Post 3 of 7 CANNONBALL: SAM GUTHRIE

Post 3 of 7 CANNONBALL: SAM GUTHRIE Sam Guthrie discovers his power underground. In Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (1982), a mine collapse traps him with another miner, Lewis, and his first blast carries them to safety. Sam has taken the job after his father’s death because his family needs the income. His mutation propels him through the air with tremendous force, protecting him while he is blasting. That combination gives him an obvious use in a fight. Getting a frightened teenager pointed in the right direction is another matter, especially when the adult giving instructions is Donald Pierce. Pierce recruits Sam, putting him on the opposing side of the young mutants’ first adventure. Sam’s decisive moment comes when Pierce orders him to kill. He refuses. The choice exposes how little shared purpose there was between the employer and the boy he hired. Sam has been fighting people who could help him because he trusted the wrong employer. Refusing the order gives him a way out, though it also leaves him needing the other teenagers to accept him afterward. The mine rescue and his refusal belong together. One shows what his power can do; the other shows the judgment he will need while using it. He enters the class with both a dramatic ability and plenty still to learn about whom he should trust.