Warning: SPOILERS for The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #11
In The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #11, Kamala Khan IS facing off against herself – or at least the nanotech imprint of herself, Stormranger. Ms. Marvel’s symbiotic suit has blasted past fashion faux pas right to the top of Ms. Marvel’s list of enemies. But to add insult to injury, Kamala desperately needs a new disguise to chase her homicidal former suit across town. And let’s just say... her first attempt does not go well.
When Ms. Marvel was granted her fabulous new suit, it finally seemed like she had gear that could keep up with her marvelous superpowers. The Kree-made suit consists of military-grade nanotechnology able to form a symbiotic bond with its wearer. (Sound kind of familiar?) It turned out thought that the suit also had a mind of its own guided by the “Frontier Articles of the Kree Empire” and not by Ms. Marvel’s more stringent morals. By the time Kamala realized her suit’s murderous tendencies, it was too late to ask for a return.
While Kamala was discovering her suit's hidden drawbacks, the suit was learning a few things about Ms. Marvel too. For example, the suit figured out how to use Ms. Marvel’s genetic imprint to take on a life of its own. It seems that when Stormranger chose Ms. Marvel on Saffa, there might have been a nefarious long game in play. Ms. Marvel's powers would make her the perfect upgrade for the Kree armor. Whatever the motive, the result is one bad outfit pitting Kamala against her most powerful enemy yet: a twisted version of herself. To make the scenario more unsettling, Ms. Marvel finds herself forced to rescue her former enemies from her own clothes.
The suit is not the only new look that caused Ms. Marvel some problems in this issue. Stripped of her disguise and engaged in a running battle with Stormranger, Ms. Marvel has to think on the fly when two civilians catch her hiding in an alley. Calling on one of her many powers, Kamala comes up with a “backup mask” on the fly that does not quite meet the standard of some of her other transformations. In fact, one of her new (remarkably frank) acquaintances tells Ms. Marvel that her mask is “going to scar any children who see you.” (It’s not that bad, is it?)
Fortunately, the two women provide a less shocking, non-sentient disguise to see Ms. Marvel through the night. Kamala may have left her bad fashion choices behind her, but in return, she has gained an enemy tailor-made to match her skill for skill. If Ms. Marvel continues to stand in the way of Stormranger’s protocols, the suit seems to have zero compunction in using Ms. Marvel's powers against her. In fact, the suit demonstrates the edge that its ruthlessness gives it to devastating effect in the final pages of the issue. With all of the amped-up costume changes Marvel has thrown out recently, Stormranger's actions promise to make it the new suit with the most lasting effect on the Marvel Universe.
Stormranger, fascinating in its own right, also promises to give Ahmed the chance to explore the core of what makes Ms. Marvel a hero beyond her powers. The big question is: will that be enough to defeat her mirror-image? (This story arc could also have some interesting implications for Ms. Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series in terms of playing out the symbiote scenario on screen.) Either way, no one should miss this epic match-up.
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #11 is available in your local comics shop and online.