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'Ms. Marvel': The MCU's first Muslim superhero comes to live-action, and it's a blast!

Hello, Kamala Khan.
'Ms. Marvel': The MCU's first Muslim superhero comes to live-action, and it's a blast!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has already done a fair bit as far as representation and inclusivity go.

Already, we’ve seen many characters on the brand’s cinematic slate that hail from various ethnic backgrounds, while some actors have even been given a chance in the limelight in spite of their disabilities. More recently, we’ve even managed to see a few exemplifications of LGBTQ+ relationships take place on screen.

Ms. Marvel is the latest in the same vein of MCU offerings that really wants to make it clear that the universe is home to individuals of all sorts, and that superhero greatness can come from just about anywhere.

Iman Vellani steps up as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. IMAGE: Marvel Studios

Set to premiere on Disney+ on June 8, 2022, Ms. Marvel will follow the origin story – at least the MCU version of it – of Kamala Khan (played by Iman Vellani), a girl living in New Jersey that finds the strict traditions and virtues of her Muslim Pakistani roots constantly at odds with the American world she lives in, while also coming to terms with her new set of superpowers.

Having already seen the first two episodes of the show, it’s clear that screenwriter Bisha K. Ali and team have decided to go the route of expounding heavily on Kamala’s life in a Pakistani-American household, with the people in her life – her parents, brother, best friends, teachers, and highschool antagonists – all depicted in the exact way you’d expect from a teen drama series in this vein.

Throughout the initial 1.5 hours, we get to see how just what sort of individual Kamala is – a quick-witted teenage girl who ranks in the nerdy/geek class of the highschool hierarchy, with a respect for the Avengers that’s capped off with fanatical admiration for Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel.

IMAGE: Marvel Studios

From the outset, her story seems like a run-of-the-mill origin tale in the same mould as a Peter Parker or a Kate Bishop – you get a challenged teenager who has trouble with with various aspects of school, growing up, boundaries set by parental figures, and finding their identities. In Kamala’s case, you also have the cultural and even religious aspects playing into her life, which does makes things a little refreshing from an exposition standpoint.

Avid viewers of teen dramas might also be quite familiar with how nearly every character in the series – whether it be her parents, brother, school counsellor, best friends Bruno (Matt Lintz) and Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), or potential love interest Kamran (Rish Shah) – comes with the intrinsic ability to pull out quips and jibes at a moment’s notice.

Although this comical level of wit and snark has become something of a staple in said category over the past decade, some might find it a little overdone, while others may still find it charming, and it all depends on how you take your humor.

From what can be gathered throughout the first two episodes, the plot plays it remarkably safe with more than enough character building served. There’s plenty of space and time for the viewers to familiarize themselves with just what sort of cultural background the heroine comes from, and what her challenges are before throwing her the curveball of giving her cosmic superpowers – which ironically seem to come from an old family heirloom.

For loyal fans of the comic books, the tweaks to Kamala’s powers may or may not be problematic, although we can understand that the reason for changing her original powers into the ones you see in the show have plenty to do with the introduction of Reed Richards into the MCU – having two superheroes with stretchy abilities probably isn’t ideal from a marketing perspective, anyway.

But going back to the plot, there’s a whole thing about Kamala failing her driver’s test, offending the cultural sensibilities of her parents as she sneaks out of her home despite clear warnings, and then discovering her newfound abilities, only to then find herself the target of covert organizations and shady groups with unrevealed motives. In the meantime, there are also friendships, family history, and romantic feelings to consider.

Of course, Disney and Marvel have done an immaculate job of constructing a universe (and multiverse) full of cosmic intrigue over the years, with no lack of political and individual motivations to help bump the ever-growing number of plot lines along.

IMAGE: Marvel Studios

But in the first two episodes at least, all of that largely takes a backseat to the ground-level storytelling that takes place in Ms. Marvel, quite possibly to the point of it feeling slightly slow-ish.

Despite the show namedropping the original Captain Marvel plenty, the early premise of Ms. Marvel feels comparatively grounded when contrasted against the fantastical setting of the earlier film, and viewers more acquainted with the quicker pacing or deeper plots of other MCU franchises may find themselves wishing – around after the first hour – for the show to kick things up a notch and begin upping the stakes.

Luckily, the tempo does pick up a bit towards the latter part of the second episode, with Kamala being shoved into the first real test of her powers and then things opening up to prepare viewers for the can-of-worms style machinations that have made the majority of other MCU projects so interesting.

IMAGE: Marvel Studios

In the end, all of this is also achieved in a way that is visually quite pleasing. The color palette for the Ms. Marvel is vivid and bright, and may just lend the series to being the most colorful project in the MCU so far. There’s also plenty of motion graphics and manipulation of ambient elements to deliver the desired tones and keep the story moving (ala Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).

Compared to the other entries in the MCU library, Ms. Marvel is one that is decidedly crafted for younger audiences, although true fans of the overarching plot will still want to give the series a watch.

The individual characters, for the most part, are endearing enough, while the cultural aspects dealing with Kamala’s Muslim and Pakistani heritage are handled with visible care and tact. And while the lead up to main gist of the story may take its time, everything we get to see along the way pretty much makes up for it, and sets up what looks to be a probable winner for the MCU’s take on a teen drama series.

IMAGE: Marvel Studios

Here’s hoping that the remaining four episodes will also be able to punch up the tempo without compromising the stakes, and ultimately deliver an overall satisfying welcome for Marvel’s first Muslim superhero into the fold.

Ms. Marvel will premiere with a double-episode special on June 8, 2022 exclusively on Disney+.

Read more entertainment stories:

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Everything you need to know from Netflix's Geeked Week: 'The Sandman' gets a release date and more

Meet the cinematographer who helped make 'Severance' so stunning

Liam Payne has TikTok in pain

Follow Mashable SEA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram.

Cover image sourced from Marvel Studios.

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