The debut of a new MCU character is always a big deal. Usually, fans spend hours searching through the comics, excitedly predicting which characters each new show will introduce to the canon. But the newest Marvel hero, Kahhori, has had one of the strangest reveals in Marvel history. Here is all you need to know about them.
How did Kahhori get revealed?
Unlike many MCU characters, Kahhori does not have an equivalent in the comics, meaning she is an all-new character. Fans first learned about this character’s existence when Funko figures of her were leaked online. This led to comics fans heading to social media to try and work out if this was a brand-new character or a new version of a familiar face.
Funko officially unveiled its new line of Funko SODA figures on March 8. This line, designed to tie in with the upcoming What If…? season two, features Kahhori, Hela, and a retro-styled Captain Carter, officially confirming that Kahhori was an actual Marvel character and not a clever internet prank.
On March 9, Marvel published a blog post introducing the new character, giving fans their first look at them and their story and an early preview of What If…? season two.
Who is Kahhori?
Marvel’s blog post contains plenty of information about this new hero and gives us an early look at one episode of season two of What If…? According to the blog post, the episode:
Asks what would happen if the Tesseract fell to Earth and landed in the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America.
The Tesseract takes on a new life and a new mythology, transforming a lake into a gateway to the stars and leading Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman, on a quest to discover her power.
Marvel states that it has put lots of effort into making Kahhori a realistic portrayal of a First Nations character, noting that it worked “in close collaboration with members of the Mohawk Nation like historian Doug George and Mohawk language expert Cecelia King to ensure cultural authenticity.” It also notes that the entire production team “worked with members of the Mohawk Nation to design Kahhori’s look and environment, and to help incorporate traditional Mohawk music to use in the score.”
Plus, Marvel used the blog post to announce that this episode will stand out from the others in the season as all of the dialogue will be “in the Mohawk language.”
Marvel goes on to quote a few of the people who have been working on the episode, including writer Ryan Little who says:
“I had a wonderful writing mentor who worked extensively with the Indigenous community in upstate New York, and I was excited to draw on that experience to build an entirely original corner of the MCU with storylines for new Indigenous heroes written from a place of respect for past generations and optimism for future ones. Kahhori, pronounced ‘KAH-HORTI,’ is a real, Wolf Clan name, meaning ‘she stirs the forest’ or is someone who motivates those around her. In her debut adventure, Kahhori will have to live up to her name to recruit powerful allies into the fight to save her people and change the course of history forever.”
However, the post features some bad news for fans who believed the unveiling of the figures meant that the new season was landing soon, as Marvel ends the post by noting:
“Kahhori marks a significant new edition to the pantheon of Marvel Super Heroes. Ahead of her debut on Disney+, FUNKO is celebrating Kahhori with a special glow-in-the-dark Funko Vinyl Soda that teases the new hero’s cosmic powers.
The Funko Vinyl Soda collectible will be on sale March 29th, exclusively at Wal-Mart retailers.”
Making it sound like we won’t be getting season two of What If…? until after this date at the very earliest.
