Warning! This article contains spoilers for Devil's Reign: X-Men #3
The Emma Frost. As the Hellfire Club's White Queen, Emma Frost is unarguably one of the most powerful and dangerous mutants on the planet. Her unyielding nature and effectiveness make her an unparalleled threat to her enemies, and to those unfortunate few, Emma shows just how truly terrifying she can be.
In Devil’s Reign: X-Men #3 by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto, Emma Frost is on the run for authorities after she is wanted for the suspected murder of a young girl years ago. When she is apprehended in the opening pages of the issue by Captain Britain and the accompanying authorities, she makes quick work of those who thought they could simply arrest her.
Emma Frost, without uttering a word, enters the minds of every officer present for her arrest and makes them do a number of ridiculous antics while she makes a quick getaway. While the telepathic mind-control powers Emma exhibits in theis scene are terrifying, she doesn’t become a true terror until she is face-to-face with the person who is responsible for framing her for the murder of that child so many years ago: the Kingpin. Emma takes over the body of the Kingpin’s wife, Typhoid Mary, and makes her put a knife to Fisk’s throat. In a true show of strength, Emma herself is physically present in the same room, and tells Fisk she can be anyone, in that she can control anyone, and he will never be safe unless the Kingpin leaves her alone immediately. Basically, Emma Frost can do exactly what Kilgrave did in the series Jessica Jones, but way better.
Not only are her powers of mind-control way more effective than Kilgrave's, as she can control any number of people with a mere thought, but she is not so single-minded as the MCU villain. In Jessica Jones, Kilgrave only cares about making Jessica fall in love with him, and making himself more powerful. Emma Frost’s goals are much more global. In the pages of House of X/Powers of X, Emma influences the votes of a number of world leaders so that Krakoa can become a sovereign nation, and she does so in complete silence.
Kilgrave is beholden to speaking his wishes aloud while breathing the same air as his victims for his mind-control powers to take effect. Since Emma Frost can achieve the same goals as Kilgrave without those particular hang-ups, and because she will use those superior powers to stop at nothing to achieve whatever goal she sets out to, the MCU’s most horrific villain has officially been outdone by this one X-Men member.
