Binary on the crew: the power has a job to do

Binary on the crew: the power has a job to do Binary is visually enormous. The fire, the white costume, the way Carol seems to belong against a field of stars. It would be easy to stop there and treat her as the crew’s biggest special effect. But the useful thing about following her on the Starjammers is seeing that power become part of how the ship survives. Uncanny X-Men #200 gives her a direct role in the attempt to reach Xavier: she powers the stargate while the crew works on getting to Earth. The rescue depends on people doing different jobs together. Carol supplies something essential, but there are still coordinates to deal with, a damaged ship and enemies coming after them. That keeps the story from becoming a simple question of who can fire the largest blast. A powerful person can help a ship travel. That person still needs a crew that knows where it is going and can keep everyone alive when they get there. New Mutants #51 gives another clear example. When the Starjammers come under attack, Binary brings Sam and Amara back inside. The immediate concern is getting people out of danger. Her abilities matter because there are people exposed outside the ship who need her. This is the sort of thing that makes a new member feel like part of an established group. Carol is working with everyone else’s timing, decisions and limitations. She has enormous power, but she is still relying on the ship and the people aboard it. It also gives her something to do beyond being discussed by the X-Men. Carol has her own work, her own place and people who need what she can bring. That is a substantial change from leaving her standing at the edge of somebody else’s argument about Rogue.