'The New Mutants': Dani Moonstar may be behind all the scary happenings, but that does not make her a villain
The first trailer for 'The New Mutants' is here and it focuses quite a bit on Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt), who is one of the most popular mutant characters to appear in the 'New Mutants' comics.
However, while the trailer seems to imply that Dani and the other New Mutants are victims of some sort of evil conspiracy, things may not be as simple as they seem.
Starring Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair / Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin / Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie / Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, and Blu Hunt ('The Originals') as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage, the movie will see the young mutants being brought to a hospital where they are psychologically monitored before things take a very dark turn.
What first seems to be a safe haven is revealed to be a murder house that forces the young mutants to face their worst fears until the day they break. Everything in the trailer seems to point to this being some sort of attack on the youngsters but Dani's powers and the appearance of the Demon Bear in the trailer make things a lot more complicated. In the comics, Dani is a powerful mutant who once even became a Valkyrie but that's not where her powers began.
Back when she was introduced, Dani's mutant ability was the power to create psychic illusions of people's fears. This is quite literally what seems to be happening to the New Mutants.The trailer doesn't reveal any details about Dani's powers, which honestly seems quite suspicious. Does that mean Dani is the true villain? Perhaps, but that's not the only possibility.
The Demon Bear is a mysterious entity whose true origins in the comics are still unknown. It haunted Dani since childhood, appearing to her in visions and threatening to kill her.
At one point, it was believed that the Demon Bear might actually be a manifestation of Dani's powers but it was eventually revealed that the monster is an independent entity that just so happens to have a special connection to the young mutant. Based on all the evidence, it seems quite likely that the majority of the horror elements we see in the trailer are projections that Dani is creating subconsciously.
It might even turn out that the Demon Bear is possessing Dani and making her create these terrifying illusions without her knowledge. Either way, the young heroes are going to have their work cut out for them subduing the mystical entity and possibly their friend as well.
'The New Mutants' is scheduled to arrive in theaters on April 3.
