WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Star #1 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Filipe Andrade, Jesus Aburtov and Clayton Cowles, in stores now.
In the last Captain Marvel storyline, Carol Danvers went up against a new supervillain named Star. The alter ego of reporter Ripley Ryan, Star was created by Minn-Erva to be a half-human, half-Kree super-soldier. Thanks to a special device, Ripley was able to siphon power directly from Captain Marvel. However, her last confrontation with Carol ended with the superhero punching a hole through Star's chest and removing the device that granted her abilities.
However, that wasn't the end of Ripley. Somehow, she survived her defeat and is more powerful than ever before. Riley has become the vessel for the Reality Stone, making her one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Now, as Ripley searches for answers, she comes across a gauntlet of Marvel heroes, including a reality-bending witch who has no time for her games.
At the end of the Infinity Wars event, Adam Warlock assured that all six Infinity Stones became sentient, and scattered them throughout the cosmos. While we have yet to find out what happened to the majority of them, two of the gems have surfaced thus far. A man named Hector Bautista became the host of the Time Stone, and Ripley discovered she was the vessel of the Reality Stone at the end of Captain Marvel #11.
When we catch up with Ripley in Star #1, it's already been a little while since she escaped from prison thanks to the Reality Stone. Without any friends or money to speak of, she's all alone and looking for answers. Luckily for her, someone comes to her seeking the Infinity Stone: Loki, the God of Mischief and King of the Frost Giants. After the reality-altering events of Infinity Wars, Loki knows all too well the dangers of the Infinity Stones, and he appears to be interested in helping Ripley get rid of hers.
Unfortunately for the Asgardian, Ripley is learning to use her new abilities, and she is quick to escape. Realizing that he may need a assistance in apprehending her, Loki opts to call for reinforcements.
Once again on the run, Ripley decides to pay a visit to Jessica Jones. Ripley believes the superhero may be able to help her learn more about the Infinity Stones using her private investigator skills. However, Jessica knows who Ripley is and how dangerous she can be so instead of helping her, the two start to fight. But before Ripley can use the Reality Stone to turn the tide, she is interrupted by Wanda Maximoff in the issue's last page.
The Scarlet Witch is one of the most formidable characters in the Marvel Universe (and the most powerful superhero in the MCU, according to Kevin Feige). With her reality-altering powers, Wanda may be the only match for Star's new-found abilities.
Clearly, the confrontation between the two heavyweights is bound to be an epic clash. But what is perhaps more important than that is the knowledge Wanda could bestow upon Ripley. After all, Wanda knows everything there is to know about the dangers and consequences of changing reality itself. Not only can Wanda possibly match Ripley's powers, but she may also even be able to teach her a thing or two about living with them.