Say hello to the newest cosmic Super Hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who’s just trying to balance high-school life, family dynamics, and her newfound emerging superpowers.

The new series created exclusively for the streamer, introduces a new, teenage superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One that I find will most certainly be one of Marvel’s most relatable characters. Kamala Khan is a normal, fun kid who’s thrust into a rich new world that throughout the season will take her to exciting places where she’ll ultimately discover truths about her past and family.

Thanks to Disney + Coastal House Media got to watch the first two episodes in advance and each showcase an epic, vibrant story that is stylistically unique and takes us on another cosmic journey through her culture and imagination. Kamala’s adventure begins exclusively June 8th on Disney+ 

Synopsis

Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero mega-fan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels invisible both at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life gets better with superpowers, right? 

Review

A COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO COME TO LIFE 

As Marvel Comics goes, Kamala is still relatively a new character, as she was first introduced with a cameo appearance in Captain Marvel issue No. 14 in 2013 before getting her own solo series the following year. The origin and multicultural appeal of the character were inspired by real-life experiences of executive producer Sana Amanat who also co-created the first Muslim superhero character with writer G. Willow Wilson, artist Adrian Alphona, Editor Stephen Wacker and Jamie McKelvie. 

Ms. Marvel feels new and fresh but still aligned with the core principles of what Marvel characters have always stood for. Every Avenger, X-Men, and Inhuman were mighty and fantastic but they’re also people that are flawed with vulnerabilities that come across as very relatable to readers and viewers. However Ms. Marvel is so different and unique from all the other heroes, she doesn’t have fancy technology or a suit of armour, she’s just a teenager with a rich culture who proudly hails from Jersey City. Kamala is trying to figure the world out when she’s suddenly imbued with powers. 

In fact, this authenticity stuck a cord globally with fans across the globe as the first issue run sold out and is currently in its seventh run quickly becoming one of Marvel’s top-selling collections.  And while her identity puts a different lens on this Marvel story, she is still so relatable. Marvel which has been around for over eighty years also has characters that are full of comic book history, one of the most important characteristics of Kamala Khan is that she’s the ultimate super-fan of all these Marvel Superheroes, specifically Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. Danvers is the hero Kamala wants to embody before fully becoming her own. 

Phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe showcases the aftermath of the Infinity Saga and how the Heroes have moved forward after Thanos wiped half of the world’s population for five years only for Tony Stark and the Avengers to bring them back. 

With Disney + Marvel Studios gave familiar characters such as Wanda Maximoff and Loki expanded roles with their own story arcs that integrate with the theatricals. But it’s also been about introducing the next generation of superheroes. 

Adapting the comics for streaming was the perfect job for Bisha K. Ali, who Marvel went in-house for since she was already working in the writers’ room for Loki and was also a really big fan of the Ms. Marvel comics and was inspired to make a play to get on the project. The series is its own experience but still has the essence and spirit of what the comic portrayed. Many will see themselves represented as the creatives present the South Asian/ Pakistani culture respectfully and showcase the food, music and the relationship between parent and child. And for Ms. Marvel directors Adil and Bilall, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy share all these unique multicultural aspects of Kamala’s story where something that they all connected to, whilst mixing it with new elements, familiar faces and storylines that go to some unexpected places. 

The great advantage of bringing any Marvel property to life on Disney+ is that it allows the filmmakers the opportunity to tell the story for six hours. This gives us time to visit the many places Kamala Khan’s journey takes her, for example, AvengerCon, but throughout we also get to spend time in the world of her family and friends who are very important to her and to the story. 

Identity also plays a part in telling Kamala Khan’s story as on a cultural level she’s in between two worlds, and cultures and at the same time dealing with her powers whilst also being a teenager. Ms. Marvel is about a young girl’s experience shown through the lens of someone who happens to be South Asian and happens to be Muslim. Kamala is a young woman coming of age and throughout the first two episodes, I’ve seen, showcase her determination and empowerment. 

Each of the directors has brought their own unique vision from diverse backgrounds and a passion of telling authentic stories with real connectable characters. 

INTERNATIONAL CAST

Iman Vellani makes her acting debut as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. She truly is the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and she was born to play the titular character. This is her coming-of-age story that is fun, colourful, and intimate as she struggles with identity and the understanding of her newfound powers. The filmmakers spent many months finding the right teenage actress to play a character who breaks down cultural walls. Iman embodies the character through and through as she’s also a huge super fan of Marvel, she knows the finite details of every character which is exactly like Kamala Khan, it feels very meta and she shows that a little nerdy can have tons of heart. 

In “Ms. Marvel” Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old Pakistani-American girl growing up in Jersey City. She’s a nerd, a gamer who writes fan fiction and most of all a huge fan of the Avengers, particularly Captain Marvel, who is her hero. Kamala spends her time hanging out with her best friends Bruno and Nakia and is close with her family. As Kamala begins to discover her new destiny, it puts a strain on her relationships as she struggles to understand her new reality. 

In the series, Kamala’s two best friends are Bruno and Nakia played by Matt Lintz and Yasmeen Fletcher. The actors describe their characters’ dynamics.

Bruno and Kamala have grown up together and been best friends since second grade,” says Matt Lintz. “You see that in the first episode in the way he interacts with her family and when they hang out at the Circle Q where he works. Bruno is very loyal to Kamala, especially when she gets her powers, which created a new dynamic between them from just two amazing friends going to school, having fun and being big fans of the Avengers and Captain Marvel. Nakia is such a strong character and breaks a lot of the stereotypes for hijab girls, She’s opinionated and is willing to fight for anything that she believes in.

Throughout Ms. Marvel, Kamala’s family is the anchor in her life and throughout the family household, it’s her father Yusuf (Mohan Kapur) who’s more open to his daughter’s creative aspirations and fascination with Superheroes. Her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) however definitely has the upper hand in the household as she’s much more conservative and wants her daughter to follow a more traditional path.

While Kamala stretches the boundaries of her family dynamic, her brother Aamir ( Saager Shaikh)is her ally in softening her parents’ traditional values and expectations.

Verdict

Ms Marvel combines action, drama, humour, and a spectacular soundtrack of music and throughout the episodes, Ms. Marvel becomes a visual treat with its action sequences and the mixture of animation and live-action. This coming of age story included familiar elements of a teenager struggling to figure out a path ahead, her faith and managing her parent’s expectations. This series is shaping up to be another exciting addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I can’t wait to see what Kamala Khan does next.