WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Champions #1, by Eve L. Ewing, Simone di Meo, Federico Blee and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
Marvel Comics' Outlawed special, published this past March, put heightened government scrutiny on the Marvel Universe's teenage superhero community. After a cataclysmic incident left Kamala Khan in a coma and Viv Vision missing, the federal government passed legislation known as Kamala's Law in the high schooler's honor -- ironically without knowing of her own double life as Ms. Marvel. Effectively rendering teenage superhero activity illegal and forming task forces to rein in the non-compliant, the new law hasn't been met without controversy. And as Kamala reawakens, she publicly airs her feelings on the legislation bearing her name in Champions #1.
As Miles Morales dodges local law enforcement and federal operatives working for the Child-Hero Reconnaissance and Disruption Law Enforcement (C.R.A.D.L.E.) agency created as part of Kamala's Law. Back in his Brooklyn high school, Miles and his classmates watch a video message sent by Kamala in her superhero alter ego as she points out that she and her peers are regarded as the "Outlaw Generation" for refusing to stand down and continue to speak and act out against injustice committed by older generations. Without disclosing her true identity, Ms. Marvel rejects Kamala's Law and publicly vows to continue her superhero activities alongside the Champions regardless of her age.
Ever since she was a little girl, Kamala had been enamored with superheroes, especially Carol Danvers after she witnessed Captain Marvel fight against Yon-Rogg. Since then, Kamala forged her own superhero career as a teenager in Jersey City after gaining her powers from the Terrigen Mists. This caused her to occasionally stand against the very superheroes that she had grown up idolizing, even forming the latest iteration of the Champions after she and her fellow young superheroes were disenfranchised by their older counterparts' behavior during the crossover event Civil War II. Despite the rift, several adult superheroes vocally opposed Kamala's Law when it was first proposed but were unable to dissuade Congress from its passage.
Kamala's message has quickly split the young superhero community. Several agree to continue their double lives as usual in open defiance of the controversial law, while others believe Kamala is in the wrong and they should leave superhero activity to the adults. Regardless of where the heroes fall on the argument, the consequences of Kamala's Law are immediately felt. Miles narrowly escapes a sting operation created specifically to target underage superheroes operating in Brooklyn, eluding the cops and feds before making it to a secret hideout used by the Champions. And as the reassembled Champions continue to debate Kamala's Law, their meeting is raided by C.R.A.D.L.E. leading to several arrests as the remaining heroes go into hiding.
Kamala Khan's viral video message has galvanized the youth of the Marvel Universe, ready to pick up where their forebears had failed, regardless of the consequences.
While the superhero community is divided, one thing is clear: Any hero that follows Ms. Marvel's lead will face the full brunt of the law as the federal government moves to make good on its promise to detain any who oppose Kamala's Law. While unbeknownst to Senator Geoffrey Patrick as he introduced the new legislation, the government could not have perhaps picked a namesake that would completely stand against it and inspire others to follow her lead no matter the consequences.