The following contains spoilers for X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1 and the Amazing Spider-Man #26, on sale now, from Marvel Comics
As the current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan has achieved appreciable popularity across comics culture. Both her initial comics run and MCU iteration have seen her likened to Spider-Man for a new generation. A small difference between these two versions has been the origin of her powers. In the comics, Kamala is a “Nuhuman,” a genetic derivative of the Inhumans. Meanwhile, the MCU has opted to debut the young hero as its first leading mutant. Naturally, the onscreen change to Kamala’s origin left many speculating that her comic iteration might be rewritten to match.
With Kamala Khan’s recent death, conjecture around her somehow returning as a mutant only increased. Now, the leaders of Krakoa’s mutant nation have come through on the expectation, resurrecting Ms. Marvel for that explicit purpose. Unfortunately, Krakoa’s so-called “resurrection protocol” is just a fancy way of cloning. Worse still, Kamala’s death and resurrection may not have been necessary to introduce her mutant side at all. Given the X-Men revealed Ms. Marvel’s resurrection was politically motivated, the whole ordeal has left everyone involved worse for wear.
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How the X-Men’s Resurrection Protocols Work and More Importantly, How They Don’t
As expected, Ms. Marvel has just been brought back to life in the pages of X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1 (by Gerry Duggan, Adam Kubert, Luciano Vecchio, Matteo Lolli, Russel Dauterman, Javier Pina, R.B. Silva, Joshua Cassara, Kris Anka, Peppe Laraz, Rain Beredo, Ceci De La Cruz, Matthew Wilson, Eric Arciniega, Marte Gracia, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen). Her Nuhuman powers have remained intact, as has her identity. Yet, Ms. Marvel was revived with no recollection of her final moments. This is because the revived Kamala Khan is a clone.
Krakoa’s so-called “resurrection protocols” can be boiled down to five mutants speed-growing embryos in eggs injected with preserved DNA. Once they’ve hatched, Cerebro’s most recent copies of a mutant’s memories are transferred into them by a capable telepath. In no part of the resurrection protocols is any element of an afterlife assessed. Even the growth process is understood as relatively influenceable from the outside. Yet the nation of Krakoa has exalted this practice as truly extended life. On top of this, their willful ignorance co-exists with proof of what an actual resurrection looks like.
Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, gives Krakoa its first true resurrections in X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #5 (by Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck, Edgar Delgado, VC’s Cayton Cowles, and Tom Muller). Using chaos magic and a bit of help, Wanda localized a portion of the afterlife. The “Elysium Fields” was filtered to hold mutants across space and time who weren’t backed up by Cerebro. The eggs were then injected with souls instead of DNA and copied brain data. The eggs even looked different as a result. Despite having witnessed this, Professor Xavier resurrected Ms. Marvel through cloning anyway.
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The X-Men are a Death Cult
Kamala’s resurrection was made possible by the fact Cerebro had already recognized her as a mutant. This means that pulling her through Wanda’s personalized “Elysium Fields” should’ve been no problem. The decision to clone Kamala instead of resurrecting her properly is troubling for two reasons. The first is that it was likely only done in part to support the credence of unethical technology. The concern stems from the fact the cloning process is susceptible to tampering. This was expressly demonstrated in Sins of Sinister when Mister Sinister corrupted everyone who had been resurrected by activating his own genetic code inside them. This means that the new Kamala could be altered.
Regarding the foremost motive for Kamala’s resurrection, both Emma Frost and Professor Xavier are quite frank about her part as a sociopolitical stratagem. With Inhuman heritage intact and a proven X-gene, Ms. Marvel’s “coming out” as half-mutant can help sway public opinion in their favor. It’s a task Emma dumps on Kamala almost immediately after being revived. Kamala’s reflexive dismissal is understandable. However, Emma responds by telling her that mutant technology is why Kamala is even alive right now to disappoint her. It’s this sort of behavior that cuts at the X-Men’s biggest problem.
The sovereign nation-state of Krakoa is a manipulative death cult. Suicide is heavily engrained into its manufactured culture. Its economy rests on holding the world hostage through medicines legitimately and via the black market. From the beginning of the “Krakoa era,” mutantkind’s motives have understandably ceased to align with the betterment of the wider world. Professor Xavier’s famous, “While you slept, the world changed,” is even taken word for word from Namor in Fantastic Four #585 (by Jonathan Hickam, Steve Epting, Paul Mounts, and VC’s Rus Wooton). And the X-Men wonder why people still fear them.
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Kamala Didn’t Have to die to Become a Mutant
Ms. Marvel’s death in the Amazing Spider-Man #26 (by Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega, and VC’s Joe Caramagna) was presumed to be a way of resurrecting her as a mutant. Considering the reveal from X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1, it’s clear Kamala Khan had the mutant X-gene all along. The only reason it hadn’t surfaced was that her Inhuman gene was triggered first. This likely suppressed her X-gene. In this light, the decision to kill Ms. Marvel at all becomes odd, especially since the Kamala alive now is a clone. However, this may play a part in the larger endgame.
The presence of Ms. Marvel’s X-gene alongside her Inhuman one offers another way to bring her closer to her MCU counterpart. Her Inhuman side is responsible for her ability to shapeshift. Accordingly, her X-gene may allow her to form hard-light crystalline constructs. As seen in her Disney Plus series, these constructs can replicate cartoonishly proportioned body parts and provide her with momentary platforms for aerial combat. Though, as Professor Xavier has explained, Inhuman materials have historically acted unfavorably with mutant physiology.
Rogue, one of the X-Men’s most formidable members, was nearly killed by the mist responsible for activating Kamala’s Inhuman gene. It is possible that the two genes becoming active at the same time could extend similar biological damage to Kamala. Of course, it’s unlikely that Ms. Marvel would be killed again so soon. Though it would offer an impetus to return her original soul.
An alive Kamala Kahn will return to screens on November 10th, 2023 in The Marvels.
The X-Men’s decision to clone Ms. Marvel and call it a resurrection highlights Krakoa’s similarity to a death cult seeking sociopolitical gain. Read More