Warning: Spoilers for Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds Year One #1!The Firefly universe changes forever as it finally delves deep into the world and the mind of Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds. Fans fell in love almost instantly with the devil-may-care character of Mal from the moment he debuted onscreen in the show's pilot. With that said, the show was always mysterious about his past, and because of its swift cancelation, never had time to delve deeper into his origins.
Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds: Year One #1 by Sam Humphries, Giovanni Fabiano, Gloria Martinelli, and Jim Campbell finally takes the time to give audiences the prequel origin story that readers have been waiting for. The TV show only delivered small bread crumbs - if even that - of where Mal came from and how he became the character he is when fans meet him.
This one-shot expands on those breadcrumbs and, by proxy, expands on the lore of Firefly, giving the franchise a companion piece equivalent to that of Batman: Year One.
Breaking Down Mal's New Origin Story
What Readers Learn About Mal in This New Firefly Comic
In the original show, not much is known about Mal beyond the fact that he was raised by a mother and "about 40 hands" on a ranch in the middle of planet Shadow. Year One expands on that knowledge by adding to the fact that Mal was a member of a gang as a young man, called the Shadow Hunter Gang. Mal and his compatriots ambush a bus carrying weapons, or so they think. A further inspection reveals that the bus is actually empty, and the whole thing is an ambush orchestrated by the Alliance.
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Unfortunately for Mal, his partners in crime decide that someone needs to stay behind to take the rap for the crime, so they flee the scene on jetpacks that Mal doesn't even know they have. Mal is arrested and charged with "acts of weapon pilferin'. War profiterrin'." Mal doesn't even know anything about the Unification War, and is given two choices for his sentencing. His first option is to go to the gulag on Trakis Seven. Mal picks the second option without even knowing what it is, probably because anything sounds better than a labor camp.
Mal's origin story certainly adds a new layer as to why Mal hates the Alliance as much as he always has. It's more than just despising enemy lines, but because he is forced to be a recruit and, as a result, he witnesses firsthand how the Alliance operates and treats its own
Little does Mal know that Option Two is to join the Alliance as a begrudging participant in the war. This new caveat to Mal's origin story certainly adds a new layer as to why Mal hates the Alliance as much as he always has. It's more than just despising enemy lines, it's because he is forced to be a recruit and, as a result, he witnesses firsthand how the Alliance operates and treats its own. He hates the Alliance because he knows the Alliance far too well.
How Mal Met the Browncoats
And How It Changed His Life
Mal frequently reports back to his mother through letters about how much he hates the Unification War and how much he hates the kind of work he is forced to do. This work includes seemingly neverending marching drills and digging up dead bodies, which are used to prove a point to soldiers like Mal about where they will go if they betray the Alliance. He especially hates his commanding officer, Gardner, and from day one, the feeling is mutual. During one of these endless digging and marching rituals that Gardner orchestrates, their unit is ambushed.
An explosion rocks everyone on ground level, and Gardner is stabbed in the back. Mal and one Montgomery "Monty" Clearwater take cover as the Browncoats set up a beachhead. It's at this point that Mal has the bright idea that if he and Monty reach their ship, the Browncoats will welcome them both with open arms. He's certain that this is the case, because they hate the Alliance as much as the Browncoats do. Before they can reach the Browncoats, though, one of the Browncoats gets to them first at gunpoint. The Browncoat introduces herself as Corporal Zoe Alleyne.
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Somehow, it isn't surprising to see that Zoe and Mal's first interaction is with her waving a gun in his face. It's the life of a bounty hunter and a Browncoat, after all. Just as the Browncoats' trademark signature is to shoot first and ask questions later, Mal's signature is to use his trademark charm. A week passes for Mal and Monty as they are prisoners of the Browncoats. That's when they reunite with Zoe. Talking about his life on Seven Pines is enough for Mal to catch Zoe's attention, and he even gets her to crack a smile.
That's also when Mal tries to convince Zoe that he and Monty actually left the Alliance and would rather be Browncoats. Eventually, it's the Alliance who ambush the Browncoats in return. Monty is quick to escape to freedom, hoping to flee the war, but Mal decides to stay behind to save the Browncoats, eventually persuading Monty to do the same. This is enough to convince Zoe and company that Mal is a true believer and a true Browncoat. They both earn their Browncoat status, with Mal receiving his signature pistol and coat at the end.
How This Origin Changes Firefly Lore
Year One Paints Mal in a Whole New Light
Among many other things, this one-shot manages to completely recontextualize the importance of the Browncoats for Mal. It raises the stakes of his allegiance to the Browncoats as much as it shines a light on the reasons behind his hatred for the Alliance. The Browncoats are there for Mal when all hope seems lost, and when he is mentally beaten and battered by war in ways he never could have imagined as a child ignorant to what war is all about. He needs the Browncoats as much as the Browncoats need Mal.
Similarly, it showcases how Mal first gets his signature pistol that he touts throughout the TV series. It's a smaller reveal, but it's still significant, as it reveals the history of how Mal received a major accessory in his iconic costume. It's no different than showing off how a superhero gets their signature emblem or, sticking within the frame of a Year One analogy, how Batman decides to use a bat as a symbol. Even a small anecdote builds upon Firefly's lore in a way that informs readers about Mal Reynolds' character in ways the show couldn't.
Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds: Year One #1 is on sale now from BOOM! Studios.
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Sci-Fi
Drama
Adventure
Set in the year 2517, Firefly follows the crew of the Serenity, a smuggling ship operating on the fringes of Alliance space. Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is a veteran of a civil war, bitter about having fought for the losing side and now making his living as an outlaw smuggler out among the distant colonies forgotten and ignored by the Alliance. However, after taking on paying passengers, Mal finds himself caught up in a conspiracy likely to bring the whole Alliance military down on him and his crew.
- Cast
- Ron Glass , Morena Baccarin , Alan Tudyk , Adam Baldwin , Summer Glau , Gina Torres , Nathan Fillion , Sean Maher , Jewel Staite
- Release Date
- September 20, 2002
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu , Disney+
- Writers
- Joss Whedon
- Directors
- Joss Whedon
- Showrunner
- Joss Whedon
