Born To Be Bad

We came to know this woman as Medusa, Queen of Attilan, the city of the Inhumans--and wife of its king, Black Bolt. But there are those of us who remember her fondly as the super-villain, Madam Medusa, formerly of the Frightful Four when the group was at its peak.

I mention this because in the series War of Kings, which expands on the Inhumans' shift to a more proactive force by joining with the Kree, more and more Medusa showed signs of returning to the mindset that, in my opinion, made her such a memorable character--ruthless, haughty, almost regal, and without much of a conscience. And to tell you the truth, it looks like Black Bolt wasn't far behind her. With their plan to use the Terrigen Mists to systematically transform all species to Inhumans--in effect, presuming to know what's best for every species--it's not hard to imagine why their underclass, the Alpha Primitives, are a constant source of shame for them.

So "Madam Medusa" may be on her way back, in a more regal role than she ever imagined. I was never able to swallow her behind-the-scenes transition from villain to ally, with no explanation as to why she joined with known villains to commit criminal acts. There was a not-quite-canon explanation going around of her being afflicted with amnesia during her time with the Frightful Four, which was quite plausible--put forth in a 1990 story by Lou Mougin and Richard Howell. In addition, there's a story in X-Men: First Class, where the Wizard uses a version of his Id machine to compel her to remain with the evil FF without her being aware of the deception.

In War of Kings, I enjoyed the direction in which they took Medusa, as well as the Inhumans in general. Once you peel back their royal surface, there are a lot of ugly blights the Inhumans have been side-stepping in their long history with Marvel, which have been touched on briefly in one limited series or another. Would that their time with the Kree had forced them to the surface, once and for all.

In the meantime, have a look at the moment in Marvel history when Medusa comes into her own--and then, as now, she's not to be trifled with.