The MCU’s First Original Superhero Has Been Revealed
The MCU's first original hero, and first in the timeline, is Kahhori, a Mohawk woman with powers from The Tesseract.
What If…? Season 2 takes the premise of the classic comic series in a wild new direction following the multiverse-shattering events of the first season. Marvel has revealed the first original MCU hero, Kahhori, the first superhero not to appear in the comics and the first superhero in the timeline of the film franchise. In an episode that asks what would happen if The Tesseract (one of the Infinity Stones) fell to Earth before America was colonized, Kahhori becomes a hero hundreds of years before Captain America.
Technically, it could be argued that The Eternals were the first superheroes in the MCU, but then again, they exist above the simple notion of “heroics” and spent most of their movie fighting against the very notion. Thor, active during the time of Vikings, is the same way as back then he was more of a God than the hero he became later. Kahhori, on the other hand, accidentally gets her powers and goes through a lake transformed by The Tesseract into a gate to the stars (there’s a word for something like that…a Stargate or something…) on a journey to understand her new place in the world.
When Kahorri was accidentally revealed, thanks to Funko, there was speculation that she would be connected to Echo, another Native American superhero. The reality is far more fantastic, with a tale set before the arrival of the English, taking full advantage of the What If…? format to go wild with a new concept. Marvel hasn’t revealed her powers, but given that they are derived from the Mind Stone, we can speculate that a form of telekinesis is most likely.
Clad in traditional dress for a Mohawk woman, Kahorri’s outfit gives no clues to her powerset, even if it is a terrific design. The episode’s writing staff worked with members of the Mohawk Nation to ensure the character, her wardrobe, her environment, and even the musical score were all accurate to the real history of the Mohawks. Even the name is traditional, translating to “She Who Stirs The Forest,” as is the language used in the episode, which will be entirely in the Mohawk language.
Ryan Little, the writer for the episode, says that the name matches her first adventure, as she’s rallying allies to her side to save her people and impact the rest of history. With no knowledge of the overarching plot for What If…? Season 2, it could be taking cues from the massive Avengers story that wrapped up in the comics, involving heroes from all over the multiverse coming together to face the Multiversal Masters of Evil. The first season ended with a similar group of Avengers battling Ultron, so Season 2 could take the concept and up the stakes.
We’ll have to wait for Kahorri’s episode of What If…? to air later this year for all of the answers, but for now, seeing a hero created for the MCU with no ties to the comics is amazing. Could the heroine make a live-action appearance later on?
Given that next year will be much more grounded in the MCU with The Thunderbolts and Captain America: New World Order, a hero from another universe crossing over is unlikely still, even if Kahorri doesn’t leave What If..?, she already looks like the best part of the upcoming second season. What If…? has no set release date yet, but it is expected in the first part of 2024.
