Karma (character)

Karma (Xuân Cao Mạnh) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in association with the X-Men. Created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, she first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #100 (December 1980). She belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. Karma primarily possesses the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities. The origin of the character relates to the Vietnam War, as she and her family were among the boat people fleeing the country shortly after the advent of Communism and in the wake of violence. During her fateful encounters with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, she absorbs her brother's powers and body to prevent him from endangering the group, thus doubling her powers in the process. Her Vietnamese origin contributes to two of her main traits—her Catholicism and her mastery of the French language, both of which stem from France's strong historical influence in Vietnam. Karma speaks English with a French accent rather than a Vietnamese one. Karma was one of the five founding members of the New Mutants, along with Cannonball, Psyche, Sunspot, and Wolfsbane. Being several years older than the others, and the legal guardian of her siblings from a young age, she was the most mature member, and the only one in the original lineup who was introduced in published comics before the team itself. Karma is one of the first major lesbian characters in a mainstream comic book.