Ms. Marvel reunites with Red Dagger! Can Kamala Khan handle her malfunctioning powers, Orchis on her tail, and see her old flame again? Find out in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #3 by Marvel Comics!

MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE #3

Writer: Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada
Artist: Scott Godlewski
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Editor: Jordan White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 15th, 2024

Previously in Ms. Marvel: Ms. Marvel joined the X-Men after they resurrected her. However, this made her the target of Orchis and Dr. Nitika Gaiha. On top of that, her powers are now malfunctioning. After helping Lila Cheney, she returned to Earth to rest and regroup but immediately found Red Dagger!

OLD FLAMES AND NEW FEELINGS

Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #3 starts with Red Dagger expressing his feelings when he discovers she died. The romance is interrupted when Bruno calls, and they are attacked by Zombie Cyclops! After defeating Cyclops, Red Dagger shares a kiss with Ms. Marvel, and Kamala is overwhelmed with everything going on. This includes her powers, her new mutant identity, and her feelings.

Behind the scenes, Dr. Nitika Gaiha is orchestrating the attacks and forces the duo to fight Zombie Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Cannonball! After winning the fight, Kamala agrees to live in the moment with Red Dagger, but they are again interrupted by the Inhumans showing up.

COMPLICATIONS

I’m not the most familiar with Red Dagger as a character, so I am unsure how accurate this interpretation is. I don’t know how difficult or easy it is to defeat a Zombie Nightcrawler or if Red Dagger is this emotionally intelligent. However, Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #3 creates chemistry and a good foil for Kamala and Kareem. The words he said were what Kamala needed to hear. While I’m not sure if the kiss is earned, it feels right in the moment. However, given the ease of defeating them, the Zombie X-Men felt slightly ridiculous. What was the point? Do all comics need a superpowered villain? I’m not sure, but I guess it provided a bit of fun during the serious conversation that maybe the book needed.

I liked the art and splash pages here. The action scene where they fight Cannonball, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler looks excellent on the page. Great work by the creative team.

BOTTOM LINE: GOOD WORK

I like the characterization in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #3, and the slower-paced middle issue worked well. I get that this miniseries introduces many characters connected to Kamala, but this one is perhaps my favorite so far. The reflective conversation away from her identity as a hero drew me in more than the discussion about what superhero team she belongs to. Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace gets 4 out of 5 stars!

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