Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Starring Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel), Matt Lintz (Bruno Carrelli), Yasmeen Fletcher (Nakia Bahadir), Zenobia Shroff (Muneeba Khan), Mohan Kapur (Yusuf Khan), Saagar Shaikh (Aamir Khan), Laurel Marsden (Zoe Zimmer), Rish Shah (Kamran), Laith Nakli (Sheikh Abdullah), Nimra Bucha (Najma), Samina Ahmad (Sana), Fawad Khan (Hasan), Mehwish Hayat (Aisha), Farhan Akhtar (Waleed), and Aramis Knight (Kareem / Red Dagger) with a special appearance by Brie Larsen as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel.
MS. MARVEL
Showrunner: Bisha K. Ali
A Kevin Feige Production
Produced by Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, and Adil & Bilall
Music By Laura Karpman
Distributed by Disney Platform Distribution
Number of Episodes: 6
Initial Streaming: June 8, 2022 â July 13, 2022
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
In the Comics
In November of 2013, Marvel Comics announced a new Ms. Marvel title that would revolve around a teenage American Muslim girl from New Jersey, beginning in February of 2014. The series would formally introduce the Kamala Khan character and would be written by G. Willow Wilson (herself an American Muslim) and illustrated by Canadian comic book artist Adrian Alphona. The book would be the first-ever Marvel title to be headlined by a Muslim character. The initial idea for Kamala Khan was devised by Pakistani American comic book editor Sana Amanat while telling tales of her own childhood experiences with a fellow editor. Amanat grew to believe that a comic book series reflecting those challenges and triumphs in an authentic way while revolving around a superhero was a tale worth telling, and Kamala Khan was born!
Ms. Marvel as a comic book title has a storied history within Marvel. The series dates all the way back to 1977, and originally starred Carol Danvers, who was originally known as Ms. Marvel. The Danvers character shed the âMs. Marvelâ name in the Summer of 2012 in exchange for the title of âCaptain Marvelâ, leaving the âMs. Marvelâ moniker open to be claimed by Kamala a year-and-a-half later. Kamala Khan was actually introduced as a Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel super-fan in her Ms. Marvel series.
The first issue of Ms. Marvel starring Kamala Khan was published on February 5, 2014. The cover was bold and captivating, depicting a dark-skinned female carrying schoolbooks wearing a shirt boasting the logo that would become affiliated with the character. Kamala was shown as having received her superpowers due to being an Inhuman. Her powers manifested themselves after she was exposed to the Terrigen Mists. Kamala’s powers involve what she labeled âembiggening.â She is able to stretch, shrink, and grow, which allows her to alter the size of her entire body, or specific parts of her body, with the visual of her creating enormous fists being a recurring theme in the pages of her books. Think Mister Fantastic crossed with Ant-Man! Kamala’s Inhuman heritage came about during a time when Marvel Comics had decided against introducing new mutant characters since the film and television rights to those characters were held by Fox at that time.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Kamala Khan was introduced during Marvel Comics’ All-New Marvel Now! campaign. This was an extension of the company’s Marvel Now! Campaign which was launched in the Summer of 2012. Marvel was widely criticized during this time for championing âSocial Justice.â Many longstanding superheroes were re-imagined during this time with mantles that had been traditionally held by Caucasian males being transferred over to a combination of females and characters of other races. Marvel introduced a Black Spider-Man (Miles Morales). African American Sam Wilson became Captain America. Korean American Amadeus Cho became The Hulk. Latino Robbie Reyes became Ghost Rider. African American female Riri Williams became âIronheartâ (a spin-off of Iron Man). Loki officially became gender fluid in Loki: Agent of Asgard. Jane Foster became Thor. And of course, Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel and Kamala Khan became Ms. Marvel. Different things motivated people’s negative feelings. Some were simply and genuinely opposed to change. They like what they like. Of course, others were motivated by problems with people of color and women in power. They hate what they hate. Marvel moved forward nonetheless, and while some of these titles found success and some didn’t, there were some absolute gems, with Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel leading the pack for those that gave these series’ a chance. Ms. Marvel won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2015. That same year, Adrian Alphona won the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist. One year later, the Ms. Marvel series was honored with the Dragon Award for Best Comic Book and the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in comics.
Ms. Marvel has continued to be a major part of Marvel Comics in the years since her debut and first series run. In the Summer of 2017, Marvel published the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel starring Kamala Khan. Then in March of 2019, Marvel began publishing a new series starring Kamala titled The Magnificent Ms. Marvel with Saladin Ahmed taking over the character from G. Willow Wilson. In February of 2021, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel series concluded with its 18th issue, which also marked the 75th Ms. Marvel issue starring Kamala.
Kamala Khan has also been affiliated with The Avengers, The Champions, and The Secret Warriors in the comics, and has had memorable team-ups with Captain Marvel and Spider-Man.
More recent Ms. Marvel comics have embraced her mutant heritage.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Fun Ms. Marvel Facts
Marvel Studios announced Ms. Marvel as a series that was being developed for the new Disney+ streaming service on August 23, 2019, at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced Bisha K. Ali would be the showrunner, overseeing the development of the series.
On November 12, 2019, The Walt Disney Company launched the Disney+ streaming service in the United States. Marvel Studios produced a presentation titled Marvel Studios: Expanding the Universe for launch day, which featured footage from the previous Summer’s D23 Expo and San Diego Comic Con. Concept art for Ms. Marvel was shown as part of the feature.
On September 30, 2020, Marvel Studios announced the casting of the 18-year-old Pakistani-born Iman Vellani to portray Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel and beyond within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Vellani is a real-life Muslim and self-described Marvel fangirl that grew up in Canada as an avid comic book reader and diehard fan of the MCU. She even dressed up as Kamala Khan for Halloween in 2015! Vellani auditioned for the role as part of a Zoom conference, as COVID-19 was ravaging the world in the Fall of 2020. Sana Amanat has stated that she came to view Vellani as a living embodiment of the Kamala Khan character during her audition due to her natural and genuine enthusiasm for all things Marvel. With Kamala Khan being depicted as a fangirl, it made sense to cast an actual fangirl for the role. Vellani landed the part despite having no formal acting background or experience to speak of.
On December 10, 2020, an elaborate presentation featuring Marvel Studios CCO Kevin Feige aired on Disney+ as part of Disney’s âInvestors Day.â Ms. Marvel was one of the many Marvel Studios projects discussed by Feige, as he discussed Iman Vellani’s casting as Kamala Khan and voiced hopes for a late-2021 release for the series. Feige furthermore announced that Vellani would be reprising her role as Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios’ upcoming feature film sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel directed by Nia DaCosta and co-starring Brie Larsen as Carol Danvers and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. This film was originally announced for a July 8, 2022, release, but that would change to November 11, 2022. On May 3, 2021, Marvel Studios unveiled the official title for the Iman Vellani, Brie Larsen, and Teyonah Parris film as The Marvels. On October 28, 2021, The Marvels was pushed back to 2023, eventually landing in the November 10, 2023, release slot.
Filming on Ms. Marvel commenced in November of 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. Filming also took place in Thailand. Filming concluded in May of 2021. Right after filming concluded, Iman Vellani began filming scenes for The Marvels. The Marvels wrapped up physical production in November of 2021.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Ms. Marvel was released theatrically in Pakistan during the Summer of 2022 due to Disney+ being unavailable in the region.
Ms. Marvel was viewed in just 775,000 households during its first week of release, making it Marvel Studios’ least-watched debut series ever on Disney+. Ms. Marvel was Marvel Studios’ seventh series on Disney+ following WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, What If âŚ?, Hawkeye, and Moon Knight.
Despite being Marvel Studios’ least-watched Disney+ production, Ms. Marvel was Marvel Studios’ highest-rated production ever on Rotten Tomatoes, claiming an astounding 98% Approval Rating from critics.
In Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan’s Bangle is shown to be of Cosmic origin, but it is never formally named in the series. A flashback scene does show the Bangle being discovered within the ruins of an ancient temple in India, taken off a severed blue arm. This could have been a Kree (unconfirmed by Marvel Studios), which would give Kamala Khan obvious ties to Captain Marvel, but a Ten Rings logo could also be seen within the venue, and that could mean the Bangle is tied in some way to the Ten Rings and Shang-Chi (unconfirmed by Marvel Studios). The complexity of the Bangle was expanded upon during a credits scene, as Kamala Khan and Carol Danvers inadvertently switched places after the Bangle activated itself. Fans have speculated that the Bangle could be some form of cinematic interpretation of items such as the Quantum Bands or the Nega Bands from the Marvel Comics, but this has not yet been confirmed by Marvel Studios either. Ms. Marvel does imply that there is another Bangle somewhere out there within the 616-Universe that would match Kamala’s. Was this Bangle divided into Ten Rings? Does Captain Marvel have it? Do The Kree have it? All of these things are questions that will need to be answered in the future as the MCU moves forward.
In Ms. Marvel, we see Kamala Khan’s Bangle thrust her through time from 2025 to the year 1947. There, Kamala uses the Bangle to reunite her then-toddler grandmother Sana with her father Hasan by showing the child a series of twinkling lights that Sana identified as stars, in the process learning that she was the subject of a family tale that had been sacred to Sana. Without Kamala’s intervention, her mother Muneeba may never had been born, which of course would mean that Kamala would have never been born. However, if Kamala was never born, she would have never been able to travel back in time through the Bangle and assist her grandmother. This is a Time Loop, and on the surface, seems to contradict the MCU’s Time Travel rules which were established in Avengers: Endgame. That movie emphatically stated that one’s future could not be changed by traveling back to the past, but Ms. Marvel showed a clear instance of Time Travel in which the past and the future depend upon one another: a Time Loop. Kamala was able to accomplish this through the Cosmic / mystical power of her Bangle, as opposed to The Avengers, who traveled back through time via the Quantum Realm.
In Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan is revealed to have a genetic mutation. This makes her the first acknowledged mutant of the MCU 616-Universe! Mutants had of course been prohibited for use by Marvel Studios for years due to the rights to all mutant characters belonging to 20th Century Fox, who produced their first X-Men film in the year 2000. In 2017, The Walt Disney Company acquired Fox, bringing the rights to all mutant characters to Marvel Studios. The deal was finalized in 2019. Patrick Stewart (who portrayed Professor Charles Xavier in several X-Men films produced by Fox from 2000-2017), reprised his role as Xavier in the 2022 Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Stewart portrayed a version of Charles Xavier that was the leader of The X-Men and a member of The Illuminati in the 838-Universe within the MCU. This was the first mutant character featured in a Marvel Studios film since Marvel Studios went independent and produced Iron Man as the first MCU film in 2008. Kamala Khan’s genetic âmutationâ officially ushered mutants into the 616-Universe, which is a monumental MCU moment, to say the least. In an ensuing interview, Kamala Khan co-creator Sana Amanat admitted that Kamala Khan was intended to be a mutant when the character was first created for the comics, but new mutant characters had become taboo within Marvel at the time due to licensing rights. Nonetheless, Kamala’s mutant heritage signaled the arrival of mutants into the MCU 616-Universe, as evident by the accompanying tune of the theme to X-Men: The Animated Series at the time of the reveal, which also sounded when Charles Xavier appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, Ms. Marvel was confirmed as taking place in the Fall of 2025 upon the MCU (Sacred) Timeline. This puts the series chronologically after She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and before Thor: Love and Thunder.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
My Ms. Marvel Review
Generation Why â Directed by Adil & Bilall. Written by Bisha K. Ali
First Aired on June 8, 2022, on Disney+.
Ms. Marvel kicked-off in the most perfect way possible! I love the Kamala Khan character in the comics and was a big fan of G. Willow Wilson’s work with the character in the comics. Beginning with that very first issue in 2014, I found myself transported into a world that I had very little understanding of and no previous experience with. In many, many ways, reading Ms. Marvel was a learning experience for me; a window into a culture and religion that I was not accustomed to, and I really loved that about it, and the nicest thing I can say about this show right from the start, is that it did that very same thing! Only, it increased these feelings, as there were many more elements of the culture and the religion and the traditions of Muslim people that I was exposed to in this show such as music, food, and clothing. Just like with the comics, I felt like I was learning while I watched this show, and that made it a unique and satisfying experience on top of the pure entertainment value.
In my review for Thor: Love and Thunder (which was released theatrically while Ms. Marvel was streaming on Disney+), I suggested that the film may not be for viewers who don’t have an open mind when it comes to religion and the fact that other people out there have different beliefs, different viewpoints, and worship different gods. I’m doubling down on that statement as it pertains to Ms. Marvel.
I live in the Southern United States, and I live and have grown up within a very Christian culture. There’s seemingly a church on every corner devoted to one denomination of the Christian faith or another, and most of those churches are packed come Sunday morning. A lot of Christians believe with passion that their God is the only god, and their faith is the only path to Heaven, and a lot of those people (most in my experience) have no interest in learning about nor hearing about other faiths, because they see themselves as right and others as wrong. To be fair, Christianity is far from the only religion that thinks they’re right and everyone else is wrong, it’s just that my main experience with religion has been through a Christian lens because of where I was born and who I was raised by, and I personally know people who were turned off by the notion of Ms. Marvel instantly simply because the show revolved around a brown Muslim girl. This show really isn’t for those people. Ms. Marvel is a show that knows what it wants to be and never shies away from it, even for an instant. It really is a show about a brown Muslim superhero, and it is unapologetic about that. Personally, I thought that was a huge part of its charm, but to each their own, I guess.
In a post-9/11 world, Muslims have and still do struggle with far more than their religion. The events of September 11, 2001, sparked a wide-ranging anti-Muslim sentiment within the United States, and even people who maybe aren’t practicing Christians would be opposed to Ms. Marvel because again, it revolves around a brown Muslim girl. As someone who is old enough to have lived through the horrifying tragedy that was 9/11, it’s surreal to think that Iman Vellani wasn’t even born yet when those planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon (and let’s not forget Pennsylvania). âNever Forgetâ has been a consistent motto pertaining to that horrible day, but it should also never be forgotten that these were 19 extremists that carried out these attacks. 19 individuals out of the 1-billion-plus people who adhere to the Muslim faith. The men who carried out these attacks were evil, malicious, murderous human beings that called themselves Muslims. They did not represent the religion itself nor the people who practice it globally. There is nothing wrong with patriotism. Not on any side, quite frankly, but I’m speaking specifically about American patriotism. Heck, Captain America is my favorite superhero, and the New England Patriots are my all-time favorite football team! I love patriotism and I love Americana. There is a fine line between patriotism and outright racism though, and I make it a point not to judge anyone based on how they look or how they dress or what they believe or what color their skin is. Every race, every religion, every culture, probably even every family boasts people who do bad things; who do evil things; who hurt others and carry out acts of hate in the name of their god or their love for that god. This is a Universal truth. People suck ⌠but people are also awesome and that’s one of life’s greatest complexities. Human beings are capable of such beautiful and terrible things. All of us.
Finding the beauty in life while surrounded by pain and suffering is one of life’s great challenges. I constantly preach to my kids to focus on things that make them happy and to not let anyone belittle the things that bring them joy. I try to apply that to my life as well, and Marvel and superheroes and the MCU are one of those things for me. I love and enjoy these characters and these stories so much, but for all the ways they provide an escape from all the crazy out there, they also are often grounded in that crazy and the Marvel Studios team have never shied away from tackling the big issues and commentating on the state of affairs through their films and shows. Ms. Marvel was going to be a controversial and political show due to its nature, no matter what. It’s just the way of the world. I find myself feeling really defensive about the show though, because it has exposed so much ignorance and so much hatred while trying to break down those very barriers. Part of me thinks people should give this show a chance. The more pessimistic side of me also thinks that it wouldn’t matter, but I believe this show deserves every ounce of the praise and acclaim that it has received.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Alas, let’s move beyond all of the controversy and get into the show itself! There is no place to start for me other than with Iman Vellani and Kamala Khan. I’m not going to mix words here. This is one of my favorite MCU superheroes and characters! Already! I don’t know how this character could have possibly won me over more! She is flawlessly likable. She is irresistibly adorable. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She is fragile and empowered all at the same time. She is captivating. She is wholesome. She is charming and exuberant. She is a delight to watch and follow every time she is on the screen. As a viewer, you want to watch her. You want to listen to her. You want to cheer for her. You want to see her succeed. There has never been an MCU character that has made me smile and cry from moment-to-moment like Kamala Khan did throughout this series. And I’m not just talking about Kamala as a character, but of Iman Vellani as an actor. Iman Vellani IS Kamala Khan! I still can’t get over the fact that this girl had no real acting experience to speak of. She is obviously a natural, because this show working depended on Iman Vellani getting this character over with the audience more so than any other person in this show, and she knocked the proverbial ball out of the stadium! Easily, one of the most brilliant casting decisions ever made by Marvel Studios, and a character whose journey I hope we will be able to follow for years to come!
One of the things that makes Kamala Khan so great is that she is one of us! What I mean by that, is she is a nerd, a fan. If you’re reading this right now, I figure you love the MCU, and though Kamala is in the MCU, she loves this world’s heroes just like we do! This is stressed in this first episode through Kamala’s artwork, the posters decorating her room, and of course, her desire to go to âAvenger Con.â
And oh, my goodness, how cool was âAvenger Con!?!â First of all, I want to go! Like, really bad! This just has to become a thing eventually! âAvenger Conâ is more or less akin to San Diego Comic Con within the MCU. It’s a celebration of superheroes and their adventures, and this scene was fully loaded with Easter-eggs and MCU lore! First of all, cosplayers are everywhere! There are girls dressed like the USO tour girls that we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger, there are people dressed like Thor, Mantis, Drax, Wakandan Warriors, Doctor Strange, and the Iron Girls as seen in Iron Man 2. Kamala meanwhile is dressed as her favorite hero (Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel) and her best friend Bruno is dressed as the late Tony Stark. Beyond all of the cosplay, there are some really cool things related to The Avengers that can be seen at the Con. There is a giant Hulk head and a section devoted to The Hulk containing items that he’s smashed. There are big and small Ant-Man helmets, there is a giant swinging Mjolnir (watch out Zoe!), a Pym Particles punch, a huge section devoted to Asgard, a section devoted to The Guardians of the Galaxy, statues of Captain Marvel and Captain America, and a tribute to Iron Man and Black Widow. Seeing the pure joy and wonder on the face of Kamala Khan throughout these sequences transforms this scene into a very memorable MCU moment that will certainly crack my Top 100 countdown when I eventually update it.
Even the scenes leading up to âAvenger Conâ were exceptionally well done as we see Kamala trying on her cosplay outfit and trying to convince her parents to let her go to âAvenger Con.â The sweetest / saddest moment of this entire episode may have been her parents giving in, with her mom and dad excitedly telling her that dad is going to take her to the Con. He bursts into the room painted green as The Hulk and mom shows Kamala a matching Hulk costume that she’s created for Kamala to wear because it’s much more appropriate than her Captain Marvel getup, only for Kamala to act embarrassed and completely uninterested in buying what her parents are selling. She doesn’t want to go with dad, and she doesn’t want to dress as The Hulk, and the disappointment her parents express is just gut-wrenching and all involved really made this scene, which is one that any parent either can or will relate to, together. The fallout of this is, Kamala was now forbidden to go to âAvenger Conâ, prompting her to sneak out with Bruno and go to the event behind the backs of her parents.
One thing that âAvenger Conâ was sure to emphasize was the fact that the superheroes of the MCU are now, more than ever, celebrities. The events that transpired during the Battle of Earth are widely known about due to the public accounts of those involved. We learn that Scott Lang took part in an extensive podcast and wrote a book, that a former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. wrote a book that Clint Barton was interviewed for, and that books have been written on Peter Quill and Carol Danvers. This sort of thing has been touched upon previously, be it through Hulk’s selfies with fans in Avengers: Endgame or Thor’s selfie with fans in Thor: Ragnarok. Tony Stark was of course a celebrity superhero, and Captain America was featured in comic books, films, and meet-and-greets during the Second World War. We also should not forget Rogers: The Musical (as seen in Hawkeye). Anyway, it’s cool to have it established that select citizens know of events such as Doctor Strange’s giving away of the Time Stone on Titan, Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice on Vormir, and are in on the âAmerica’s Assâ joke pertaining to Captain America! It just enriches the Universe in some very compelling ways.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The bottom line coming out of âAvenger Conâ however is that Kamala Khan is one of us! She dresses up as her favorite heroes, draws them, and thinks about them and their exploits during her free time. She’s basically obsessed! Like us! This makes her immensely relatable and makes her big moment at âAvenger Conâ all the more special, as her powers manifest themselves through her Bangle and she saves the life of her bullying classmate Zoe. Kamala’s Bangle is a mysterious family heirloom that she’d recently defied her mother by keeping in her custody. She simply saw it as a cool piece of jewelry, but it was much, much more than that!
Marvel Studios changed the visual presentation of Kamala’s powers from what they are in the comics. She does not physically stretch like Reed Richards in this show, but rather uses the Cosmic energy emitted from the Bangle to form solid constructs that she can wield to her advantage (if you’re a DC fan, think Green Lantern). This translates to her creating a giant hand to save Zoe with and little bursts of stair-like objects that she can climb. Coming out of âAvenger Conâ, Kamala has performed her first act of lifesaving and now has superpowers, and this is of course, the coolest thing in the world for her!
Bruno agrees to help her try and understand her powers, but in the meantime, Kamala gets busted by her mom, who expresses deep concern for Kamala’s well-being and extreme disappointment in her blatant rebellion. And at this point, I need to praise Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur as Kamala’s mother and father respectively. They bring such a genuine kindness and nobility to their roles and their chemistry with Iman Vellani as well as each other is one of this show’s greatest strengths. From the moment that Kamala’s family is introduced, they are warm and lovable. I also enjoyed her brother Aamir (portrayed by Saagar Shaikh), who contributed a lot of funny moments. It cannot be overstated though how much the family dynamic added to this series, and to this first episode in particular. It was wonderful!
This episode ends with the reveal that Kamala’s exploits at âAvenger Conâ have made their way online, garnering the attention of Damage Control (who you should remember from Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: No Way Home).
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Crushed â Directed by Meera Menon. Written by Kate Gritmon
First Aired on June 15, 2022, on Disney+.
The second episode of Ms. Marvel focuses more on Kamala Khan’s social life. Kamala’s powers have bestowed upon her a higher level of self-esteem, and she begins training with Bruno. At school, Kamala’s exploits have become a hot topic due to Zoe’s account of the incident. Kamala has become known as âNightlightâ; a name coined by Zoe. We are also introduced to Kamala’s close friend Nakia (portrayed by Yasmeen Fletcher). Nakia is another highlight of this show, due to her strong bond with Kamala and political activism within her own mosque.
Kamala, Nakia, and Bruno attend a party that Zoe is hosting where they all meet new student Kamran. Kamala is instantly infatuated with Kamran and when police arrive, she, Nakia, and Bruno all flee the scene with him. Bruno is none too pleased with this development, as he has feelings for Kamala. Kamala feels alive and in love, and for the time being, she is far too wrapped up in Kamran to even worry about her training.
Kamala soon however receives an eerie vision of a mysterious woman, and this prompts her to ask her mother and grandmother about her great-grandmother Aisha, the original owner of her Bangle. Kamala learns that her grandmother (Sana) lost her way during the Partition of India but was able to find her father by following âthe stars.â Later, with South-Asian communities being harassed by the Department of Damage Control in their search for Kamala, Kamala is forced to publicly display her heroism again to save a young boy from falling from the balcony of a mosque.
The DODC give chase as Kamala flees the scene, but she is rescued by Kamran, who introduces her to his mother Najma â the woman from Kamala’s vision.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Destined â Directed by Meera Menon. Written by Freddy Syborn and A.C. Bradley with Matthew Chauncey
First Aired on June 22, 2022, on Disney+.
The third episode of Ms. Marvel sees Najma explain to Kamala that she is part of a group called the Clandestines and they claim to be Djinn that were exiled from the Noor Dimension. Najma says that Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha was a member of their clan. Najma suggests that Kamala’s Bangle can help them return to their home and requests Kamala’s assistance in that category. Kamala vows to help, and reconvenes with Bruno, but her search for answers moves too slow Najma, who decides to force Kamala into assisting them.
In the meantime, Kamala and Bruno attend the wedding of Kamala’s brother. I can’t praise this scene enough! I loved seeing Kamala (and her parents) dance. I enjoyed the music and the celebration and the fun that Kamala and her family were obviously having! Everyone brought it in this wonderful sequence! It was amazing!
Sadly, the wedding gets broken up by the Clandestines. Kamala receives a warning from Kamran, and this prompts her to pull the fire alarm, evacuating the building before the Clandestines attack. Kamala then fights against the Clandestines (loved the use of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer here) and Najma tries to activate the Bangle, which triggers a vision of a mysterious train. The Clandestines (and Kamran) are then arrested by the DODC and Kamala and Bruno flee the scene as Nakia witnesses Kamala’s powers.
Back home, Kamala is chastised for ruining her brother’s wedding and is contacted by her grandmother Sana, who insists she too saw the vision of the train and that Kamala must come to visit her in Karachi.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Seeing Red â Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Written by Sabir Pirzada and A.C. Bradley with Matthew Chauncey
First Aired on June 29, 2022, on Disney+.
Kamala and her mother Muneeba venture to Karachi to meet with Sana. Kamala’s grandmother is thrilled to see her granddaughter but things between herself and her own daughter are rather tense. Kamala takes in the sights and sounds of Karachi and soon abandons her cousins and ventures to the train station where she encounters Kareem, a member of an organization known as The Red Daggers. Kamala befriends Kareem and meets his mentor Waleed (brilliantly portrayed by Farhan Akhtar), who is yet another immensely likable character.
The Red Daggers inform Kamala that the Clandestines have bad intentions and intend to shatter the Veil of Noor, which will endanger the human world. In the meantime, the Clandestines easily escape a not-so-super max prison and Najma abandons Kamran. This leads to a showdown in Karachi between The Red Daggers and the Clandestines. Waleed is killed during the confrontation.
An ensuing fight between Kamala and Najma sees Najma stab Kamala’s Bangle, instantaneously transporting Kamala back through time to 1947 and the Partition of India.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Time and Time Again â Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Written by Fatimah Asghar
First Aired on July 6, 2022, on Disney+.
The fifth episode of Ms. Marvel opens in the year 1942, flashing back to Kamala Khan’s great-grandmother Aisha and the beginning of her relationship with Kamala’s great-grandfather Hasan. We see Hasan kindly take Aisha in and we see them start a family, parenting a young daughter named Sana. Five-years later, during the continued fallout of World War II, the Partition of India takes place and Hasan and Aisha try to flee the chaos with Sana. They are stalked by Najma, who murders Aisha in cold blood. Meanwhile, Sana finds herself separated from her father and simply cannot find him in the chaos. Kamala soon happens upon her dying great-grandmother, who urges her time-traveling great-granddaughter to help Sana find Hasan. Kamala therefore conjures Cosmic energy from her Bangle and creates a series of twinkling lights that Sana sees and follows, leading her back to her dad. It was Kamala all along!
Back in the present, Kamala realizes that Najma has opened the Veil of Noor. She watches in horror as one of the Clandestines are consumed by the energy coming out of the Veil when they try to enter it. Najma then vows to do the same, insisting that she can survive the experience, but Kamala reasons with her to consider Kamran. Najma does, transferring her Djinn power to Kamran and then sacrificing herself to close the veil.
In the aftermath, Kamala’s mother and grandmother discover that she is Nightlight, and cast their full support to Kamala. From there, Kamran seeks out Bruno for help with his unsettling new abilities. The Circle Q at which Bruno works is consequently destroyed by a Damage Control drone that had been trailing Kamran.
I want to point out here, how much I enjoyed the scenes set in the 1940’s. This was really good stuff and the chemistry between Mehwish Hayat (Aisha) and Fawad Khan (Hasan) really helped this portion of the series work. I absolutely adored the reveal that Kamala was the one that showed little Sana the stars that Kamala had heard so much about. It was a really sweet moment that moved me to tears even while I was smiling. I thought it was beautiful!
I also want to say how much I appreciated the utilization of the Partition of India as a plot device in this series. I’m sorry to say that this was an event in history that I was completely oblivious to. Seeing the tragedy and chaos that was the dividing of India and subsequent creation of Pakistan as it was depicted in this series provoked me to read about the actual historical event, and wow, what an important, horrible, unfair, unnecessary, and terribly fumbled moment in time this was. Again, I am better educated because of this show, and I really appreciate that.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
No Normal â Directed by Adil & Bilall. and Meera Menon. Written by Will Dunn and A.C. Bradley with Matthew Chauncey
First Aired on July 13, 2022, on Disney+.
The finale of Ms. Marvel was, in my opinion, very successful in sticking the landing! Everything came to a head as the Department of Damage Control stalked Kamran as his powers grew out of control and he received an assist from a fully costumed Kamala. And THAT COSTUME! Perfect is the only word I have to describe it, and I LOVED that Muneeba made it for her! Iman Vellani looked spectacular, and she was the star in this fight at her school that saw her aided by her friends (Bruno, Nakia, and even Zoe). Kamala ultimately emerges victorious in a battle that spilled outdoors and after ensuring Kamran escaped, Kamala was surrounded by her people (including her family) as the DODC agents closed in on her. This was one of those moments that could have come across as cheesy, but instead, it worked beautifully, and I loved it! After Kamala flees the scene, the militant DODC agent that had been stalking the kids so relentlessly (Deever) is relieved of her duties by her boss Cleary (reprising his role from Spider-Man: No Way Home).
This is followed up on by a quiet scene with Kamala and her father in which he tells her that her name was derived from a word in Arabic that means âPerfectâ and can be interpreted as âMarvel.â He then calls Kamala his little âMs. Marvelâ, and Kamala is thrilled beyond all words to discover that she shares a name so similar to Carol Danvers’! This was yet another perfectly beautiful moment!
From there, Kamala meets with Bruno, and he informs her that his continued studies have revealed that there is an anomaly within her genes that he refers to as a âmutation.â Cue the X-Men: The Animated Series theme music and let the speculation â and celebration â begin! For at long last, we have a mutant in the MCU 616-Universe. And her name is Kamala Khan!
Then, in a shocking mid-credits scene, Kamala’s Bangle suddenly activates itself and teleports her out of her room to parts unknown. Emerging from the crash is Carol Danvers, who is just as confused as we are as viewers to find herself in Kamala Khan’s bedroom. Wow!
There are so many other things to praise about Ms. Marvel beyond what I’ve already written. The music and styles of the title cards and credits montages were all great! Kamala’s struggles with driving, her in-love dancing, and the art style of her daydreaming and texting were all great! I loved the music throughout the series. I really liked Laith Nakli as Sheikh Abdullah! I loved the writing and the dialogue and the directorial style. The set pieces and the costumes were all very well done. And seeing Brie Larsen as Carol Danvers at the end was a great surprise, even though I wasn’t yet sure what was going on there.
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
The only thing I have to criticize about this series are the Clandestines. For me, these were among the most bland and uninteresting villainous characters in MCU history. Najma in particular was terribly executed. I thought her sudden turn to impatient villain in Destined could have been handled better, and her other sudden turn to wannabe hero mom in Time and Time Again did not work at all for me. Her character had no conviction and no integrity, so it was dumb to try to give her a hero moment after we saw her murder Aisha, abandon her son, and try to kill Kamala. I get that she wasn’t supposed to be likable, but everything with her inspired feelings of âgo awayâ within me as opposed to âI want to see Kamala beat her.â The other Clandestines were devoid of personality and were largely just ⌠there. And their easy break out from the DODC facility was ridiculous in all the wrong ways. So, yeah, the Clandestines were a black eye on this otherwise perfect series.
That being said, I can’t wait to see where Kamala Khan goes next, and there is so much potential for her as a character, especially when it comes to seeing her interact with other heroes! I could see some really fun moments that could be created between Kamala and Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and of course, Spider-Man!
Beyond that, I just want to see Kamala hanging out with Bruno and Nakia and Zoe and her parents and her brother in New Jersey. These were the most rewarding moments from this series, and as much as I want to see Kamala soar on the big screen, I hope we get a Season Two of Ms. Marvel on Disney+ to see her story move forward in a more grounded way.
In closing, Ms. Marvel was a big win for me, and I applaud the courage, ambition, and vision that it took for Marvel Studios to produce this series. As a father of an eleven-year-old little girl, this series was a joy to watch with her! This is the first Disney+ series from Marvel Studios that she watched every single episode of, and she wanted to watch every episode and looked forward to Wednesdays! She could see herself in Kamala Khan in many, many ways, and that is a really beautiful thing! The little ways that Kamala Khan reminded me of my daughter probably fueled my appreciation for the character, as I could see a lot of my little girl in Ms. Marvel!
That being said, Iman Vellani is a star and Kamala Khan is a remarkable superhero!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of Ms. Marvel:
Iman Vellani IS Kamala Khan
Family Dynamic
Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan
Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan
Avenger Con!
Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir
The Wedding of Aamir and Tyesha
Chemistry between Iman Vellani, Zenobia Shroff, and Mohan Kapur
âGood is not a thing you are â it’s a thing you doâ
âJust because someone treats you as their enemy, doesn’t give you the right to treat them as yoursâ
“There is no normal. There’s just us and we do with what we’ve been givenâ
Music
Art Style
Costumes
Captain Marvel!
Mutants!
Marvel Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Notable MCU Concepts and Characters Introduced:
Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel. The Clandestines / The Djinn. New style of Time Travel (Time Loop) confirmed. Bruno Carrelli. Nakia Bahadir. Muneeba Khan. Yusuf Khan. Aamir Khan and his Bride Tyesha. Sana Khan. Zoe Zimmer. Kamran. The Red Daggers. Fawad Khan. Mehwish Khan. Waleed. Kareem / Red Dagger. Mutation in the 616-Universe.
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