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As the eco-warriors of X-Men Green continue their environmental fight, a classic Captain America villain returns to teach them some harsh lessons.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for X-Men: Unlimited #8-9, available now on Marvel Unlimited.
The X-Men’s deadly new team of Nature Girl and Curse have met little resistance in their small-scale war against humanity and its polluters. Miraculously, Nature Girl has even been able to keep her former teacher Wolverine from capturing her by using her connection to animals and Wolverine’s reluctance to kill them into a potent deterrent.
None of the humans the trio has encountered have been a match for the eco-warrior and her thrill-seeking friend, which has led to multiple apparent deaths. That run of good luck came to an end in X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #8, by Gerry Duggan, Emilio Laiso, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC’s Joe Sabino when. The duo met a superpowered individual whose only loyalty is to a paycheck. In spite of their powers, they were out of their league against the mercenary Black Mamba.
When the self-described “X-Men Green” arrived at the suitably named Cynadine Oil Company’s refinery, they quickly dispatched with a pair of armed guards in S.W.A.T. gear before encountering Black Mamba. She introduced herself to Nature Girl with a swift kick to the head. In addition to her combat prowess, Mamba used her Darkforce powers to disorient the duo with horrific illusions, which Curse disturbingly enjoyed.
Mamba was created by Ralph Macchio, Mark Gruenwald, George Perez and Gene Day and debuted in 1980’s Marvel-Two-In-One #64. Although she debuted as a part of the Roxxon Oil-funded Serpent Squad, she later took on her snake-themed identity as a member of the Serpent Society. She was given her Darkforce powers via a cranial implant, which also gave her low-level telepathic abilities that allow her to take images from her foes’ minds.
Mamba’s time with the Society drew her into conflict with Captain America during Gruenwald’s legendary run writing the character. It also led her into a battle with the X-Men during the Atlantis Attacks crossover, where she used her Darkforce powers to haunt Havok with visions of Polaris, before being defeated by a well-timed plasma blast into some canned goods. Mamba’s close ties to other members of the Serpent Society put her in difficult positions when the group dealt with fractious internal politics. Her romance with Society leader Sidewinder put her on Viper’s bad side when the former Madame Hydra took over the group. When King Cobra took over the Society, he moved for Diamondback to be put to death because of her romance with Captain America. Mamba and teammate Asp sided with their close friend over the Society.
After the trio teamed up with Captain America and Paladin to take down the Society, they formed a mercenary team with a very ’90s name, B.A.D. Girls Inc. before eventually joining the Fifty State Initiative as Delaware’s official superhero team, the Woman Warriors.
To that end, Mamba said that willing to switch sides if Nature Girl would pay her some of the mutant fortune that Emma Frost has been bragging about to the media. But since that doesn’t seem likely, she’s set to face these X-Men and the longtime villain Sauron, a dinosaur/scientist whose lab was destroyed by Cynadine.
While Mamba’s points about working for a living that reflect some of Nature Girl’s naivete, Mamba also serves as a cautionary tale for the young mutant. While it’s unlikely a true believer like Nature Girl was ever going to stray from her path, the way she rejected the guilt Mamba tried to torture her with confirmed there’s no turning back. She’s not willing to accept the X-Men’s compromise with a humanity that’s destroying the Earth and she’s certainly not going to compromise with a mercenary like Mamba’s.
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