‘The Marvels’ Star Iman Vellani Names the One X-Men Comic Every Fan Should Read, and It’s a Dark Classic

Iman Vellani is known as one of the biggest comic book fans in the MCU, and now the Ms. Marvel star has a reading recommendation for anyone looking to get into the X-Men. Her character is a big part of why that question matters in the season finale of ‘Ms. Marvel’, Kamala Khan was confirmed as the first mutant in the MCU.

Vellani has been leaning into that ever since. She co-wrote the comic series ‘Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant’ with Sabir Pirzada, which brought Kamala into the X-Men on the page. She has also said she’d love to see Kamala join the X-Men on the big screen, arguing it would mark her as a legitimate mutant and quiet the doubters.

So when Vellani was asked which X-Men comic fans should read, she picked a classic. “It’s the purest distillation of what these characters represent, written by Chris Claremont,” she said in a recent video. She picked God Loves, Man Kills’.

She went on to explain what makes the story hit so hard. “Reverend William Stryker, and he’s built his entire religious and political following around the hatred of mutants,” Vellani said, describing how a group called the Purifiers carries out violence against mutants on his behalf.

Iman Vellani recommends ‘GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS’ as the X-Men comic to read “It’s the purest distillation of what these characters represent, written by Chris Claremont. Reverend William Stryker, and he’s built his entire religious and political following around the hatred of mutants. These people called the Purifiers are acting on his behalf to kill the mutants they see. Stryker’s speaking for God, but he’s preaching hatred and murder. It’s so dark and explores how a lot of people’s beliefs are often more dangerous than the people themselves.” (via https://t.co/gQcmriXUQb)

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For Vellani, the story’s real power lies in its message. “Stryker’s speaking for God, but he’s preaching hatred and murder. It’s so dark and explores how a lot of people’s beliefs are often more dangerous than the people themselves,” she added.

‘X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills’ was published in November 1982 as the 5th entry in Marvel’s graphic novel line, with Claremont writing and Brent Anderson providing the art. By then, Claremont had already written 2 franchise-defining X-Men stories, ‘The Dark Phoenix Saga’ and ‘Days of Future Past’.

Claremont designed it to work as a standalone story that conveys the themes behind the X-Men in a more mature tone. At the time, the main series was telling a story set in space, while this book offered something far more grounded. It sees the X-Men team up with Magneto against Stryker and his crusade, with Professor X turned against them.

The book has received critical praise and has become one of the most popular X-Men stories. Comic Watch called it a commentary on religious hypocrisy and bigotry, and said the X-Men’s role as an allegory for a marginalized group has never been stronger. Marvel even released an Extended Cut of the story in 2020.

Vellani’s recommendation lands as fans wait to learn where her character goes next. ‘The Marvels’ set up Kamala as the founder of the MCU’s Young Avengers. She also returned in the animated series ‘Marvel Zombies’.

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Her live-action future is less clear. ‘Ms. Marvel’ executive producer Sana Amanat previously said Kamala’s next adventure was still very much undecided, though Marvel Studios’ Brad Winderbaum called the character top of mind for the MCU’s future. Some reports have suggested Kamala could appear in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, but Marvel hasn’t confirmed it.

Vellani has also shared her dream pairing before. During a Reddit AMA, she said she would love to see a Kamala and Wolverine dynamic in the MCU. Whether or not Kamala joins the X-Men on screen soon, Vellani’s pick shows how deeply she understands what the mutant story is about. With the X-Men returning in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on December 18, her recommendation is a timely one for newcomers.

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