WARNING: Major Spoilers for New Mutants #24 ahead!
The recently released New Mutants #24 features one of the most beautiful moments in recent Marvel Comics. A long-running X-Men character, already abused and dissected by the cruel U-Men in her first appearance, was finally reborn with a new body, and reclaimed her identity with a new name. Fans on Twitter have reacted with immense praise, especially for the writing done by the quickly-becoming-legendary author Vita Ayala, as the rebirth of Cerebella celebrates the best of what mutantdom can offer while still acknowledging their past harms.
Martha Johansson debuted in Grant Morrison’s iconic New X-Men (2001) run, introduced to the readers as a floating brain with powerful telepathic powers controlled with drugs by the leader of the anti-mutant human group called the U-Men, who attempted to elevate themselves to become a “Third Species” by harvesting organs from mutants and grafting them to their own warped bodies. Since then Martha has been part of New X-Men’s “Special Class,” Hope Summer’s Lights, the X-Men, and most recently the New Mutants on Krakoa. However, throughout this whole time, she has been called “No-Girl” by the X-Men, an incredibly demeaning and hurtful name for a young mutant who is passionate about life, regardless of her lack of a body. Explaining how harmful this name has been for her, Martha said this in an earlier New Mutants issue: “Humans took me and tore my brain from my body, and instead of the X-Men undoing what those monsters had done, I was left to figure out how to fend for myself. They even gave me a name that pokes fun at what I went through. No-Girl.“
Through the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols any mutant who is killed, or has ever been killed, is able to be resurrected with a new body. However the Protocols are usually only activated when a mutant is killed, or willingly defeated in “The Crucible,” a gladiator-style fight where mutants who lost their powers during the Decimation can sacrifice their life to be resurrected with their powers restored. Since Martha does not fit into either of these categories, her request for resurrection has been denied repeatedly, further invalidating her needs and preventing her from living the life she wants and deserves. In New Mutants #24 – written by Vita Ayala with art by Danilo Beyruth – after two decades of publication history living with no body and no voice, The Five finally resurrected Martha in a new body, still showing her exposed brain, and with a gorgeous new name: Cerebella. Check out some Twitter reactions to this iconic rebirth below:
Krakoa Takes Accountability For Past Errors, And Looks To The Future.
Resurrecting Martha and allowing her to be known by a new name is alone a powerful story, but writer Vita Ayala made it even more meaningful by having the powerful X-Men Storm, new Regent of Arakko, give a beautiful speech taking accountability for the harm that the mutants had done to Cerebella. Speaking to a massive crowd of Krakoan citizens Storm proclaims: “As important as celebrating our triumphs, we must acknowledge our failures. We cannot give justice if we do not accept that we are capable of doing harm. For too long we did not hear our sister’s cries for help.” As many fans noted on Twitter, this gorgeous speech, and Cerebella’s resurrection, celebrate the radical potential for change and growth the mutants of Krakoa now have, without ignoring their past mistakes and harms.
One user on Twitter, @aliastager, highlighted how, “New Mutants 24 *yet again* puts the whole point of Krakoa into practice. What is it like to see characters thriving instead of staying locked in decimation limbo? This book actually moves characters forward and into new directions without betraying what’s come before.” The X-Men have been mired in “major events,” that have seemingly caused mutantdom to move backward instead of forward for years, such as Decimation, Inhumans Vs. X-Men, and X-Men Disassembled. While these stories may have been well written and beautifully drawn, they did not effectively advance the cause of mutants or their place in the Marvel Universe, at least not until Jonathan Hickman’s House of X/Powers of X relaunch event. Vita Ayala is continuing to capture the core spirit of the mutants newest era, thoughtfully reckoning with past sins while creatively utilizing the new Krakoan society to genuinely develop and strengthen the bonds, lore, and tensions of the X-Men.
Cerebella Is Born, And It Is Beautiful.
One Twitter user (@Evening_Red) also specifically highlighted how Cerebella’s (and Cosmar, another New Mutant who was given a “new face” in this issue) rebirth and reclaimed name is a beautiful allegory for what some transgender folks experience, saying that both characters changes were less about “passing” and more about, “wanting to do what they needed to do to feel at peace in their bodies.” The X-Men’s marginalization has long been seen as a metaphor for the oppression of many communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, so having such a clearly positive and supportive message about young mutants being “reborn” in a body that feels correct to them, with a name that empowers them, is incredibly powerful and meaningful to many LGBTQ+ fans.
The entirety of New Mutants #24 focused on looking backward to inform positive, healthy steps forward, with John Proudstar being reunited with his younger brother after decades of being dead, Rahne Sinclair coming to terms with the trauma the Shadow King caused her, and Amahl Farouk voluntarily exiling himself from Krakoa until he is fully rehabilitated and ready to reintegrate. Cerebella’s journey from a strong, brave, but bodiless young woman with a demeaning codename, to a gorgeous, self-possessed mutant who now has control over her destiny while not feeling shame for her past has clearly struck an emotional nerve with many readers and fans of the X-Men. To get the full story of the X-Men‘s Cerebella’s rebirth make sure to check out Marvel Comics’ recent New Mutants #24 by Vita Ayala, and check out Twitter to see all the love this issue is getting from fans and critics alike.
