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In the previous post on Out Of This World we saw Misty and Danny break up (Iron Fist 13). Remember that Misty had started rooming with Jean Grey? Well that connection eventually brings her into contact with the upper stratum of the Marvel Universe - godlike mutants, galaxy-spanning alien empires, etc. In such situations she's little more than a spectator, like here in X-Men 105 (June 1977):


Misty seemed to take all that in her stride. She even remained unfazed when Eric the Red got thrown into the mix, and abducted Lilandra before she and Misty really had any time to get acquainted:


It's a little too much for Jean's parents though:


Misty is definitely the most level-headed person left in the apartment, when Firelord returns looking for a fight:


A lot happens elsewhere in the universe in X-Men 106 & 107, and the X-men return safely to New York in X-Men 108. By now John Byrne has taken over the X-Men art from Dave Cockrum. Lilandra and the Professor are re-uinited, as are Misty and her cosmic room-mate, and all seems well:


Onto Iron Fist 15, the last issue in the original series and a Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-Men crossover, and we discover the nature of Misty's mission that she took following her break-up with Danny in ish 13 - to infiltrate the Bushmaster's operation, disguised as Maya Korday:


That plot line continues in Marvel Team-Up 63. Misty eventually breaks her cover and escapes from Bushmaster, only now he's that mad he wants her dead.


Misty eventually catches up with Iron Fist, but only after he's taken one heck of a beating from Steel Serpent, who's also stolen his power.


Marvel Team-Up 64 features both Misty and Colleen, as The Daughters of the Dragon, teamed up with Spider-man and Iron Fist:


Danny's helpless condition rekindles Misty's feelings for him. Colleen and Misty prepare to do battle with Steel Serpent, so that somehow they might be able to restore Danny's power to him.


Spidey soon re-engages in combat with Steel Serpent, but some intervention from Misty and Colleen is needed. Misty's bionic right arm comes in useful.


But it's Iron Fist himself who finishes the fight. Steel Serpent doesn't have the will power to control the Iron Fist, and is consumed by it. Danny reabsorbs his power and is restored to his former self.


So Misty and Iron Fist are an item again... for now. And here, in the final panel, is that piece of expert retcon that ties this all back to Misty's first appearance in Marvel Team-Up 1.


So what do we have with Misty Knight as a character? Not too much background given thus far - less than for Colleen Wing. Misty was a lady cop in the NYPD, who saved Colleen one time and they developed a strong partnership. Misty got her right arm blown off by a bomber, and had it replaced with a bionic arm. She and Colleen went into business as private cops, Nightwing Restorations, but with all their martial arts skills also became known as The Daughters of the Dragon. Misty sports an afro hairstyle, and is generally a stylish dresser. Misty is clearly comfortable in an integrated society - she has a mixed white/Asian business partner, a white room mate, and a white boyfriend. Race hasn't surfaced as an issue in any of  Misty's early appearances. So it seems that she is an African American character contributing to the diversity of the Marvel Universe. I've read suggestions that making her a kung-fu specialist puts Misty in the blaxploitation category, since kung fu was popular with African Americans in the 1970s, but I'm not fully convinced of this argument. Blaxploitation, as I understand it, exploits negative stereotypes of African Americans. Enjoying kung fu movies or being into martial arts doesn't strike me as having any negative connotations, and it doesn't seem to be much of an established stereotype either.

As a person Misty is sometimes cool-headed in highly stressful situations, but at other times will punch first and ask questions later. She's resourceful, intelligent, and extremely brave. She's sophisticated and beautiful. She's capable of warmth, but can erect barriers when necessary - she's learned how to survive. Ultimately we know very little of Misty's background at this point in her comics career, and she's really been mostly a support character, with the exception of those two issues of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu featuring The Daughters of the Dragon. Probably the most significant aspect of Misty's early appearances is her inter-racial romance with Danny Rand (Iron Fist). This occurs matter-of-factly, as something natural, normal, and not necessary to be remarked upon. So Misty's appearance in the Marvel Universe, from the point of view of racial integration, is an example of presentation of fait accomplis harmonious integration.

During Black History Month 2011 Out Of This World will feature some of the earliest black superheroes in comics, starting with Misty Knight. Misty's first appearance in comics was as an 'extra' in Marvel Team-Up 1 (March 1972), but her identity was unknown to readers at the time. On her way to a Christmas party in Jersey, Misty is mugged by a couple of racially integrated thugs, fortunately for her but not for the crooks, just as Spidey and the Human Torch happen to be passing by in their search for the Sandman.


That first appearance was retconned into the Marvel universe at a later date, in a story arc that begins to include Misty starting with Marvel Premiere 20 (Jan 1975, written by Tony Isabella), featuring Iron Fist. Here we see Colleen Wing referring to her business partner, Misty.


In the next ish Iron Fist returns to Professor Wing's brownstone to find the aftermath of a battle. He's greeted by a suspicious Misty Knight, whose attack takes some fending off. Iron Fist temporarily subdues Misty, but the urgency of his mission means that at this point he doesn't have the luxury of sufficient time to wait around and get to know her better.


The next time Misty and Iron Fist meet (Iron Fist 1, Nov 1975, Claremont/Byrne), it's obvious she's attracted to him, as evidenced by the romantic kung-fu kick to the jaw that she greets him with. By now her hair has grown into a lovely full afro, and she's costumed up. They've converged in their hunt for the kidnapped Colleen Wing. Misty's wondering why her contact, an employee of Tony Stark, hasn't showed, when gunshots lead her to his corpse. It just so happens that an access key that Iron Fist has, that was taken off one of Colleen's kidnappers, lets them into a powerful computer that can help them locate her.


Now you don't have to be clairvoyant to deduce that, if this is all going on in a Stark installation, the security system is going to alert Iron Man!


The way it looks is that Iron Fist and Misty are the ones who have killed Stark's employee - cue battle between Iron Fist and Iron Man! It turns out though that the employee/Misty's contact isn't dead after all, and in fact he's a spy working for the enemy. This whole clash between the heroes was a set up, planned so that some or all would perish. Still no Colleen, but Iron Man has been introduced to two new heroes on the block.


The readers had to be patient for the retcon that links all of this back to Marvel Team-up 1. Chronologically Misty was next going to appear in some of Marvel's b&w magazines, as we'll see in the next installment of Out Of This World's review of Misty's early career in comics.