I'd not had any experience with Ms Marvel before the start of her MCU television series. I've dipped in and out of Marvel comics over the years, and mostly stick to X-Men stories, so have never really seen anything with her in it (other than an older alternate universe version in Exiles). As such, I was coming to the show pretty fresh, with no real expectations. I knew that she was an Inhuman, had stretchy powers, and was beloved by readers. And I guess only one of those things is true for her live action counterpart now.
The story of the show introduced us to Kamala well, and I liked how the first episode was filled with little asides, and how we got to see inside her head and how she thought of the world with the big doodles and graffiti like stuff that would drop over the screen. Whilst this didn't stick around for the whole show, or at least wasn't used as much or made so prominent, it was a good way to get to know this super hero obsessed teen.
Kamala and her best friend, Bruno, are trying to go to Avenger Con, to celebrate their love for the Earth's heroes with other like-minded people; but Kamala's parents don't want her to go without adult supervision. As such, the two of them sneak out with a plan to get their, win the cosplay competition, and get home. Part of the plan involves the beautiful bracelet that Kamala received in the post from her grandmother. When she puts it on, however, it unlocks amazing powers within her, and Kamala is able to produce hard light, crystal-like constructs.
When Kamala uses her new powers to save someone she spreads across the internet; which grabs the attention of a government agency who want to track her down because of her unregistered use of super powers. Not only that, but a group of mysterious, powered individuals are also after Kamala and her bracelet.
I enjoyed Ms Marvel, but if I have to be honest, the super hero part of the show was the stuff I found least interesting. It was still entertaining, and it was great to see Kamala discover her powers and figure out what she is; but it felt a like stuff that I've seen before in other shows, films, and comics. The series did little to make her heroics feel different or interesting. What made the show stand out, however, were the characters.
I absolutely loved Kamala. She was such a sweet, enthusiastic, and lovable kid. There's an energy about her that makes her instantly likeable, and you can't help but to start rooting for her. Iman Vellani has something to her that just lights up every scene she's in. When Kamala is smiling and having fun you can't help but get sucked into it too, and end up smiling along; but she also did well with some of the weightier scenes, and really sold the feeling of being a teen with a family that doesn't always get you.
Speaking of her family, they might be my favourite characters in the show, and some of the best family representation in the entire MCU. I'm not Pakistani, nor am I Muslim, so I don't know what it's like growing up in a family that is, but I do have some Italian relatives, and I saw a lot of my family in Kamala's. Her family are big on tradition, hold family to be important, and can sometimes be stifling and overbearing, though in a way that comes from love. I've been in some similar situations to Kamala, and know the frustrations that come from a family that don't give you the freedoms that you want, that don't ever seem to fully trust you, and who can love you in ways that feel like the exact opposite.
I also loved how much their culture and faith was a part of the show, and how it was a celebration of Muslim and Pakistani lives, traditions, and culture. Some of my favourite scenes were when the family went to the mosque and spoke to the Iman there, or when they celebrated Eid with their friends and family, and when Kamala's brother got married. It was wonderful to see Muslim and Pankistani people getting to not just be on television, but to be the focus, for their culture to be given centre stage and get the chance to show off it's beauty.
The show did take a look at some of the issues that come from being Pakistani Muslims too, and I liked that the show didn't gloss over those moments, and made them part of the story. The show didn't shy away to the experiences of being Muslim in the US, and the scenes where the government came into the mosque made a point of the fact that that wouldn't have been the first time law enforcement barged their way in, that the people there understand that some white people look at them with unjust suspicion. It's a topic that you don't expect to see in something that's really just light entertainment, but its sadly an important part of life for some people, and you can't just ignore it.
We also get to take a look at this history of Pakistan as the show focuses on Partition; a particularly awful part of history that is often left out of education. The episode that featured the flashbacks to Partition was my favourite episode of the show, and it felt like it flew by in no time at all. I loved that the show got the chance to take some time out and slow down to explore this important part of its story, and also an important event in the lives of so many families. If anything, it felt like not enough time was spent on this, and I'd have loved to have seen more of it.
Looking back at the show now that it's done I can say that Kamala and her family were the best part of the series. Their regular lives, their relationships, and their personalities were absolutely the highlight, and the main draw. Her father is one of the sweetest guys, and his talk with her on the roof at the end of the final episode was just the best. Her mother started out being overbearing and disapproving, but became one of her biggest supporters by the end, going so far as making her costume for her. And her brother just randomly turning up in the school to help them out because he's her caring big brother was so sweet in its silliness. Her family were the best, their acceptance and support of Kamala were wonderful, and her community rallying around her at the end was the the perfect encapsulation of what the show was about.
Now, I know that the show has changed some things about Kamala, one of which being her powers. As I said, I'd never read her in the comics, but know what her powers were. And I can understand why they might want to change them. Marvel are planning to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU, so probably don't want another stretchy person; and stretchy powers just aren't that interesting either. Kamala was able to use her hard light powers to do some of those things, making her big hands, and embiggening, but her new powers also let her do cool new things like shields and platforms to jump across. I felt like the change made sense, looked pretty, and gave her better powers; though I know a lot of people will disagree with me on that point. I also understand why they've changed what she is, making her a mutant rather than an Inhuman.
Let's be honest. No one really cares about the Inhumans, and the one they probably care about the most is Kamala. They were given the big push in the comics because Disney didn't have the film rights to the X-Men, and so they wanted something similar. The Inhumans gave them that. All you need to do is look at the last decade or so of Marvel Comics and you can see that their stories have been shaped by the films, with certain characters and status quo's being pushed because it's what's going on in the movies. But, now they can bring the mutants into the MCU, and why not start with Kamala? Plus, in interviews since it looks like the creators of the character in the comic wanted her to be a mutant back when she was first created too; and knowing that Marvel were pushing Inhumans back them because of the X-Men film rights issue I wouldn't be surprised if that were the reason she was ultimately changed to be Inhuman instead.
Overall I had a lot of fun with the series, and it felt like a great introduction to a character I didn't really know. I'm certainly a lot more excited for The Marvels now too, as it means we'll be getting more of Kamala and her family. Hopefully we can get more seasons of the show too.
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