After Moon Knight’s enormous success, next in line for this year’s miniseries is Ms. Marvel– featuring a Pakistani-origin superhero, the first character with a Muslim background played by Canadian-Pakistani Actress Iman Vellani.
The first episode of this six-part miniseries was released on June 8th and it instantly received acclaim and praise from the fans and critics. The series is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar with one episode released every week.
What’s new and imaginative in Ms. Marvel is this slight coming-of-age tale with a simple backstory around a girl, Kamala Khan a 16-year-old teenager from New Jersey, who just like most of us Marvel buffs dreams of becoming a superhero and saving the world.
The first introduction we have of the soon-to-be teenage superhero is through her hobby of making videos on Avengers on her channel retelling the adventurous and heroic lives of Avengers.
From the soundtrack, which is a blend of Blinding Lights by The Weeknd playing in the background to Kamala saying “Bismillah” before failing her driving tests or her mother cursing in Urdu, the first episode of Ms. Marvel proves that this series is far from being generic.
As it is written by Bisha K. Ali, who herself was born to Pakistani parents, it is more than just a stereotypical take on the Muslim family where the writer augmented a personal authenticity that cannot be harmonized from external sources.
Nonetheless, we still sense some Never Have I Ever kind of predispositions when Kamala’s parents give her a set of salwar suits and extend lectures at the dining table.
Kamala spends most of her time daydreaming like all the other teenagers and plans on entering a cosplay at Avengers Con where she will take the role of Captain Marvel, the avenger she idealizes the most, but making strategies to get away without her brown parents noticing.
Her mother says that the costumes are too tight and don’t fit with their culture, and while her brother has seemingly dissolved the line between the two lives they are living, one in New Jersey and another in a Muslim Immigrant Household, Kamala is still finding it hard to juggle her two realities.
The real origin story of Ms. Marvel is changed as in this series the source of power for Kamala is the bracelet given to her by her grandmother.
This points to powers that were not created or made but rather passed on through generations and it is clear that Kamala’s mother knew about it as she immediately commands her to keep the box away.
As Kamala wears this bracelet to the Comic-Con, where we see teens dressed up as Avengers, surprisingly they are aware of the characters of Guardians of the Galaxy who were not even on the Earth for a long time.
Iman Vellani plays the character wonderfully giving what is needed to show a chaotic and confused adolescent yanked into the world of superpowers.
It is evident that if Ms. Marvel’s character is further added to other series or movies, Iman is sure to reprise her role.
Another important character in the series is Bruno- Iman’s best friend who had a major role in the Comic books as well. Right from the start, Bruno is very supportive and always around Iman- giving off Ned Leeds vibes but maybe in a romantic way.
The visual effects of the series add to the charm and ingenuity of the premier episode however if the following episodes will be able to carry the same magic is a question worth asking, especially after setting the bar this high.