Why Ms. Marvel is Rightfully One of the Highest Rated MCU Properties
/By Nadya Martinez
“Critics Consensus: Ms. Marvel is a genuinely fresh addition to the MCU- both statistically and substantively” - Certified Fresh (Rotten Tomatoes) Score 98%
Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
The latest Marvel Disney+ series not only stuck the landing but successfully introduced the teenage superhero into the MCU and to new audiences. Ms. Marvel is one of the strongest and highest rated disney plus shows, garnering rave reviews, with Iman Vellani deservingly claiming her position as the newest addition into the world of Marvel heroes. This wholesome origin story is not just a great story in terms of superheroes but a great coming-of-age story from a storytelling standpoint. It is well-written, relatable, highly entertaining, and one of the few Disney+ series that felt thoroughly consistent from beginning to end. The charming series is full of heart, family, action, and feels entirely authentic. Similar to Spider-Man, Kamala is our friendly super-hero next door.
Vellani makes her on-screen acting debut as Kamala Khan aka. Ms. Marvel, surrounded by a talented and diverse supporting cast. It was incredibly important casting the right teenage actress to play a character who breaks down cultural walls in the superhero world, in terms of representation and what this character means on a much grander scope than just comic book entertainment. The show masterfully displays the significance of what this character means and successfully showcases South Asian culture without pandering or lazy stereotypes.
Ms. Marvel introduces us to Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. Kamala is a superhero megafan—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel; yet Kamala doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to!
Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
In “Ms. Marvel” Kamala is a normal 16-year Pakistani-American teenager growing up in Jersey City facing typical teenage hurdles. She’s also a nerd, a gamer, content creator, and a mega- Avengers fan, especially Captain Marvel, her idol. Kamala spends a lot of her time making cosplays, making videos and spending time with her friends and family. What makes Kamala so interesting is that she is unique from most superheroes in the sense that she's just a vulnerable and normal teenager navigating life trying to figure out her purpose. She comes across a family heirloom that will impact her life forever. As she begins to discover her new destiny, it complicates her relationships as she struggles to understand her reality.
Superb Casting
The filmmakers spent months going through a multitude of casting sessions before striking gold with one audition tape from a young new actress that immediately caught their attention. Vellani, the Canadian actress of Pakistani origin left the filmmakers completely smitten with her charm, heart, and genuine enthusiasm. Her honesty, vulnerability and nerdiness made her the only choice to play the character.
Not only was she perfectly cast, but the series did a great job of making her entire family feel wholesome, relatable and even realistic. For once we get a supportive family and a character that doesn’t come from a broken home. Every character was fully fleshed out and well-written, and this is part of what draws you to this story about a young girl, her family and her journey to becoming a super-hero. You don’t have to be muslim, a female, or even a teenager to enjoy this story. It’s a fantastic coming of age story that is purely entertaining, consistent and endearing. Just like Spider-Man you can relate to the quirky, neighborhood friendly street-level superhero in so many ways. Similar to Peter we see her naiveness, curiosity and transitioning. Yes, she is a teenager, a fangirl, a “newbie”, but she shows endurance, sacrifice, heart, strength, resilience, strength and humiliation. After all, isn't that what being a superhero is all about?
Bringing the Comic Book Super Hero To Life
The creators and show-runners aimed to give Marvel fans an authentic and impactful series that will resonate with people, and will have people feel a connection to the Khan family and story. The series is full of Pakistani pride and Islamic and muslim culture all while staying pretty close to the comics. They may have taken some creative liberties with the origin of Kamala’s powers, but overall it has the same charm, pride and enthusiasm. The origin and multicultural appeal of the series was inspired by real-life experiences of executive producer and co-creator of the titular series, Sana Amanat.
Bringing Kamala to life
“The principles of what Marvel stories stand for is something that has always resonated with me,” says executive producer Amanat. “When we had the opportunity to create a young South Asian female superhero character who is Muslim, it felt new and fresh, but still aligned with the core principles of what Marvel characters have always stood for…Powerful and fantastic, but who are also flawed with vulnerabilities that are very relatable.
“woke”
One of the best parts of this series is the family dynamics and their incredibly extensive history and culture. Why do people find it so difficult to watch something that isn't the norm? If people can learn about fictional heritages such as Asgardian, Wakandian, or Atlantean, why is it so difficult watching someone from New Jersey who doesn't look like you? Learning about another culture through storytelling can be captivating when done properly. Her muslim heritage is part of her origin story, but so is navigating High school in New Jersey, they are both integral in her identity and make her exactly who she is.
““‘Ms. Marvel’ takes on the two aspects of our brand that are my favorite,” Feige explains. “Alongside Peter Parker, Kamala Khan is one of our most relatable characters. ”
Representation done right
The series does an exceptional job showcasing Pakistani culture, traditions, and identity. They explore important events and historical context such as the Partition (in 1947 divided British India into two independent dominions: India and Pakistan) without being overwhelming or feeling too much like a history lesson. The series placed major emphasis on customs, family dynamics, and religion without stereotyping, pandering or being overly cheesy. It introduced viewers to a rich tapestry of South Asian traditions, culture and mythos including food, music, and clothing. It was full of positive messages, beautiful vibrant culture, a diverse cast that properly represented different skin tones and broke a lot of the stereotypes for hijab girls. It touched upon breaking norms for females in muslim culture, and “American” identity, being the child of immigrant parents.
(L-R): Mohan Kapur as Yusuf, Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Daniel McFadden. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Well- developed Characters
It isn’t always common for a series to have such well-developed supporting characters that are so grounded and layered. Kamala's immediate friends and family felt fully fleshed out and added context to the story. Her best friends Bruno (Matt Lintz), and Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher) are both very well written and supportive. There is a natural sense of history and loyalty between these three characters that have been intertwined since childhood. Throughout the series you see a strong support system that feels authentic. Bruno is always supportive from coming up with cool gadgets to attending family events like Eid. Nakia not only plays a major support system for Kamala, but she has her own identity in that she’s extremely opinionated, and will fight for what she believes in, like changing traditional norms for women in the Mosque and wearing a hijab by her own choice.
(L-R): Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia; Matthew Lintz as Bruno, and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Kamala’s relationship with her parents also plays a prevalent role in her life, not just as a curious teenager but how she views having powers and accepting her destiny overall. The show does a good job of portraying strong immigrant parents, and navigating raising children in America while holding on to certain traditions. Her father Yusef is more lenient and accepting of her creative aspirations and fascination with superheroes, while her mother Muneeba is more on the conservative side and a tad overprotective.
You eventually see why her mother was so adamant about Kamala following rules and stopping this “obsession with fantasies'' from her personal experiences growing up with her own mother. The show did an admirable job setting this up, introducing viewers to Kamala's grandmother and showing us why Kamala's mother reacted in this way. Regardless of her personal quips with magic, Muneeba loves and supports her daughter. Even Kamala's brother is always supportive, and they all have a strong family dynamic and positive loving connection. When her parents learn the truth about her powers they are even more supportive and this is an interesting change of pace as Ms. Marvel is no longer a secret identity, which leads to Muneeba gifting Kamala her new suit. There was also a beautiful moment where Kamala’s dad gave her a new super-hero name.
Kamala : kamal in Arabic perfect
Kamal Urdu “Wonder” “Marvel”
L-R Rish Shah as Kamran and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Consistency
For the most part the show stays pretty consistent with its themes and overall plot, and it maintains a good balance of action and comedy throughout. It actually showcased high stakes with the Clandestines trying to retrieve the bangle to return to the Noor Dimension which could ultimately result in dire destruction here at home. It never swayed away from the main conflict or its antagonist Najma and her Djinn crew. It also kept you entertained and had some standout action sequences like the face off with Kamran, and the escapades in Pakistan with the masked warriors the “Red Daggers.” The Daggers (Waleed and Kareem) displayed some decent combat and fighting techniques with their parkour skills, throwing knives and weaponry expertise.
Ironically, while Ms. Marvel is targeted to a younger audience; it handled some concepts better than some of the previous disney plus series. The fight choreography was actually pretty decent and more believable than that of even the hallmark special- Hawk-eye. Ms. Marvel also did the “home alone” charade better and the feds felt like more of a treat, not larpers or lackeys. While the Feds/ damage control did go a little too hard, they still felt much more believable and like they had an actual purpose in the story progression wise.
Noteworthy Effects / Artwork / Soundtrack
It generally played it safe when it came to VFX shots using more location shots over greenscreen which helped make it more visually appealing. Kamala’s Noor projections are fairly basic CGI but they are still quite impressive compared to what we’ve seen lately from Marvel’s questionable CGI. Ms. Marvel does a pretty good job of showcasing her powers and abilities. When Kamala meets Waleed, the head of the Red Daggers he shows her a magical 3D map that connects to the Noor Realm that looks like up to movie quality standards. The location shots and CGI are much more impressive than the tragic greenscreen we saw in Moon-Knight. Overall, the visuals were dazzling and aesthetically pleasing.
The opening credits, artwork and music tie together seamlessly. In the show Kamala makes content videos and films her art, cosplay and experiences, while in the comics, Kamala writes fan fiction, so it was really cool to see how they adapted this to showcase her creative side. Throughout the show you can see beautiful colorful pops of pop culture references and artwork transition into scenes, easter eggs and loads of Avengers references, pulling you into the series even more. The music is just as enticing, and never overbearing with the perfect blend of South Asian diaspora, punjabi, bollywood, pop music, and even hip hop that could easily be pulled from one of Kamala’s playlists. From the Weeknd, and M.I.A. to Krewella, Raja Kumari, and NERVO- known in the world of EDM you are sure to have a blast with this soundtrack.
Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios' MS. MARVEL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Daniel McFadden. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
While the series is not entirely perfect, it exceedingly surpassed what it set out to do. It gave audiences a refreshing take on superheros that was entirely authentic, aesthetically pleasing, and completely entertaining. They successfully brought this groundbreaking character to life, telling the story about one family that can literally open up a culture and identity to the world, creating opportunities and celebrating South Asian identity.
Iman perfectly encapsulates Kamala, with her charm, wits and natural youthful energy as she seamlessly slips into the superhero’s shoes. She brings the character to life so well, that you feel a connection and want to see her succeed. She also shows us her experience with having a hyphenated identity which is something so many second generation children can identify with. She is now an iconic character that represents so much to so many people in a changing more inclusive industry. Ms. Marvel is part of the next chapter of the MCU, and it’s so important seeing the young female characters' growth and evolution.
“It is so important in the world today, and I want my daughters to grow up and feel that they too can do anything they set their hearts to. Ms. Marvel is a Super Hero for so many people beyond the Marvel fandom. She represents something that we’ve never seen on screen before and as a Pakistani filmmaker, it is a dream to be able to bring the character to life.”
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