Ms. Marvel

2022 - 6 - 7

Post cover — Image courtesy of "BBC News"

Why Marvel has struck gold with Muslim superhero Ms Marvel (BBC News)

As the new Disney+ series Ms Marvel launches, Mohammad Zaheer looks at how its reimagining of a pioneering comic book character is set to be a hit.

As Sue Obeidi says, "I hope this character and this series is going to be a springboard for many more empowering stories of female Muslims and authentic Muslim representation." But the show also made me relate to it in a way I have with very few series, and that has a lot to do with the characters. There was apprehension amongst fans of the comic books about the changes the show would make to Kamala's powers and backstory. "To have a Muslim character that isn't always carrying the weight of the political environment is so refreshing,” says Obeidi. “A fun, positive and adventure-seeking character is what Muslims want to see and so do general audiences." Never, too, would I have thought that the scourge of many a mosque goer – the shoe thief – would be mentioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That enabled me to get to the relatability of the character almost immediately. While the series does feature some of the cliches of coming-of-age stories, the Pakistani-US background of the main character helps set it apart. She is an adorable bundle of charisma every time she is on the screen. Many felt that one of the very few prominent Pakistani characters should be played by a Pakistani actor. She is your everyday, regular teenager – who happens to be Muslim, who happens to be Pakistani American, and who happens to be a superhero. According to Sue Obeidi, director of the Hollywood Bureau for the US Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the importance of Ms Marvel being a strong, authentic female Muslim character cannot be overstated. Kamala Khan's arrival into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not just some PR exercise: the popularity of the character demanded it.

Ms. Marvel starts on a bright, fun, authentic note (The A.V. Club)

The Disney Plus superhero series boasts a representation of Islam we rarely see onscreen.

What that heritage is will no doubt be one of the central plot points this season, especially as it seems Muneeba is reluctant to discuss her mother or family in any great detail. “I can’t wear a shalwar kameez to AvengerCon, okay, and you can’t come with me, not dressed like that because it is so humiliating.” And then, silence, as we feel the weight of those sentences settle in. But school and Aamir’s wedding are all a distraction from Kamala’s goal of getting to AvengerCon. Despite her initial reluctance, Muneeba agrees to let Kamala go, on a couple of conditions. This scene—as the horror drifts over Kamala’s face at the realization of what she’s said, as her father tries to hide his hurt over his daughter’s rejection, as her mother expresses her disappointed in a quiet, controlled voice—is the most powerful in this episode, because it feels so true. The change in powers won’t make everyone happy, but I’m willing to hold out before I judge, especially as it’s clear that in the show Kamala’s powers are in some way linked to her family and heritage. It’s only by tying a scarf around the waist and donning her grandmother’s bracelet (stolen from the box in the attic) that Kamala can go on stage at AvengerCon, after she and Bruno sneak out of the house and make it there despite a series of small disasters. The only thing more cringy was Kamala’s guidance counselor Mr Wilson, although his proclamation that in Kamala he sees “a girl divided” is spot on. Islam is woven into the fabric of my life, not something that lives separately to me; it manifests in different ways at different moments; and it’s always there, like it is for the Khans. From the moment Kamala calls her mom ammi and rolls up a paratha for breakfast, it’s clear this show has thought about the little touches needed to present the Khans as authentically as possible. Could that be a cuff Kamala spots in a box her grandmother has sent over from Pakistan? Definitely, since Muneeba confiscates it right away and is acting very sus about the whole thing. This is a representation of Islam we rarely see onscreen: subtle but not hidden, and one that feels realistic to me. Or do you want to be some cosmic-head-in-the-clouds person?” Those words from Muneeba Khan (Zenobia Shroff), directed at her daughter Kamala (Iman Vellani), come at the close of the first episode of Ms. Marvel and tidily sum up the premise of the series: Who is it that Kamala Khan actually wants to be?

Ms. Marvel Episode 1 Review: Generation Why (Den of Geek)

Ms. Marvel episode 1 is a shot in the arm for the MCU: an irresistible sugar rush with good vibes to spare.

Though the series delivers a large helping of effortless charm from the entire cast, Vellani is the star of Ms. Marvel, and much of this episode’s success rests on the 19-year-old’s shoulders. As fellow Den of Geek editor Alec Bojalad quite succinctly put it, Ms. Marvel is “a fun superhero origin story for MCU fans, about MCU fans, and starring an MCU fan.” Kamala collects merch and yearns to attend the very first Avengers Con. She idolizes Captain Marvel and can’t get enough of Scott Lang’s tall tales. Watching this was like drinking the combined end credits sequences of Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy and the spirit of Into the Spider-Verse in a big ol’ Slushie – just an irresistible sugar rush. For my money, this was the best Marvel Disney+ pilot of the lot. Then, the Disney+ arm of the MCU round-housed us with the ambitious-but-divisive Moon Knight earlier this year, and even some hardcore Marvel fans started wondering if Phase 4 was getting a bit messy. MCU Phase 4 has been a time of experimentation for Marvel Studios. After a slam dunk Phase 3 climax with Avengers: Endgame, there was a shift as Marvel seemed to understand that in a lot of ways they had to start from scratch by building new corners inside their established universe.

What are Ms. Marvel's powers and abilities? Why can't Kamala ... (Polygon)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Ms. Marvel show on Disney Plus makes some big changes to Kamala Khan's embiggening powers.

And it also still has the essence of how her fight choreography was in the comics too.” At this point in the series, the audience is learning just as much about Kamala’s powers as she is. In some ways, these new bangle powers are replicating the most iconic moves of a stretchy superhero, just without all the gross stretching flesh. “We want to make sure that we still retain the essence [of the character],” Amanat said, “but still evolve, and make it relevant to the stories that we’re telling in the MCU at that moment in time. This put her in the long-standing class of stretchy characters, whose bodies behave more like chewing gum than flesh and bones, but Kamala added her own style on top. In the first episode of her Disney Plus series, Kamala is just beginning to get in touch with her superpowers, but you might be wondering what they’ll look like when she masters them.

Ms Marvel, Disney Plus review — the franchise unveils its first ... (Financial Times)

Iman Vellani charms as teenager Kamala Khan in an adventure story as much about heritage as battling evil.

Ms Marvel cast: Full list of actors and characters in MCU series (Radio Times)

Ms Marvel stars Iman Vellani as the titular hero, but who acts alongside her? Find out all about the cast and characters of the Marvel Disney Plus show.

Where have I seen Mohan Kapur before? Where have I seen Zenobia Shroff before? Where have I seen Travina Springer before? Where have I seen Rish Shah before? Where have I seen Yasmeen Fletcher before? Where have I seen Matt Lintz before?

Ms Marvel review – a glorious debut for the MCU's first Muslim ... (The Guardian)

The superhero is Pakistani-American teenager Kamala Khan, Marvel's first Muslim headliner, whose solo comic book series made its debut in 2014. The miniseries ...

There’s a nice twist by the end of the second episode that promises a satisfying development of this element, but it is the domestic scenes and familial relationships that are the greatest strength of the opening instalments. The bangle allows her powers to be tied to Kamala’s Pakistani heritage and the trauma of Partition in particular. Eventually, and with the help of her best friend, Bruno, (Matt Lintz) – who is also, handily, a tech genius – Cinderella gets to the cosplay ball.

After 'Ms. Marvel,' Read These 5 Comics (Wired.co.uk)

The latest Marvel show on Disney+ will be a game-changer. Here's what to read after you've fallen for Kamala Khan.

The current comics incarnation of Kamala Khan has just finished one series—the multidimensional Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit—and is prepping to appear in a three-part story over the summer that will pair her with Wolverine, Moon Knight, and Venom, respectively. It was only a matter of time before Ms. Marvel got to play in the larger Marvel Universe, and All-New All-Different Avengers—a title that launched in the aftermath of the aforementioned Secret Wars storyline—brought her face-to-face with some of the biggest characters Marvel had at the time, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man. Was she too awed by them to earn her place on the team, or does she only prove to be even more amazing as a result of what happens? Of course, the end of the world wasn’t the end of the story, and years later Kamala has gone missing just when she’s needed the most. The looming comic book storyline Secret Wars is the backdrop for “Last Days,” in which the end of the world really is nigh, forcing Kamala to come to terms with a lot of hard truths, face off against an unexpected last-minute enemy … and meet her hero, Captain Marvel, just to add to her stress. The answer demonstrates the kind of impact Ms. Marvel—and, separately, Kamala Khan—has had on those around her, and provides an unlikely but entirely charming full-circle moment to her story, as the fangirl gets to reckon with the reality that she’s become the object of fandom herself. Think of it as an update to the classic Spider-Man formula that stays even more focused on the real person inside the costume.

Ms. Marvel

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