Malice: Sue Storm’s Dark Alter Ego Explained

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As a gaming enthusiast who’s deeply into the Marvel Universe, I can tell you that many superheroes keep their heroics hidden behind secret identities. You’d know about the Dark Phoenix, Jean Grey’s not-so-altruistic persona from X-Men, but there’s another Marvel heroine whose dark side has never made it to the big screen. The Fantastic Four have quite a history, filled with secrets and surprises, but 40 years ago, they got an unexpected and unwelcome addition to their family.

As I, a gamer, stumbled upon an android called the Hate-Monger in one of my comic book adventures, it led to a surprising transformation for me – Invisible Woman, Sue Storm. This encounter sparked the creation of a darker side within me, a persona known as Malice. While my battle with Malice echoes the tale of the Dark Phoenix, Malice never reached the cosmic scale of Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force in the Marvel Comics lore.

In the story of the Phoenix and Jean Grey, the Phoenix was found to be an independent being who took over Jean’s form and character. Similarly, Malice is a distinct personality within Susan Storm (Invisible Woman) that occasionally surfaces, posing a threat to those around her due to her control over Sue’s remarkable abilities but lacking the kindness and compassion that make Sue such a remarkable hero. Malice has previously targeted Sue’s family, and Sue has taken significant measures to shield her loved ones from her dark self. It appears that Malice may not appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for quite some time, given the timeline of “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” However, with Susan now part of the MCU, Malice could be a potential threat ready to erupt at any moment.

How Malice came into existence

1985 marked the first appearance of Malice in “Fantastic Four” issue 280, penned by John Byrne and Jerry Ordway. In this storyline, the Fantastic Four were up against a deranged scientist named Psycho-Man and his robotic assistant, Hate-Monger. Constructed with malicious intent, Hate-Monger was designed to instigate intense negative emotions in people. His abilities amplified Psycho-Man’s manipulations, particularly targeting Sue Storm, causing her Malice persona to emerge.

Malice swiftly turned against the Fantastic Four and engaged in a fierce battle with She-Hulk, who had recently joined the team as a replacement for The Thing. Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) was instrumental in understanding Hate-Monger’s manipulation of Sue’s emotions and successfully manipulated Malice’s feelings to restore Sue’s consciousness, thereby vanquishing her evil identity.

Following their victories against Psycho-Man and Hate-Monger, the Fantastic Four may have thought they had rid themselves of Malice forever. However, it turned out that Malice was merely lying dormant within Sue’s subconscious, biding its time until the perfect moment to resurface and regain control over her body. Eventually, during her collaboration with the Silver Surfer, Sue unintentionally encounters the Soul Stone. This encounter triggers Malice’s return, as she tries to seize control of the Soul Stone for her own purposes.

In the scenario before they were renamed Infinity Stones, Sue can utilize the power of the Infinity Gem to control Malice once more. However, this doesn’t mean she is completely liberated from her alter ego. During the epic crossover event known as “Infinity War,” Sue discovers a chance to embark on a fresh journey for herself and Malice, exploring new possibilities.

How Sue’s son stopped Malice

In “Infinity War,” malice resurfaces as Thanos inadvertently releases Sue’s evil alter ego during a mind scan. From that point, Sue and Malice wage an internal battle for dominance over their shared body. However, this time Sue adopts a new strategy to deal with her villainous side. She chooses to intertwine her consciousness with Malice’s, hoping it would rid her of her alter ego’s malicious intentions. Contrary to her plan, the mind fusion alters Sue’s personality in a way reminiscent of when Spider-Man first bonded with Venom symbiote and attempted to control it, but found himself gradually losing command over his own body.

In a different universe, Sue’s son, Franklin, transforms into the superhero Psi-Lord. He journeys to this reality where he employs his powers to expel Malice from his mother’s mind. Although Malice isn’t completely destroyed, Sue and Psi-Lord collaborate to imprison him within the mind of a villain named Dark Raider. The Fantastic Four ultimately vanquish Dark Raider, implying that Malice has been eliminated, but as we know in comic books, nothing is ever truly final as far as death goes.

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2025-05-05 14:30