SPOILER WARNING for The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #17!
Marvel’s youngest heroes are on the run as the government has put a ban on underage vigilantes. Kamala’s Law, named after Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, was put into effect after a mission gone wrong at Coles Academic, wherein Kamala was injured and Viv Vision was seemingly killed. With their altruistic activities now considered illegal, Ms. Marvel and her peers now have to watch out for a task force called C.R.A.D.L.E. while fighting crime. Recently, however, the hero had a surprisingly nice run-in with C.R.A.D.L.E.’s head, Dum Dum Dugan.
Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan (Dum Dum for short) has a long history in Marvel Comics. The character has been kicking butt since World War II in his days as one of the Howling Commandos. Neal McDonough even portrayed the character in Captain America: The First Avenger, fighting off Nazis alongside the sentinel of liberty himself. While he hasn’t made any further appearances in the MCU, Dugan has remained an important figure in the comics. Prior to his current position with C.R.A.D.L.E., he worked as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., assisting in numerous missions over the years.
Ms. Marvel and Dum Dum Dugan come face-to-face in Saladin Ahmed and Minkyu Jung’s The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #17, but the encounter doesn’t go exactly as readers might expect. Just as the two are getting ready to duke it out, a horde of zombie-like people walk out of a Rubicon HQ building and surround them. Ms. Marvel calls for a truce and as the duo fends off their assailants. She explains that their attackers are actually missing people who she suspects are being mind-controlled by the villain, Monopoly. The missing people soon retreat back into Rubicon HQ, prompting the adversaries to follow them.
Once they are inside, the duo is attacked again, but this time, a large, monstrous creature containing Josh, one of Kamala’s classmates, join the zombie horde. Josh is one of Monopoly’s former employees and is revealed to be the one causing the disappearances of the other victims. The battle doesn’t last long, and Ms. Marvel even manages to save Josh and the others from Monopoly’s sway, despite her classmate's claim that he doesn’t deserve to be rescued. Seeing Ms. Marvel’s selfless actions here and in issues prior causes Dugan to reconsider his position with C.R.A.D.L.E. and he decides to let the young hero go. He understands that he may be doing more harm than good and tells Ms. Marvel that he is going to quit after turning Josh in.
Considering all the time that Dum Dum Dugan has spent fighting alongside Marvel’s heroes, it was somewhat surprising to see him take on a leadership position with C.R.A.D.L.E. He’s seen firsthand how much good can come from superheroes and this job doesn’t reflect that well. Still, realizing the error in his ways is a fitting way to end the issue and it leaves readers with a heartwarming moment between Dugan and Kamala. The story also capitalizes on what makes Ms. Marvel such a great hero: she always puts other people first.
Now that Dum Dum Dugan is retiring from his position with C.R.A.D.L.E., it will be interesting to see who takes his place. There are certainly several good fits for such a position and many of them would certainly keep Marvel’s underage heroes on their toes. Whoever is chosen, it’s unlikely that Ms. Marvel will be able to convince another person to quit the job. The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #17 is available now from Marvel Comics, Comixology, and comic book stores.
