Who Is Malice? Powers & Origin of Invisible Woman’s Alternate Persona Explained

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As fans of the Marvel Rivals video game are enjoying the release of Sue Storm
as a playable character, there has been a massive surge in interest in the character’s dark persona – Malice. After an encounter with a villain left the Invisible Woman’s mind in pieces, a twisted alternate identity emerged, throwing away any self-restraint the hero had prior. No longer held back by morality, Malice was free to dominate.

While she is often overlooked as a superheroic powerhouse compared to her male compatriots, the Invisible Woman is arguably the most powerful of the team. Reed Richards surmises that her powers stem from vibrational energy that emanates from the higher plane of existence the Celestials reside in.

In fear of her own limits, Sue has always held herself back, unwilling to discover how powerful she really is. However,
introduced in Fantastic Four
#280 (1985) – by John Byrne and Jerry Ordway – a cruel reflection of the Invisible Woman’s most negative emotions would unabashedly unleash everything to assert her dominance.

Malice Is the Embodiment of Sue Storm’s Rage

Fantastic Four #280 (1985) – Written by John Ryrne; Art by Jerry Ordway; Color by Glynis Oliver; Lettering by John Workman

During a time of peak tension, as fears of violent mutant takeovers, military invasion, and volatile global powers boiled without relief, a twisted hatred began to simmer in the hearts of the public. The Baxter Building had just been launched into space and destroyed, instigating another wave of
distrust towards the Fantastic Four
despite Sue Storm’s heroically powerful efforts to contain the destruction. As tension turned into violence, a mob of angry citizens quickly evolved into a multi-block riot, leaving neighborhoods on fire and buildings littered with racist and hateful imagery.

Behind the scenes, the Fantastic Four villain known as Psycho-Man and his shape-shifting android lackey Hate-Monger III were instigating the violent riots. People succumbed to uncontrollable rage thanks to the Hate-Monger’s hate-inducing powers. While Reed and Johnny Storm leave to
check on Franklin Richards
, She-Hulk is intercepted by none other than Malice, Mistress of Hate. Not yet realizing that Malice is actually Sue, She-Hulk unleashes a devastating punch. However, Malice doesn’t move an inch, instead delivering a violent barrage of energy attacks that shatter and mold earth and stone to Malice’s will.

Malice and Sue Storm Finally Confront

Fantastic Four #369 (1992) – Written by Tom DeFalco; Art by Paul Ryan; Inking by Danny Bulanadi; Color by Gina Going; Lettering by Jack Morelli

Happily believing that she had killed She-Hulk, Malice finally removes her mask to reveal that she was Sue Storm all along. It is then that she is joined by Hate-Monger, and Malice’s true goal to kill Reed Richards is revealed. Hate-Monger, having successfully leveraged all of
Invisible Woman’s pent-up frustrations
and fears towards herself and her allies, reforged Sue into a near-unstoppable threat. Now no longer restricted by her fears or morals, Sue’s powers seemingly explode in strength. The subliminal locks she places on herself are now gone, allowing her to completely embrace the cosmic potential of her power.

New York City continues to collapse under the sheer rampage of hatred that has infected the city. Meanwhile, Malice catches up to her old allies, violently assaulting them with lethal intent. Malice almost kills Johnny, but Reed finally gains the upper hand by pushing Sue’s disgust toward him as far as possible. For a brief moment, her mind couldn’t handle any more hate, allowing Sue to regain herself, now intent on throwing her rage at Psycho-Man and the Hate-Monger. Sparing Psycho-Man’s life, Sue officially names herself
the Invisible Woman
, terrified that Malice could still lurk within.

Sue Storm Eventually Overcomes Her Hate

Fantastic Four #392 (1994) – Written by Tom DeFalco; Art by Paul Ryan; Inking by Danny Bulanadi; Color by John Kalisz; Lettering by Steve Dutro

Unfortunately, Sue was correct and Malice still lingered inside of her emotions. She and Reed decided to take some well-deserved time away from the Fantastic Four, only returning in dire emergencies. Malice momentarily resurfaces after Sue and Reed encounter
the Infinity Stones
but would fully return during the Infinity War. To help defeat Thanos and his forces, Galactus subjects the heroes to a cerebral scan, awakening a dormant Malice within Sue. The two confront, with Sue ultimately asserting dominance over her aggressive persona once more.

While Malice was no longer a problem for Invisible Woman to handle, the
villainous parallel version of Sue Storm
would arise once more but with heroic intent. When an alternate version of Reed Richards travels to Earth-616 to destroy the reality, Sue and a future version of Franklin Richards team up to summon Malice and use her unfettered powers to defeat the variant Reed. Franklin absorbs Malice into his psyche before Sue leaves the Fantastic Four and Franklin Richards returns to his future. Finally, Sue was free from the harrowing reflection of her darkest self and the weight of her unbearable hate.

Malice May Be Gone, But Her Power Isn’t

Invisible Woman Doesn’t Need Hate to Grow Stronger

What began as a three-part story meant to open Susan Storm up as a character, transformed into a multi-year saga of internal trials for the Fantastic Four’s strongest member. Compared to Reed, Johnny, and Ben, Sue has traditionally been the most well-composed of the team. Malice was nothing more than Sue without the weight of her burdens and inhibitions. Her level of self-composure isn’t just meant to manage her emotions, but to manage her powers as well. Unlike
the rest of the Fantastic Four
, whose physical bodies were affected by the cosmic rays, Sue’s powers manifest beyond herself.

Some characters more familiar with the Hypserspace, the dimension
Invisible Woman
draws her powers from, suggest that she could hypothetically wield the power to purely create and destroy as gods do. Malice may have been the only part of Sue’s mind that desired to wield that power, but that doesn’t mean the ability disappeared with her. Today, Malice is merely a memory, but more importantly, a reminder of the awesome cosmic abilities that Sue Storm is capable of if only she embraced her full potential.

“}]] A dark power festers in Sue Storm’s mind.  Read More