‘Ms. Marvel’ Is a Brilliant Introduction for Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan

It’s been a long time coming for the younger generation of superheroes to make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and so far, we haven’t been disappointed. Joining the Disney+ debut circuit (alongside Kate Bishop in the series Hawkeye) comes Kamala Khan in her first outing in Ms. Marvel. The series, directed in part by Meera Menon, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Adil El Arbi, and Bilall Farrah, was created by Bisha K. Ali and gives Kamala Khan, the beloved Pakistani-American hero from Marvel comics, her time to shine on the screen.

Kamala Khan makes history for the Marvel Cinematic Universe by being the first Muslim superhero, and she flies in with bright colors, a bubbly personality, and a love for the Avengers that rivals our own as fans of the franchise. And the first two episodes of the Disney+ are a joyous introduction to Kamala Khan. Played by Iman Vellani, we get to see her come into her own with her powers while sharing her love of the Avengers with her best friend Bruno (Matt Lintz), even if it causes tensions in her relationship with her parents.

The series has its challenges, and some of the changes to Kamala’s character from the comics seem like an unnecessary departure from the character we know and love from the page, but hopefully, as the series continues on, we will see the reasons behind the changes and they will honor Kamala and her history in a way that brings life to her live-action debut. Otherwise, the series is the most fun out of the Disney+ era of the MCU and is a great look into Kamala’s energy and character.

A fangirl’s dream

What the show really highlights and does so well is Kamala’s love for the Avengers and how it fuels her own superhero dreams. From the jump, we see Kamala sharing her love for the Avengers via her YouTube channel and highlighting her favorite heroes but the one she loves most is Captain Marvel. All her ambitions that we see in the first two episodes stem from her desire to go to Avengers Con (a convention that many of us should wish were real).

Kamala Khan wants to go to Avengers Con dressed like Captain Marvel to try to win the cosplay contest, and she’s working with Bruno to make her costume as perfect as possible. The problem is convincing her family and also making her Captain Marvel cosplay her own. The way she does it is by taking bracelets that her grandmother sent her and putting them on with her outfit. The problem there is that the bracelets give her a new ability to create energy/stretch herself when needed to save people.

There are aspects of the show that I hope get better as the series goes on. They’re not bad; they’re just changes from the source material that need more explaining to make them work, and her powers are different but she still has some of the same abilities, and it will be fascinating to see how those changes tie into her origin from the comics. But what I love so much about Ms. Marvel is how fun Kamala is.

Bigger things are coming for her as a character, especially by the end of episode 2 and with the larger MCU tie-ins that we know are heading Kamala’s way, with her upcoming role in the movie The Marvels. But it doesn’t take away from Kamala’s energy. She’s so free and open to everything happening to her that she’s not afraid of embracing her powers in a way that many new superheroes are. She’s ready to take them on and train, and it’s so refreshing to see.

I’m excited for the rest of Ms. Marvel to see where the series takes Kamala!

(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)