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After breaking Krakoan law by murdering humans, the young mutant Curse is sentenced to live in Krakoa’s Pit. But is this the right decision?
Warning: The following contains spoilers for X-Men Unlimited #5-12, available now on Marvel Unlimited.
Among the three laws of Krakoa introduced in House of X (by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles) was a simple one: kill no man. Failure to abide by this law would result in permanent exile to the Pit, a dark, isolated space deep in the heart of Krakoa. Though this may be a harsh punishment, it seemed like the only way for the Quiet Council to deal with dangerous, unrepentant mutants such as Sabretooth.
But what about younger, more impressionable mutants? Should they be subjected to the same punishment as adults? The Quiet Council seems to believe so. In X-Men Unlimited #12 (by Gerry Duggan, Emilio Laiso, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC’s Joe Sabino), the members of the Quiet Council vote to sentence the mutant child Curse to the Pit for murdering humans while aiding Nature Girl in her eco-terrorism. But a closer look at Curse and the way her mutant powers affect her judgment suggests that this punishment isn’t a just one after all.
In this storyline, spanning X-Men Unlimited #5-12, Nature Girl becomes fed up with the way humans have been polluting the earth and takes action to stop them – even if it means breaking Krakoan law to kill them. Curse joins her on this mission, not because she believes in Nature Girl’s cause but simply because she seeks an excuse to use her mutant power to cause violence. Along with Saoirse, a German Shepherd that has befriended Nature Girl, these two mutants comprise a team which they call X-Men Green.
Curse’s mutant power is simple but unique. She unleashes specific curses on others. When an oil worker tries to attack her, she utters “Have a nice trip” and the worker trips and cracks his skull on a rock. When Wolverine tries to capture her, she causes him to stab himself instead. Most of the curses which Curse inflicts are extremely violent, and this seems to have given her an enjoyment of violence. Unlike Nature Girl, who takes no delight in killing but does it because she believes it is necessary, Curse has a very upbeat attitude toward murder.
However, there is a more vulnerable side to Curse. She confesses to Nature Girl some of the finer details about her curses and how they work. “They’re in me, and they have to get out. If I don’t dole them out, then they turn on me, but you’re helping me find some very deserving dudes to curse,” she explains. This information suggests that Curse’s violence isn’t entirely her own fault and that it could potentially be mitigated if she found a better way to manage her powers.
Curse appears to have gotten her powers at an unusually young age, since mutant powers are typically expressed around puberty. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that Curse is struggling with her powers and that they’re causing her to act out. The fact that she unleashes her curses on others because she’s afraid of them turning on her also makes it harder to condemn her. It suggests that she might not be so violent if only she had an alternative. Given the way that the X-Men have previously rehabilitated other young mutants such as Rogue and Magik who once struggled with their powers and with the darkness inside them, it seems unfair for the Quiet Council to sentence Curse to the Pit instead of getting her the help she needs.
Though Curse did violate Krakoa’s laws by murdering humans, it was wrong of the Quiet Council to throw her in the Pit. Fortunately, she and Nature Girl were secretly saved from their fate by Doug Ramsey and Krakoa, because Krakoa objected to the ruling. Curse and Nature Girl plan to continue their eco-terrorist activities in secret, which means that Curse probably won’t stop using her powers to kill humans anytime soon. If only the Quiet Council had tried to help Curse instead of punishing her, maybe things would have turned out differently.
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