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Marvel writer Jason Aaron received a lot of flak over his version of Pocahontas in the King Conan #3 comic, which was released February 16. A mysterious princess of the cursed island reveals her true identity to Conan in the issue.
The character introduces herself to Conan after he was stranded on the island. She refers to herself as Princess Matoaka, who was originally from a "land of plenty, farther west across the many waters, where her people lived in great numbers, in grand cities built to the sun gods."
As per Native American history, it is believed that the legendary Powhatan girl was also named Matoaka later. Aaron's female character shares almost the same story as the real Pocahontas. Meanwhile, she was reportedly named Amonute at birth.
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Fans criticize Jason Aaron for his depiction of Pocahontas
Almost all fans took offense to the overtly s**ualized depiction of Princess Matoaka by Mahmud Asrar, who also did the comic art. Furthermore, since the real Matoaka passed at the young age of 20 or 21, many comic readers berated the issue for it's depiction of a young girl.
In the issue, the princess also acts in a sultry manner with Conan. Moreover, her unnecessarily revealing attire and attempts to seduce the Cimmerian are also of concern in the context of Pocahontas' age.
Controversy with the depicted version of Pocahontas in King Conan #3 comic explained
In this comic issue, the character reveals that she is from a faraway place. The version of Pocahontas also said that her father exiled her for reportedly helping a colonial explorer.
As per King Conan (2021) #3, princess Matoaka fell in love with the explorer from Acheron, whom she showed her city's treasures. The city was looted by the colonials and her lover, whom she was later forced to kill.
The aforementioned backstory is inspired by either the Disney-fied version or the mythological one. However, the true story of Pocahontas is much more disturbing.
In reality, the princess was never in love with Captain John Smith. She was reportedly married to a fellow tribal at the age of 14 and soon gave birth to a daughter. Later, her first husband was killed by the colonist, who also kidnapped her.
During her captivity, the young princess was reportedly baptized against her will. She was also betrothed to John Rolfe and later gave birth to Thomas Rolfe.
Jason Aaron's apology for the controversy
Aaron made his apology for the extreme criticism via a statement to Bleeding Cool. He said that he never intended to base the character on someone from history. However,
"I made the ill-considered decision to give a character the name of Matoaka, a name most closely associated with the real-life Native American figure, Pocahontas."
He further added,
"I understand the outrage expressed by those who hold the true Matoaka's legacy dear, and for all of this and the distress it's caused, I apologize."
Additionally, the writer donated his earnings for the issue to the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center. He also added that the appearance and name would be changed in further issues, digital, and collectable versions
As of now, Marvel Comics has not addressed the controversy, nor have they confirmed Jason Aaron's claims of making changes in further issues. The next Conan issue, i.e., King Conan #4, is set to release on March 23.
