A new member of the Marauders was able to impress Cassandra Nova — hinting their powers might be the perfect way to counter Omega-Level telepaths.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Marauders #1, now on sale from Marvel Comics
In the Marvel Universe, there are plenty of nigh-unstoppable mutant abilities, with figures like Storm and Iceman capable of helping restore or even destroy entire planets. But some of the most impressive and important powers have stemmed from telepathy, with figures like Charles Xavier and Marvel Girl becoming crucial players thanks to their powers. But it turns out there may be a recent addition to the mutant nation who’s secretly a deterrent to their abilities.
Somnus’ true potential as a possible counter to even Omega-Level telepaths is teased in Marauders #1 (by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, Matt Milla, and VC’s Ariana Maher) is a potential game-changer on Krakoa — especially as internal conflict seems to spread through the mutant nation.
Somnus is a relatively new mutant, introduced in Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1 (by Steve Orlando, Claudia Aguirre, and Luciano Vecchio). Born decades before the present day, Valentino had enjoyed a night of passion with Daken, where his powers to enter and control the dreams of others allowed him and Wolverine’s son to enjoy a life together. Decades later, Daken, finally at a healthy enough mental and emotional place to explore a proper romance saw Valentino’s obituary and helped facilitate his resurrection in his physical prime. Somnus is one of the new recruits to the Marauders, venturing into deep space alongside his newfound allies.
Due to his relative inexperience, he’s also the only one who doesn’t realize just how dangerous Cassandra Nova is when she’s revealed to have also joined the Marauders. The villainous “twin sister” of Charles Xavier, Nova has slaughtered millions of mutants and used her immense telepathic powers to cause serious damage to the universe as a whole. But while she casually used her powers to telepathically explore Valentino’s mind, she noted that Somnus might actually have the potential to resist her mental abilities. His oneiromancy could theoretically serve as a perfect counter to telepathy, allowing him to control someone’s unconscious mind from within which naturally would extend to other mental processes that target the unconscious like telepathy.
It’s an interesting idea, especially considering the importance of telepathy to Krakoa. In general, the X-Men have a number of powerful telepaths — with Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and plenty of others utilizing this power to their immense advantage. However, Somnus having a potential way of blocking out telepathy even on that level could make him Krakoa’s ultimate secret keeper. His powers might make him the perfect mental vault, capable of preventing even the likes of someone as strong as Cassandra Nova from learning his secrets. Having Nova be on the ship with him could even present the perfect opportunity for Somnus to practice and train with her — potentially even earning her a much-needed ally amidst the sea of distrusting mutants.
Being capable of combating telepathy could be a crucial ability on Krakoa. It’s possible that by trapping them in their own dreams and subconscious, Somnus could constrain even the strongest of telepaths. Somnus is exactly the kind of agent someone like the increasingly ruthless and brutal Beast would want for the purposefully secretive X-Force, especially if his powers could grow to the point where he can overtly affect telepaths directly by trapping them in dreams. Cassandra Nova is rarely impressed, so her acknowledgment of Somnus’ potential seems to hint at his true potential.
Notably, with divisions spreading throughout Krakoa, having someone around who could counter the nation’s telepaths would be a vital ally (especially for someone like Mister Sinister, who could seek to simply replicate Somnus’ powers through his genetic tampering to keep his machinations a secret). Although he may not be at that level yet, Somnus could yet prove to be an important figure in coming conflicts — especially if that involves internal conflict between the various splinters of the mutant nation.
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