Warning: spoilers for Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #4!During the Fall of X era, Ms. Marvel has been one of the only mutants who hasn’t needed to go into hiding. While the anti-mutant group Orchis have now finally tracked her down, one of the reasons she could hide was that her latent mutant powers haven’t yet awakened. However, a chat with Emma Frost reveals that might be a good thing for now, as her mutant powers could cancel out her Inhuman abilities.
Kamala Khan is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, and revealing her to be a mutant after her resurrection in X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 added to her already complex identity. While there are many theories about what Ms. Marvel’s mutant powers will be, fans are still anxiously awaiting that reveal. For now, her Inhuman ability to stretch and transform has come in very handy going up against Orchis’ Stark Sentinels. However, Emma Frost reveals those powers may not last forever.
In Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #4 (from Iman Vellani, Sabir Pirzada, Carlos Gómez and Adam Gorham), a disguised Emma Frost reveals an unsettling truth. Because Ms. Marvel’s mutant and Inhuman genetics aren’t compatible, her Inhuman stretching abilities are stopping her mutant power from activating. By the same token, when Ms. Marvel’s mutation eventually manifests, it may erase her existing powers.
Ms. Marvel Is a Mutant, But Her Powers Remain Hidden
Kamala Khan May Need to Sacrifice Her Stretching
Kamala Khan first gained her Inhuman powers with her introduction in 2013, with the events of Marvel’s Infinity story seeing Terrigen Mist spread across Earth. Inspired by Captain Marvel, Kamala named herself Ms. Marvel when she began to use her powers publicly. Proving herself strong and trustworthy, she founded the Champions, and later joined the Avengers. She can stretch her body, similar to Mr. Fantastic, but can also adjust her size like Ant-Man. Her shapeshifting abilities even extend to looking like someone completely different, which she used to impersonate Mary Jane Watson, dying in her place in The Amazing Spider-Man #26.
During the Krakoan era of X-Men comics, resurrecting dead mutants became easy, thanks to the abilities of a group called the Five. Before Ms. Marvel’s death, Emma Frost and Cyclops were aware Kamala was a mutant, but were trying to find a good time to break the news to her. That time ended up being upon her waking up from her resurrection. It’s a lot for her to take in; as Hope tells her, “You’re an Inhuman and a mutant. We didn’t even think that was possible.” Before the well-liked Ms. Marvel could “come out” as a mutant, turning the tide of public opinion in Krakoa’s favor, Orchis attacked the Gala, giving Kamala Khan the power of secrecy. But despite being recruited into the X-Men, her mutant power still has yet to bloom.
Will Marvel Change Ms. Marvel to Match the MCU?
New Power Makes It More AND Less Likely
Fans had speculated that Ms. Marvel’s new mutant status would be used to bring her more in line with the MCU, where she’s played by the issue’s co-writer Iman Vellani. In the movies, Kamala has light-manipulating powers, similar to DC’s Green Lantern. Fans had therefore assumed that the dawn of her mutant powers might be used to erase her prior abilities and replace them in the name of synergy. That outcome is still possible – indeed, it’s more likely now that Marvel could switch Kamala’s entire power set in one move – however it’s noteworthy that this series didn’t take the opportunity to bring Ms. Marvel in-line with the recently released movie The Marvels. If the plan was to make the comic Ms. Marvel match the movies, it seems likely Marvel would have made the change by now.
Whatever the future brings, fans now have a tantalizing mystery to wonder about, as Ms. Marvel‘s mutant power remains in question, but now also threatens to totally redefine what she’s capable of in Marvel lore.
Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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Ms. Marvel
- Release Date:
- 2022-06-08
- Cast:
- Array
- Genres:
- Array
- Seasons:
- 1
- Season List:
- Array
- Summary:
- Ms. Marvel is an action-superhero TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show follows Iman Vellani, a 16-year-old high school student in New Jersey who is a huge fan of superheroes and has difficulty fitting in at school. When Iman is gifted a mysterious bangle from her grandfather, she discovers it allows her to utilize cosmic energy and construct what she can imagine. Now an accidental superhero, Iman will try to rise to the challenge and make a name for herself as Ms. Marvel.
- Story By:
- Adrian Alphona
- Writers:
- Array
- Network:
- Array
- Streaming Service(s):
- Array
- Franchise(s):
- Array
- Directors:
- Array
- Showrunner:
- Array
