When Marvel finally gave a Muslim character their own comic book series in 2014, it wasn’t long before Ms Marvel’s adolescent protagonist Kamala Khan became one of the company’s most popular young heroes. Disney+’s Ms Marvel, a live-action series about a Pakistani-American adolescent who becomes a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, premieres on March 14, 2018. Ms Marvel’s first few episodes indicate that Kamala Khan has a bright future ahead of her, despite the fact that she’s only been in the limelight for a short time. Newcomer Iman Vellani stars as Jersey City teenager Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old with abilities of her own, in Ms Marvel, a new series created by Bisha Ali for Disney Streaming Services. Her character is pushed into the world of superheroes she grew up admiring. It is now Kamala’s responsibility to write her own heroic tale as she navigates high school and adolescence. Ms Marvel, like the other MCU series on Disney+, has added something new to Marvel’s live-action multiverse.
Using a variety of on-screen features, including a combination of live-action and animation, the series makes some of the most daring visual storytelling jumps yet in the MCU. With its self-awareness and willingness to break the fourth wall and actively connect with its viewers, Ms Marvel also takes a lot of inspiration from old-school adolescent television. Kamala’s creative talents are put to good use in the imaginative, animated sequences based on her drawings that appear in each episode of the series. Vellani, a newbie to the industry, brings real enthusiasm to the role of Kamala. It’s easy to see why Marvel decided to put so much faith in a young lady with no previous acting experience. When she first discovers her talents, she exudes joy, which is a refreshing change from the typical superhero origin stories we’ve come to expect.
Ms Marvel isn’t only about Vellani; she has a lot more to celebrate. Kamala’s family is also well-represented in this show in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fare. When it comes to their characterizations of Kamala’s parents and elder sibling, the three actors playing them, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh, all do an excellent job of balancing restrictions with encouragement. They have to find a careful balance, and they do it in the first episodes of the show, establishing themselves as a loving family despite their disparate backgrounds and outlooks on life and hobbies. Despite the show’s faithfulness to Kamala Khan’s comic-book source material, it also takes a few significant leaps forward in its own right. While the origins of Kamala’s powers are rewritten in Ms Marvel, the first few chapters of her tale don’t follow as closely in the comics as Hawkeye or other MCU projects, for example. This shouldn’t scare Kamala fans, as the series writers have found some innovative methods to integrate her into the existing Marvel universe, resulting in some pleasant surprises.
It’s hard to judge a show after only two episodes, but what we do see of Ms Marvel seems intriguing. Kamala Khan’s live-action debut may be as warmly received as her comic book escapades. The Disney+ streaming service will debut Marvel’s Ms Marvel on June 8th.