'Ms. Marvel' Is The MCU's Answer To Y.A. Storytelling, From A Voice Rarely Heard On TV
Every character in the MCU has a place in the overall scheme of things. Ant-Man is a heist movie. Hawkeye is a passing of the torch. Guardians of the Galaxy is about family.
Now, with Ms. Marvel, they are going for the Y.A. narrative - and so much more.
Disney+ has dropped the premier episode of their newest MCU series Ms. Marvel, and it might not be for everyone, but it's an important story to tell.
The show revolves around Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a 17-year-old Pakistani-American with an overactive imagination and an obsession with Captain Marvel.
Raised by her traditional family, Kamala struggles to find her voice not only in her home, but in her peer group as well; seen as an outsider not only for her geeky tendencies as a superfan of all things hero related, but because of her ethnicity.
Throughout the show, we are given glimpses into the mind of our heroine, done in an almost Spider-Verse animatic style, where her imagination can be seen in the background as crudely drawn emojis and doodles.
Playful and outgoing, Kamala spends her days trying to fit in at school with her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz), a young tech genius and hinted at love interest, only to find herself fumbling over her words when the popular kids are around.
The first episode works as a 'getting to know you' plot, showing a day in the life of a typical teenager who only wants to be seen by the world as the powerful person she knows herself to be.
We are also given a very well written look into her homelife, with her over-protective mother (Zenobia Shroff), a happy-go-lucky father (Mohan Kapur), and her older brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh) who can do no wrong in her parents' eyes.
Asked to deny who she really is, Kamala hides much of herself in her imagination.
The story takes off when she sneaks away to go to Avenger-Con to show off her Captain Marvel cosplay outfit, which she adorns with a strange wristcuff sent to her by her grandmother - who is hinted to be a bit out of the ordinary herself.
While onstage, she begins to exhibit special abilities after putting on the cuff, shooting energy blasts and gaining the ability to stretch her hands to massive size.
The show is a very decent coming-of-age story, blending Kamala's cultural differences with her superpowers. Assuredly aimed towards a younger audience, there will most likely be a contingent of MCU fans who don't fully vibe with the young adult mentality of the series, at least in the first episode, where Kamala doesn't even get her powers until very late into the final act.
That is not to say that the show is flawed in any way. Kamala is just the most immature character we have seen so far, but that is the point.
If anything, Ms. Marvel is a growth character, much like Peter Parker. She is learning to deal with the rigors of her burgeoning adulthood, cultural conformity, and a newfound power.
Ms. Marvel, even for its immature tone, is anything but. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the coming weeks.
Is it the best property to come out of Marvel thus far? Not exactly, at least, it doesn' seem like it at this time - but it definitely has something wonderful to say about being an outsider, even in your own home, and developing the courage to find a voice in a chaotic world.
