Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani has confirmed she'll be co-writing a new mini-series for the hero as a mutant while also shutting down rumors of it retconning her Inhuman origins.
Kamala Khan was unceremoniously killed in Zeb Well's The Amazing Spider-Man #26 at the end of May, which angered...pretty much everyone. It was not because she'd stay dead but because it was a blatantly cheap marketing stunt.
So, it wasn't to anyone's surprise to see that the Muslim superhero would be revived not even three months later in the comics. However, fans also knew this was likely a way for Marvel Comics to employ that ol' fashioned MCU synergy by turning Ms. Marvel into a Mutant and joining the X-Men.
The Mutation of Ms. Marvel
Entertainment Weekly has announced that Iman Vellani will co-write a new 4-issue mini-series for Ms. Marvel alongside Sabir Pirzada, titled Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant.
As many fans easily predicted, Kamala Khan will become a Mutant and join the X-Men in the comics to match her status as one in the MCU.
Fortunately, as confirmed by Vellani, Kamala will thankfully retain her original powers and how "you can do anything with those stretchy powers:"
"Oh my God, I love it. You can do anything with those stretchy powers. I like to make it a little vague enough for the artist to surprise me when I get the sketches back, and they always do. It's honestly so liberating to be able to pitch ideas and everything gets accepted because they can just draw it. There's no need to worry about budgets or effects."
But it also means a new costume for the teenage superhero, revamped to be heavily X-Men-themed. However, she's noticeably missing her bangle, a staple of the character's design and backstory for nearly a decade.
As for how and why Kamala will be revealed as a Mutant, Vellani clarified to EW that "we are not reconning her Inhuman origin," suggesting that, at the very least, this won't be a "she was a Mutant all along" change.
According to the Ms. Marvel star, it just means that Kamala will have "a whole new label that [she] has to learn to accept:"
“I want to make it very, very clear that we are not reconning her Inhuman origin. That’s a part of Kamala’s identity that Marvel editorial and myself would very much like to keep and protect. Our book will absolutely reflect all those core themes of identity that the Ms. Marvel comics have consistently explored — only now there’s a whole new label that Kamala has to learn to accept. It’s going to be pretty crazy.”
The only hint fans have gotten for the how and why was a bonus page for Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel that alluded to Scott Summer being involved in her revival, no doubt through Krakoa's Resurrection Protocols.
Cyclops, despite being a member of the Champions when he was a time-displaced teenager (long story), didn't bother attending Kamala's funeral to the anger of his Champion teammates.
When angrily asked by Miles Morales' Spider-Man why he wasn't there, all Scott said was, "You'll understand Spider-Man. Not today... But soon."
Unfortunate Ressurection Implications
Considering how Vellani said that "we are not reconning [Kamala's] Inhuman origin," that could only suggest she would be changed from an Inhuman into a Mutant.
As the X-Men's Resurrection Protocols involves the cloning of artificial bodies, which are then implanted with a backup copy of a person's mind, it's possible that Kamala's DNA could be tweaked to remove the Inhuman gene and supplant it with the X-Gene.
Unfortunately, her original body still being a factor brings worse implications, as some Muslim fans have pointed out. Muslim custom is that burial take place as soon as possible, with the body washed and enshrouded in cloth by her immediate family.
But the comics haven't addressed what happened to Kamala's original body, not even Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel. That's not even discussing the implication of Kamala's soul. However, the X-Men comics have attempted to address that the process essentially does drag the person's literal soul back into their new body.
This change has plenty of interesting story opportunities, but it's only if Vellani and Pirzada are willing and able to address them properly.
The first issue of Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant will be available on shelves on August 30.
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