“Everything Kamala Isn’t”: NYX Writer Names 1 Mutant Hero Ms. Marvel’s Official Opposite

Learning she’s a mutant changed everything for Ms. Marvel; now, one X-Men member will showing exactly what that means, even though they’re complete opposites. Kamala and Sophie Cuckoo couldn’t come from more radically different backgrounds, but they’ve got a lot to learn from each other as they become part of a group of younger mutants building a new life for themselves in New York City in a new book.

In AIPT’s latest X-Men Monday interview, Jackson Lanzing – co-writer of the upcoming NYX series – teased how Kamala Khan will find an opposite on this new team in X-Men member Sophie Cuckoo.

As Lanzing explained, Sophie’s life has revolved around not only being a mutant, but being part of a collective, and she presents an interesting mirror to Kamala, who’s only now discovering what her mutant identity means to her. Lanzing promises that this will be a moment of growth for not just Kamala, but Sophie too, as they face the franchise’s new status quo.

Kamala Khan’s Future As A Mutant Hero Will Be Shaped By Sophie Cuckoo

NYX – Written By Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Art By Francesco Mortarino

Ahead of the release of NYX #1, Jackson Lanzing spoke about the process of putting together the title’s roster of young, exciting mutant heroes. He spoke about how Kamala Khan has a pivotal role to play in the book, as he and co-author Collin Kelly explore what it means to be a mutant in the wake of the Krakoan Era’s dramatic conclusion. From there, Lanzing explained, selecting characters was a matter of who else fit that theme:

Then, the others really came out of a natural desire to surround those characters with characters who could forward their story and had their own stories to tell. So Sophie became a really obvious number to Kamala, just in terms of making sure there was a character who represented everything Kamala wasn’t. Somebody who was really embedded in mutant culture, who was really defined by it, who barely has a civilian identity, and certainly doesn’t have an individualistic identity. Somebody who really has to learn what that’s like from the start.

As the writer noted, Kamala’s position as someone who recently discovered her mutant identity makes her a vital perspective character for the series.

Kamala Khan is also an Inhuman, a superhero and, most importantly, a visibly Muslim woman. Adding mutant to that mix, in the aftermath of an era that often focussed on a blossoming mutant culture, adds further complexity to her intersecting identities. Sophie Cuckoo, meanwhile. is one of the five Stepford Cuckoos, the mutant ‘sisters’ who operate as a psychic team – though it appears NYX will give her more of a solo featured role than ever before, as she and Ms. Marvel navigate their new paradigmn side-by-side.

Kamala Khan & Sophie Cuckoo Can Shape Each Other Into The New Heroes The X-Men Need

How Different They Are Is An Asset

As Jackson Lanzing mentioned, Sophie Cuckoo was right at the heart of mutant culture; she’s never known a time she wasn’t a mutant. This is in contrast to Kamala, who never got a chance to learn about being a mutant in a time of peace. At the same time, Sophie never gave herself the chance to be an individual apart from her sisterhood or the X-Men, which Lanzing noted will be key to her role in NYX. As he explained:

So in part, it’s that there’s been some indications over time that of them, she’s the one who has the most interest in being a hero, or in being superheroic, in general. I think that’s really interesting because we were going to be putting her in a relationship with Kamala, where they were both going to be learning stuff from one another. This is very much about their friendship kicking off and Sophie kind of understanding why Kamala is cool. And Kamala kind of understanding why Sophie’s cool and the two of them finding some kind of home within each other. I felt like Sophie fit best. Of all the Cuckoos, she felt like the one with the least inherent darkness. She felt like the one with the least need to stay and be a leader among them. She felt like the one who was kind of ready to take a step out and look beyond that.

In all, the dynamic between Kamala Khan and Sophie Cuckoo is set to be at the heart of NYX.

Both mutant heroes have a lot to learn from each other; the austere Sophie is about as different as imaginable from the excitable Kamala, but that’s why they’ll be interesting friends and foils. Sophie gets to feed on Kamala’s boundless excitement and willingness to be a hero as she tries to find her own individual identity, while Kamala gets to learn about the reality of being a mutant from an idol of hers. It’s a new era for both Ms. Marvel and the X-Men, as Kamala continues here mutant journey alongside Sophie and the rest of their team.