The following contains major spoilers for Ms. Marvel & Venom #1, available now from Marvel Comics.
While Kamala Khan's career as a superhero is hardly as long or storied as those of most of her superpowered compatriots, she has firmly established herself as a genuinely caring force for good in an otherwise bleak world. At least, that seemed like it was the case, although recent events have pushed Ms. Marvel in a far different direction than she had ever intended. In fact, after her latest string of team-ups, Kamala might just be on her way toward becoming the most laid-back of all the grim heroes the Marvel Universe has to offer.
As Dylan Brock fights a losing battle against a swarm of insectile robots in the pages of Ms. Marvel & Venom #1 (by Jody Houser, Dave Wachter, Erick Arciniega, and VC's Travis Lanham), the other titular hero is quick to lend a hand. Though the budding young symbiote superhero isn't particularly pleased by picking up an unexpected partner, Kamala's knowledge of the threat at hand proves to be invaluable as they track down their assailants. Far more important than what Kamala knows, however, is who she knows, even if the likes of Wolverine and Moon Knight aren't exactly the crowd anyone would have expected her to run with.
In spite of the vast personal differences between Kamala and her grittier allies, they still manage to uncover and tear their way through their enemy's hidden stronghold without ripping into each other along the way. Not only do Kamala, Venom, Wolverine, and Moon Knight end up bringing an end to the machinations of the man with the peacock tattoo, they do so with an impeccable sense of teamwork. Of course, Wolverine, Moon Knight, and Kamala have all worked together at some point already, yet the way the latter brings the begrudging Dylan/Venom into the fold so effortlessly makes it clear that she is the heart that many of Marvel's dark heroes need.
All the grim figures Kamala has met over the course of her latest adventure have been far from the usually bright and beaming young heroes she's known to align herself with, but that hasn't stopped her from accomplishing astounding things alongside them. Beyond destroying the source of their recent troubles, Kamala has offered each of her new allies an opportunity to ease up from their typically menacing demeanors. Even Dylan, who has seemingly made it his mission to not get along with anyone, can't help but appreciate what Ms. Marvel has done for him once the dust has settled.
Rather than being pulled into the shadows only to emerge as a brutal, unrelenting version of one of Marvel's most colorful heroes, Kamala has simply gained a new appreciation for the other side of vigilantism, as well as those who have tasked themselves with living it out. Ms. Marvel might not be teaming up with the likes of Moon Knight or Hunter's Moon again anytime soon, but she isn't going to lose any friends over her new allies, either. If anything, Kamala has expanded her own circle into what was previously unexplored territory, and she is all the better for it.
At her core, Kamala Khan is an inherently wholesome character who is effectively impossible to hate by any relevant standards. Her endearing attitude and ceaselessly optimistic outlook may be rare in the Marvel Universe's dark underbelly, yet it isn't so alien as to fall out of place there. Assuming this isn't the end of Kamala's working relationships with heroes on the darker end of the spectrum, she could very well become Marvel's friendliest antihero before long.