Marvel Just Killed Ms. Marvel - Here's How And Why It Happened

Contains spoilers for "The Amazing Spider-Man" #26

Marvel Comics has done the unthinkable and killed off Ms. Marvel. The popular young hero died in this week's "The Amazing Spider-Man" Issue #26 at the hands of The Emissary in a final act of heroism. 

Since her debut in "Captain Marvel" Issue #14 in 2013, Ms. Marvel has become one of Marvel's most beloved characters. Between the hero's unlikely team-ups in her own series, joining The Champions, and fighting alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Kamala Khan quickly rose as a star in the Marvel Universe. Despite only being in the comics for less than a decade, Ms. Marvel also starred in a live-action series on Disney+, where Iman Velani portrayed her. 

While Marvel revealed the dark fate of Kamala ahead of the new issue, the story explains why the hero put herself in harm's way and features the immediate reactions to her death. 

In "The Amazing Spider-Man" Issue #26 by Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, and Eric Arciniega, the story opens with Marvel reminding readers Kamala Khan has played a small role in the series thus far. Khan has appeared as an Oscorp intern in several issues of the comic and would occasionally pop up during Peter Parker's dealings with Norman Osborn. In a flashback revealing she wanted to join the organization because she's interested in the former villain's work, Kamala promises she will do whatever it takes to join Oscorp.

The issue then fast-forwards to the present day, where Spider-Man and Norman Osborn's Gold Goblin deal with the return of Benjamin Rabin, aka The Emissary. The villain is responsible for previously trapping Mary Jane Watson in an alternate timeline, where she and Paul — Emissary's son — start a family with new kids apart from Spider-Man.

Wanting to become the god Wayep by killing MJ as a sacrifice, The Emissary causes chaos across New York City, leading to the Fantastic Four joining the fight with Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel. Despite the group of heroes' best efforts to stop Rabin, he manages to catch up to Watson and stab her. MJ falls to her knees, with Spider-Man trying to comfort her as she bleeds out. Believing he killed Watson, Rabin tries ascending to godhood but is seemingly killed when he learns he didn't kill Mary Jane; he killed Kamala. 

Kamala Khan used her shape-shifting powers to disguise herself as Mary Jane when Rabin attacked. After taking the hit, she removes her mask as Ms. Marvel, showing Peter Parker her identity. Spider-Man tells the young hero she did good, with Kamala only able to muster out a few words before her demise.

"I'm glad cus good is not a thing you are, it's a thing you ..." 

With Peter holding Kamala's lifeless body, Norman Osborn realizes Kamala joined Oscorp not to learn from him but to watch over the villain. Nevertheless, he recognizes her as the hero she is. 

Meanwhile, MJ and Paul suffer their own tragedy. Their adopted children disappear as Wayepp is unleashed. When the dust settles, Wayepp is defeated, and Paul informs MJ their children are gone. 

The issue ends with the Fantastic Four, Norman Osborn, Paul, and MJ standing above Spider-Man, who holds Kamala's body. In the end, Ms. Marvel sacrifices herself to stop Rabin. It's a tragic scene that doesn't hit as hard as it likely should, with Ms. Marvel being an odd choice to kill off, especially in "The Amazing Spider-Man" as opposed to her own story.

While death in comics has become somewhat of a joke, with many Marvel heroes dying at some point only to be later brought back to life, Kamala Khan's death feels different. Ms. Marvel wasn't a character in need of a creative revamp or reboot, which usually happens after an A-list hero's death. If anything, readers needed more Ms. Marvel, not less. 

Despite the appetite for more Ms. Marvel, Marvel Comics is going all-in with her death. The upcoming one-shot, "Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel" will see the return of creators such as G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid, and Saladin Ahmed. Meanwhile, heroes from across the Marvel Universe will mourn the loss of Ms. Marvel.

For those upset about the news of Ms. Marvel's death, Marvel may have something up its sleeve. With Kamala being a mutant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her death at the hands of Rabin could be Marvel Comic's way to resurrect her with mutant powers. While Marvel could have undergone more appropriate storylines to make Ms. Marvel a mutant, that seems to be where Marvel wants to land following the events. Considering the amount of goodwill the publisher has burned leading up to the death of Ms. Marvel, it will be fascinating to see how the character comes back and what role she plays. 

Readers can see Kamala Khan's heroic sacrifice and death in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #26, which is in comic book stores and online retailers now!