WARNING: The following contains spoilers for New Mutants #16 by Vita Ayala, Rod Reis & VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now
Since the Krakoa Gates became the chief way of reaching through to the mystical realm of Otherworld, the X-Men and their mutant allies have become increasingly tangled up in the affairs of those dimensions and their kingdoms. Now, it appears that one relatively new powerhouse in that realm has taken an interest in a wandering mutant, and potentially Krakoa as a whole.
Sheriff Gia Whitechapel of Otherworld was briefly introduced in X of Swords -- and now it appears that in New Mutants, she might finally be taking a step into the spotlight. But who is she -- and what could she want?
The Blightspoke is a new corner of Otherworld, and perhaps the most mysterious. The desert is the graveyard of realities, a space where the ruins of realities may end up when they're forgotten. Any visitors may find themselves warped through their presence, forcing them and their perspectives to transform at an accelerated rate. It was the site of Wolverine and Summoner's duel during X of Swords, with the pair being morphed around one another in the chaos before Wolverine was able to end the fight with a well-placed throw of his sword. Since then, Saturnyne has allowed two new beings to exist within the realm -- the Summoners (demon summoners from Amenth) will tame the beasts of the land, and the Vescora (the ravenous mechanical monsters) will mine the deserts for valuables.
The valuables they find in the Blightspoke end up in the possession of the realm's chief power, Sheriff Gia Whitechapel, who uses them to accrue riches from the Crooked Market. Whitechapel also briefly appeared during the congress of Otherworld's realms, setting her up as a new lord of Otherworld and a defiant one at that -- with Whitechapel implying that she'd be fine denying the laws of Saturnyne if it meant getting to expand and explore beyond just the Blightspoke. Now, it appears that Whitechapel is making some moves. The Crooked Caller -- one of the only true sources of information that travels through and across Otherworld reveals that Josh -- a young mutant training as a part of the Wild Hunt -- has been making his way through Otherworld after being allowed into the realm by Jamie Braddock.
The paper notes that the young mutant has actually been able to befriend the "famously cantankerous" Sheriff Whitechapel, which appears to be a challenge for some. The Crooked Caller points out that this could lead to a new direct path to the riches that exist within the Blightspoke. The fact that it's a mutant who's befriended her implies that there may be a chance for the X-Men to find a new ally in Otherworld, especially if she could work in sync with the Six. The fact that Jamie Braddock also refers to Whitechapel as a "brute" implies he has a less than ideal relationship with her as well, which could be seen as a good thing given Jamie's long history of causing trouble -- or it could be a hint that she's such a threat, even the reality-warping Jamie is wary of her and her skill with a rifle.
Whitechapel was one of the lingering plot threads from X of Swords that was underplayed in the chaos of the battle between Krakoa and Arakko, but it seems her and her control over the Blightspoke might finally play a more important role in the future of the X-Men, especially in regards to their relationship with Otherworld. This new dynamic has the potential to level the playing field now that the New Mutants are contending with opposition in the form of the wizard Merlyn.