Warning: SPOILERS for Love Unlimited Infinity Comic #31!Retcons are often a thorny subject for comic fans, but the X-Men just elegantly found a way to resolve an age-old controversy by giving a New Mutant a new name. For a significant period of its publication history, the X-Men as a franchise has been more eager than most mainstream comic properties to center marginalized identities among their main characters. That being said, no creative team is without their blindspots. Despite having the best intentions, it is not surprising that a lack of contemporary resources such as research databases and sensitivity readers would lead to a cultural faux pas when creating non-white and non-American characters in the 1980s.
Launched with several other anthology style webcomics exclusive to Marvel Unlimited, Love Unlimited consists of several four- to six-issue arcs that focus on different romantic exploits throughout the Marvel Universe. This newest arc "Karma in Love," begins in Love Unlimited Infinity Comic #31 from Trung Le Nguyen, Tríona Farrell, VC's Ariana Maher, and Annalise Bissa. The story explores the blooming relationship between Karma and Elle, a winged mutant also known as Galura. Issue #31 looks back at the couple's meet-cute at the inaugural Hellfire Gala, where Karma takes the opportunity to correct an in-universe "mispronunciation" and introduces herself as "Xuân."
New Mutant's Karma Has Been Renamed, Righting an Age-Old X-Men Snafu
Karma of the New Mutants is a notorious example of intent versus execution with regard to her name when the character was originally created. The Vietnamese refugee mutant was initially introduced as "Xi’an Coy Manh." Clearly the character was born from legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont's desire to reflect on the Vietnamese boat refugee crisis when he originally created the New Mutants series. The problem is that "Xi'an" is a fabricated name with no roots in Vietnamese language. Further still, "Coy Manh" bucks awkwardly with Vietnamese surname conventions. As a character, Karma is already often overlooked among her fellow New Mutants, perhaps because it's hard to put respect on a name that confounds any internal logic. Longtime fans of Karma are finally able to rejoice, now that "Xi’an Coy Manh" has metamorphosed into "Xuân Cao Mạnh."
Trung Le Nguyen, the writer-artist behind the correction to Xuân and her brother Trân's names also spoke with Marvel about Karma's reinvention. They note, "As a reader who spoke Vietnamese as a child, it was really difficult for me to connect with Karma because I knew her name was gibberish," which is a sentiment shared by many AAPI readers. Thankfully, creators like Nguyen are now welcome at Marvel Comics to bring a level of cultural authenticity to beloved characters like Karma. Reflecting on that opportunity, Nguyen adds, "I wanted to nod to her comic book origins by keeping her name as close to its original as possible while making it legible to readers familiar with Vietnamese. I changed very few letters, but I think it helps give her a fresh start. That’s why I named her 'Xuân' [pronounced 'Swun']. It means 'Spring.'” Karma's metatextual rebirth honors her past and present beautifully, a Xuân-naissance so to speak.
Xuân Cao Mạnh is finally free of the messy history behind her name, but her troubles are not at an end. The first person in her life she's trusted with her real name, Galura, may be on the edge of calling it quits between herself and Karma. The next issue features Xuân getting romantic advice from Rogue, a woman with significant expertise in tumultuous romances. Even if things fall apart between Xuân and Elle, it's clear that Karma is in a period of unprecedented popularity and growth as a character. The respect being put on this classic New Mutant by current X-Men comics creators in fixing Karma's name is a gift to fans everywhere and finally lays a longtime flaw in the franchise to rest.
Love Unlimited Infinity Comic #31 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Sources: Marvel Comics