story could only end in tears. However, in the Marvels’ sequel, Marvels: Eye of the Camera, told by Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacelto, readers finally get to learn what became of the mutant child. Taking place several years after Marvels, the story saw Phil Sheldon succumb to lung cancer as he was trying to make sense of how violent the superhuman world was getting. As he lay in his hospital bed one night, however, he got an unexpected visit… from Maggie.
It turned out that Maggie – now in her mid-to-late teens – survived her harrowing night by discovering her mutant eyes could see through solid objects when she concentrated. Using her ability to sneak into places unnoticed, Maggie stowed away on several airplanes, boats, and buses, and eventually wound up in a small village in New Guinea. As the people there had no idea what Americans looked like, they accepted Maggie into their tribe and protected her.
Over the years, Maggie helped her tribe in many ways. Using her X-ray vision, she helped diagnose and treat their illnesses, and even arranged for shipments of medical supplies and books to be delivered once the tribe got a short-wave radio. She even ordered collections of Phil Sheldon’s photographs to keep up with her lost family and began teaching the villagers to read. When she heard about Phil’s illness over the radio, however, she bravely risked returning to the United States to say goodbye.
Thanking Phil again for his kindness, Maggie told him that whenever she felt scared or uncertain, she always asked herself, “What would Mr. Sheldon do?” Her words greatly helped ease Phil’s guilt over not being able to help her after she disappeared. Phil died mere hours after Maggie arrived, but Phil’s family happily reunited with Maggie and were relieved that their friend had survived. Later, Maggie attended Phil’s funeral and offered to stay and help finish Phil’s final book before returning to New Guinea.
It’s a surprising, yet thankfully happy ending that shows not all of Marvel’s mutant stories need to end tragically. So many stories about mutant life tend to be told as epic X-Men adventures where characters like Maggie are basically used as canon fodder. By telling a quieter story, however, Busiek, Ross, and Anacleto help remind readers that Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters isn’t the only place where mutants can find refuge, and that ordinary people like the Sheldons can be just as impactful in a mutant’s life.
