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In Children of the Atom, a new mutant just arrived on Krakoa, and several famous X-Men seem eager to be their mentor, including one dangerous villain.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Children of the Atom #6, on sale now.
Carmen Cruz is one of the Children of the Atom — a nominally human band of X-Men fans who, after discovering alien technology, decided to become heroes like their mutant role-models. Taking the name Gimmick and basing her costume on Gambit, Carmet became the group’s costume and tech-expert.
But on top of juggling those elements and her romantic feelings for teammate/best friend Cyclops-Lass, Carmen has been contending with her own mutation — with Children of the Atom #6 by Vita Ayala, Paco Medina, Walden Wong, David Curiel, and VC’s Travis Lanham revealing that she may even gain some surprising (and perfect) mentors to help her as she adjusts to her new status quo.
Seemingly capable of shapeshifting into a fearsome reptilian form, Gimmick has hidden this from her friends up until the events of Children of the Atom #5, when Storm arrived to present her with a personal invitation to the Hellfire Gala. Despite this causing some initial drama with her friends that’s resolved by the end of the issue, Carmen does end up attending the Gala and getting to meet many of the mutants she’s long idolized. Shown around by the ever-friendly Eye-Boy and quickly making friends with the likes of Magik, Carmen finds herself earning some surprising attention from some important mutants. Among them is Dani Moonstar, aka Mirage. As one of the chief teachers of young mutants on Krakoa, she’s quick to defend Carmen from the Hell’s Belles when they confront her during the Gala.
Carmen’s attention to detail with fashion and design attracts the attention of Jumbo Carnation, the famous mutant fashion designer. Amazed by all the beautiful designs and gowns that Jumbo had designed, Carmen happens to seemingly impress Jumbo just as much. Showcasing her own dress, Jumbo tells Carmen that she must come and see him after the Gala — suggesting he could become something of a fashion mentor to the young woman, giving her an outlet on the island that doesn’t necessarily depend on her power-set. However, there’s a third potential mentor to Carmen who’s a far more controversial figure.
While with Storm, Carmen is approached by the Quiet Council member, Mystique. Mystique tells Carmen that while the “good little instructors” will likely keep her busy with basic exercises, the young mutant should come find her if she wants to learn the full extent of her abilities. All three are exciting opportunities — especially coupled with Storm’s apparent affection for Carmen and her friends. Even as both a new mutant and a new visitor to Krakoa, Carmen already has a lot of potential paths to take (even as she makes sure to return to her friends to confirm that she’ll only be living on Krakoa during the weekends so she can train in the use of her powers).
She could grow as one of the New Mutants under the watchful eye of Moonstar and Warpath, or she could take a more civilian path and find work with Jumbo Carnation. Maybe she could even bring a different perspective to Arakko thanks to her connection to Storm, who’s been made the monarch of the now mutant-controlled Mars. But Mystique is perhaps the most potentially impressive — and worrying — of her offers. Thanks to their similar abilities, Mystique could be the key to Carmen learning to fully master her powers. But Mystique is also quietly moving against Krakoa in revenge for their refusal to revive her long-dead wife Destiny. Having a potentially receptive pupil — and another shape-shifter at that — could give Mystique more ammunition to use going forward.
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