Who is Malice? What You Need to Know About Sue Storm’s Dark Side

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Among the cornerstone characters in the Marvel Universe stands Sue Storm, famously known as the Invisible Woman. This remarkable figure is not only a founding member of the original superhero team, the Fantastic Four, but also Marvel Comics’ pioneering female superhero. Over the years, Sue has faced numerous trials and tribulations, ranging from encountering Marvel’s depiction of deity to exploring the cosmic expanses, to confronting apocalyptic perils like Galactus. With the Fantastic Four series consistently blending family dynamics and superhero action, Sue has navigated both domestic strife and cosmic perils equally. Despite her attempts to serve as a maternal figure within the group, providing stability and trust, she is far from flawless.

Contrary to appearances, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby’s character) harbors a significant amount of darkness within her. This aspect of her personality is something Kirby is eager to delve into for the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue is a multifaceted character, capable of love and hatred, and many other intricate emotions. However, this inner turmoil has materialized externally as Malice, Mistress of Hate. Kirby expresses her fascination with this part of Sue’s life, stating that she aimed to incorporate elements of Malice into her portrayal, ensuring that Sue wasn’t simply a stereotypical good and sweet mother figure.

Who Is Malice?

In the comic book series “Fantastic Four,” malice towards her team members first appeared in issue #280, during an encounter with the villain Psycho-Man. At that time, Sue was still known as the Invisible Girl. Psycho-Man manipulated Sue’s emotions, causing her to switch between love and hate. After this transformation, she targeted her fellow Fantastic Four members, demonstrating her immense power by effortlessly dismantling She-Hulk and cornering the Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic. To restore her to normalcy, Reed resorted to an unconventional method: he verbally insulted her and physically struck her, which ultimately snapped her out of it. Although this approach might be questionable by today’s standards, the shock factor of Reed actually hitting her proved effective in the story.

Initially enraged upon discovering Psycho-Man’s actions, Sue spent several issues determined to retaliate. During their next encounter, he first captured and tormented her mentally until the Fantastic Four managed to break free. In response, Sue subjected him to the same mental torment he had inflicted on her. This confrontation prompted Sue to alter her hero name to the Invisible Woman, symbolizing how facing her inner darkness fundamentally reshaped her self-perception, as she could no longer ignore its presence.

Malice Has Emerged More Than Once

In the storyline, Sue’s villainous alter ego, Malice, wasn’t a mere one-time appearance. Over the years, Malice made recurring appearances, often prompting physical confrontations between Sue and her darker self. During the “Infinity War” arc in the original comics, Sue engaged in a mental struggle with Malice for control of her body. Instead of annihilating Malice, Sue chose to integrate her into herself, creating a single entity. As a result, Sue became more terse and prone to angry outbursts, indicating that Malice plays a significant role in her identity. Later on, Psi-Lord, an alternate version of her son Franklin, removed the influence of Malice. Since then, Malice has been confined within the mind of the Dark Raider, an evil counterpart of Reed Richards, and hasn’t resurfaced since.

Malice‘s presence can be viewed from various perspectives. One could argue that Malice, who mirrors the stereotypical sexist evil dominatrix character, is essentially a product of her creator John Byrne’s past writing preferences. He often portrayed his female characters grappling with their inner demons by turning them into villains and dressing them in revealing leather attire. Jean Grey’s time as the Black Queen serves as an illustration of this pattern. However, it’s much more intriguing to consider Malice as a hidden aspect within Sue, a darkness she harbors but strives to control.

To clarify, Sue Storm is an intriguing and multi-layered character. She struggles with her inner demons but chooses to love profoundly. In the upcoming film Fantastic Four: First Steps, her pregnancy plays a significant role in the storyline. Although I don’t expect Malice to appear in the same form as she does in the comics, it would be exciting to witness a fresh take on the Mistress of Hate on the silver screen.

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2025-04-13 23:10