Karma was around before there was a New Mutants team. Her first appearance is Marvel Team-Up #100, where she gets Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four tangled up in a family situat…

Karma was around before there was a New Mutants team. Her first appearance is Marvel Team-Up #100, where she gets Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four tangled up in a family situation that's already pretty ugly. Xi'an Coy Manh, Shan, has the power to possess people. Her twin brother Tran has a similar ability, but he's working with their criminal uncle, General Nguyen Ngoc Coy. Shan is trying to protect her younger brother and sister, Leong and Nga. She and her family are refugees from Vietnam. By the time superheroes become part of her life, she's already had to survive war and take responsibility for children who depend on her. She isn't starting out with much room to be a carefree teenager. Her confrontation with Tran ends with her absorbing him through their psychic struggle. Even before Xavier brings her into the New Mutants, her power has forced her into situations that aren't remotely simple. Being able to control somebody else's body sounds like an easy way to win a fight. Living with what you have to do with that ability is another matter.