Captain Marvel is be bigger than any boy band in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as long as Kamala Khan from Ms. Marvel keeps buying her merchandise. The first Ms. Marvel trailer features a teenage, Captain Marvel-obsessed Kamala as she steps into the world of superheroes, and it’s the most adorable thing ever.
As one of the newer characters in Marvel Comics, Kamala represents the Millennials and Generation Zs, who are often noted for the subculture of obsessed fandoms that create their sense of belonging on the Internet. Even in the comics, Kamala idolizes Carol Danvers and takes up the mantle of “Ms. Marvel” after discovering her shapeshifting abilities that are a result of her Inhuman genes. The Disney+ show is deviating from the Inhuman aspect of her origin, but the root of what makes her a hero is still present: who she learned it all from.
The recently released trailer starts with fantastical drawings of superheroes like Ant-Man. This dives into the idea that Kamala is an avid fan-fiction scribe, which Marvel confirmed in the official Ms. Marvel synopsis. Is Kamala writing this fan-fiction about herself as a superhero? There’s a great chance of this, considering she’s been lectured by a guidance counselor and her mother about letting go of her superhero fantasies — where she imagines herself as Captain Marvel, jumping from rooftops and being crowned at what appears to be her prom. Kamala understands this fixation isn’t entirely realistic for her, and blames it on the fact that most people don’t expect a Muslim Pakistani girl to be saving Jersey City from crime.
But Captain Marvel offers an escape for Kamala. Teenage bullies who mispronounce her name and tease her Captain Marvel shirt won’t stop Kamala from admiring the hero, looking longingly at a statue of her while visiting an Avengers museum in New Jersey. The 16-year-old is just like any other teenager. Some people buy BTS shirts or Taylor Swift cardigans, but Kamala buys a knock-off replica of the iconic Captain Marvel suit, helmet and all. Maybe it was destiny for her, because she begins her journey as a superhero in that same suit, with the help of the Nega-Bands that seemingly supplied — or triggered — her powers. When asked by her friend what the powers feel like, she giddily replies, “cosmic,” in another nod to Carol Danvers’ powers.
Kamala’s newest costume — which was only slightly teased towards the end of the Ms. Marvel trailer — is almost identical to hers in the comics. Donning a red, blue and gold dress to match the colors of Carol’s suit, Kamala puts her own touch on her identity as a hero while also paying homage to the woman who inspires her. Yet there is one big difference from the comics that makes Kamala more like Carol than anything else: in the series, Kamala gains the power to harness cosmic energy and create constructs with the Nega-Bands, which means she partially abandons her shape-shifting abilities.
The change in powers may have been intentional to further connect the teenager to Carol with the Nega-Bands since they are of Kree origin. Given that Ms. Marvel is acting as a set-up to The Marvels film, the deviation from Kamala’s Inhuman storyline is likely because of Carol and the Kree Empire. Kamala still has a long way to go before she meets her idol, though, so for now she must embrace the power of super-fandom and continue her fan-fiction and cosplay hobbies — that will hopefully not embarrass her in front of Carol whenever the two eventually meet.
Ms. Marvel premieres June 8 on Disney+.
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