Ms. Marvel, explained: Who is Kamala Khan, the MCU’s most exciting Phase 4 superhero?
Meet your new favorite superheroine.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is mid-trip down memory lane.
Since the tumultuous events of Infinity War and Endgame, the franchise has entered a nostalgic phase, revisiting some classically overlooked players like Wanda Maximoff, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Loki in Disney+ series dedicated to those characters.
But, soon, the MCU will make way for a new lineup of Avengers. And leading that charge is none other than Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel. Here’s everything you need to know about this crucial new superhero ahead of her standalone Disney+ series next year.
Who is Kamala Khan?
Ms. Marvel in All New Marvel Now! Point One #1, published in March 2014.
Kamala Khan made a brief, unnamed appearance in Captain Marvel #8, published in September 2013, in which she was one of the many civilians saved by Captain Marvel. She later appeared in Captain Marvel #17, published in January 2014, and was shown as merely a Captain Marvel superfan. But Kamala’s big debut as Ms. Marvel came in All New Marvel Now! Point One #1, which depicted the character in in all her superheroic glory.
A 16-year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City, Kamala often had to balance saving the world with being a good daughter. On the page, she provided readers with all sorts of representation, including on a meta-level: as well as being Pakistani-American, Kamala was a Marvel Comics fan herself.
This could be preserved in a sense during her MCU debut, given the incredible feats accomplished across the multiverse by Avengers members up to this point. Of course Kamala would be a fan!
What are Kamala Khan’s powers?
Director Billal Fallah’s drawing of Kamala with a purple scarf.
In the comics, Kamala had the power of shape-shifting or “embiggening” after an Inhuman transformation. However, a recent leak suggests the character will be given more powers on top of that. Ms. Marvel series director Bilall Fallah recently posted a drawing she did of Ms. Marvel where her iconic red scarf was changed to purple.
This could just be chalked up to artistic license, but a later 4chan leak claimed that, on top of her regular powers, Kamala would be given the power to summon purple constructs. Now, 4chan leaks are notoriously unreliable, so take this news with a grain of salt. But changing Ms. Marvel’s powers would be a seismic addition to the character.
Hopefully, not much else will change — Kamala’s spunky and slightly irreverent personality in the comics is what made her such a fan favorite, and comic-savvy audiences are expecting the same from young actress (and cinephile) Iman Vellani.
When will Ms. Marvel premiere on Disney+?
Ms. Marvel is featured in the video game Marvel’s Avengers, but her live-action debut may be later than first thought.
Ms. Marvel’s premiere date is still under wraps, and fans are theorizing about when the series might arrive. Though initially announced to have a late 2021 premiere date, the Thanksgiving Eve slated release of fellow MCU series Hawkeye could mean an early 2022 release date for Ms. Marvel.
Matt Webb Mitovich at TVLine reported that he’d asked around and confirmed with a source that the series has been pushed into 2022, but there’s still no official word from Marvel. Hopefully, such an exciting hero will be worth the wait.
