Warning! Spoilers for The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #14 by Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, and Ian Herring below!
Marvel's Outlawed isn't near-death experiences come with the job, but how can that mentally affect a hero in the aftermath?
In comics past, the concept of PTSD and trauma recovery is skimmed over at best. Readers are more likely to see a character become a hero (or villain) because of PTSD (we're looking at you guys, Nick Fury). It is not often that the complicated topic of trauma stemming from these fights come up. However, Marvel's Outlawed begins to open up that conversation in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #14.
This issue opens with Kamala Khan (aka Champions losing in battle, and her best friend engulfed in flames. The storyline follows painful memories and future predictions trapped within her mind as it works overtime to make sense of what has happened to her.
On paper, the events may seem unrelated. What does this event have to do with her childhood best friend? Her parents with the other Champions? These scenes are representative of her intense fear of failure and rejection brought upon by the disaster. Replaying these happenings and reliving her own perceived failure is the closest Kamala can get to healing while in her coma. She must comb through her experiences and learn how to overcome them.
This comic emphasizes the importance of trauma recovery and is another form of representation that Marvel Outlawed centers around teenagers. Kamala Khan's age speaks to younger readers who may find solace in seeing a character fighting the same internal battle as themselves. Only through the acknowledgment of her feelings and fears can she bounce back after such a serious injury. She has become aware of her weaknesses and is ready to get back into the fight that awaits her.
