Tell me if this sounds familiar. A young, nerdy protagonist, struggling to find her authentic self, is suddenly, and unexpectedly, bestowed with extraordinary gifts. What should be a blessing further complicates her already chaotic life, forcing her to confront who she is, and what she wants. It sends her down a path of self discovery, opening her eyes to the power that was within her all along. At first glance, Ms. Marvel may seem like just another young adult coming-of-age story with a superhero twist. The first two episodes certainly feel that way. Hers is, after all, an origin that is tried, tested, and true. There’s high school hijinks, “they-just-don’t-understand-me” family drama, and even a potential love triangle. There’s a training montage. There are low stakes dangers that allow her to ease into the superhero life.
What makes it stand out is the fact that our hero, Kamala Khan, is a 16 year old brown girl. Ms. Marvel may not break any new narrative ground with regards to telling a superhero origin story, but having it be about a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager already subverts the typical hero’s journey in exciting new ways. And much like Turning Red, it is culturally specific, witty, charming, and utterly exuberant.
Ms. Marvel isn’t just a race-swapped genderbent version of another, more popular character. She is unique, and interesting, and cool in her own right. It isn’t tokenism. It is a richly observed piece of cultural storytelling that never comes off as derivative or old hat. It may look a lot like something we’ve seen many times before, but great storytelling also comes from finding fun ways of deconstructing the recognizable and remaking it into something new.
Meet Kamala Khan
Meet Kamala Khan. You’re really going to like her. An awkward teen with her head in the clouds, she dreams of one day becoming a superhero like her Idol Carol Danvers. When the series opens, Kamala’s biggest challenges are getting through high school, passing her driver’s test, and trying to convince her parents to let her go to AvengersCon. (Yes, AvengersCon is exactly what you think it is!)
Now, we know that she’ll be super by the time these first 45 minutes are up, but the intimate scope of this series and it’s John Hughesian approach make it so the journey is as interesting as the destination. There are so many wonderful character moments in the first episode that it doesn’t feel like they are just rushing to get her into that suit and off saving the world.
There is a family dynamic that is perfectly set up. The immigrant dilemma of wanting to fit in with your adopted culture while still staying true to your own heritage is cleverly used as a way to set Kamala apart from her white male counterparts. (See: Peter Parker.) Here, race, religion, culture, and tradition aren’t just used as set dressing but woven seamlessly into the narrative. And while it doesn’t define every aspect of who Kamala is as a person, it is nevertheless presented as an integral part of her complex and constantly evolving identity.
Embodying all of this is the irresistibly charming Iman Vellani who is completely believable as both the ordinary kid and the something more she is about to become. There is such delight in her performance. Part of it feels like it’s the character of Kamala Khan. Part of it feels like Iman Vellani’s own glee at being given the chance to bring the character to life. This is pitch perfect casting.
“An Idea Come to Life”
Ms. Marvel is also series that leans into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a different way from everything that has come before. Like us, Kamala Khan is also a fan. She loves the Avengers. She loves Captain Marvel. She’s a geek who spends all of her time creating intricate vlogs and coming up with fan theories about her favorite superheroes. And like us, she too daydreams of one day becoming super. It makes Kamala immediately relatable because she is also on the outside looking in which, in some ways, makes Ms. Marvel a sort of meta-meditation on the nature of fandom and the real-world impact of superheroes.
I should also note that the Kamala Khan of the MCU is slightly different from her comic book counterpart. The source of her powers are no longer tied into Marvel lore, but rather her own past and her family’s history. Gone too are Ms. Marvel’s “embiggening” polymorphic powers (most likely because it might have been too expensive to pull off on a TV budget). None of this, however, detracts from the deeper issues posed by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona in their original run of comics. This series may not use transmogrification as a nuanced metaphor for internalized racism, but it nevertheless finds other ways to make the same point.
The most subversive aspect of Ms. Marvel, however, may be in how it deals with representation. Kamala may not be a leggy, white, blonde, but it never gets in the way of her fandom of Captain Marvel or believing that she too can be a superhero. She doesn’t mope around, whinging about how none of the Avengers look like her. She just uses her imagination and never stops believing. It is an idea further embodied in a moment shortly after she first gets her powers, when her best friend Bruno asks her how it feels, and Kamala looks at her glowing right hand and says: “Like an idea come to life.”
There Is Greatness Here
There is genius here. In the way Ms. Marvel situates itself within the increasingly complex narrative of the MCU. In they way the writers and directors allude towards what’s to come (Ms. Marvel will make the transition to the big screen in next year’s The Marvels) without taking the attention away from Kamala’s own story.
There is real care and attention here. In its depictions of another side of American life. In its use of English and Urdu. In how it looks, bright and buoyant, paying homage to its character’s cultural roots, with a little bit of Scott Pilgrim and Into the Spider-Verse thrown in for good measure.
But mostly, there is a real sense of joy here. Iman Vellani, by way of Kamala Khan, is channeling our comic book dreams. She is living out all of our fangirl fantasies. And she is doing it with a determination and force of character that is nothing short of inspiring. It offers us hope. It offers us an encouraging vision of what could be. Which makes Ms. Marvel the beating heart of the MCU.
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