Warning: Contains spoilers for Free Comic Book Day 2023: Marvel's Voices #1Marvel Comics' 2023 Free Comic Book Day offerings will include Free Comic Book Day 2023: Marvel's Voices #1, a collection of past Marvel's Voices adventures plus a new story featuring the beloved hero Ironheart, and introducing a new villain for Riri Williams called Khem.
Marvel's Voices is a diverse range of comic books that features stories focusing on - and created by - folks who embody underrepresented identities in comics, such as Indigenous Americans, LGBTQ+ people, and Black heroes. Free Comic Book Day 2023: Marvel's Voices #1 is a curated collection of various stories published in the last year's Marvel's Voices comics featuring heroes like Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, and Wave with brilliant and diverse creative teams. According to Marvel, this issue will also feature a brand new Ironheart story written by John Jennings (Kindred: A Graphic Novel, After the Rain) with art by Paris Alleyne (Marvel's Voices: Heritage, Black Panther Legends), which will introduce her new villain Khem.
Described by Marvel as Riri Williams' "...deadly new nemesis," little is known about Khem besides the villain's design, which was created by John Jennings and then updated by Paris Alleyne.
Ironheart Could Finally Be Getting a True Arch-Nemesis
Ironheart debuted in 2016's Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 3) #7 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato Jr. as a legacy-hero replacement for Tony Stark's Iron Man, and the brilliant young Riri Williams quickly won the hearts of fans. That love has recently been reignited by Ironheart's inclusion in 2022 MCU film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ironheart has most recently claimed control of the Mandarin's Ten Rings, out from under Iron Man and War Machine's noses, working independently to use the rings for good, so it will be interesting to see if Riri Williams faces her new enemy Khem alone, or with the help of trusted friends.
Over the years Riri Williams has faced a variety of foes like Blackheart, Lady Octopus, and C.R.A.D.L.E. either as a solo hero or alongside a team like the Champions, but hasn't necessarily had a consistent "nemesis," so it is exciting that Marvel has described their new villain Khem using that language.
Khem Is Seemingly Based On Classic Villain Chemistro
As pointed out by Redditors like @BuffaloWonderful9703, it appears that Khem is based on the classic '70s villain-turned-hero Curtis Carr, who went by the name Chemistro and donned a suit identical to that seen in Jennings' original design for Khem. Curtis Carr first debuted in 1973's Hero for Hire #12 by Steve Englehart and George Tuska as a brilliant scientist working at Mainstream Motors who invented an "alchemy gun," capable of transmuting objects into other forms. He eventually turned himself into the villain Chemistro. In a battle with Luke Cage, Chemistro shot his own foot, turning it to steel. He was then sent to prison, where he was beaten by his cellmate Arch Morton into revealing how the alchemy gun worked. Morton in turn turned into the new Chemistro. Curtis eventually teamed up with Luke Cage and took down Morton, before getting a job at Stark Industries and becoming the hero called High-Tech. Later Curtis' younger brother Calvin become the third villain to be called Chemistro, and was operating under that name as a villain as recently as 2018's Invincible Iron Man #597 by Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli and Alex Maleev.
While it is not confirmed by Marvel whether Khem is directly based on Chemistro, their villain name and costume design certainly hints at that. It will be fascinating to learn the history of Khem and if they are somehow connected to Curtis Carr, Calvin Carr, or Arch Morton. Riri Williams is a beloved character and one of Marvel's most popular legacy heroes, and hopefully the introduction of Ironheart's new nemesis Khem on Free Comic Book Day will give the young hero an exciting new chapter in her career as an iconic hero.
Free Comic Book Day 2023: Marvel's Voices #1 from Marvel Comics debuts in stores on May 6th.