I didn’t really like either trailer for Ms. Marvel so it’s a nice surprise that this is my second favorite Marvel show after Wandavision. For the most part I think Ms. Marvel stuck the landing unlike Wandavision but that’s a whole other thing. Ms. Marvel has her problems but at least there are no Ralph Boner jokes to be found.
I also give points to a show that teaches me something while entertaining me!
SPOILERS!
Kamala, Friends & Family
Iman Vellani is excellent as Kamala Khan that cannot be said enough. For me the best part of the show was her, her family and friends and seeing the culture represented through them. I especially love the use of music throughout.
And food!
It’s not as prevalent as the music but I love all things food!
The relationships between the family and friends feel natural all through the series. I feel like it got a little corny actually with her, the mother and the grandmother near to the end. I’m not big on corn 🙂
Kamala’s relationship with her mother (Zenobia Shroff) is probably my favorite part. It does not start out easy as her mother thinks she’s too much of a dreamer. Yet by the end Kamala has her mother’s support. Though she still sent her brother to chaperone Kamala’s heroic showdowns.
Power Change/Clandestine
I know a lot of people who weren’t happy with her power change. Actually I think they did a good job wrapping it into her history and heritage. I it love when lore, myth and history meet! Nice touch that by calling them djinn** they made Kamala something she was afraid of as a child. But the Clandestine are some typical terrible Marvel villains. Some of the worst.
Part of that I think is shoving it into six episodes. Kamala meets them at the beginning of episode three. They exposit some info about being from another world and needing the bracelet and her to get them home. But Bruno, her scientist bestie, says that might destroy our world. Kamala tells them she needs to find a safer way. Reasonable. So by the end of that episode they are like, die Kamala! Die!
They get picked up by the Department of Damage Control. Escape super fast and chase Kamala to Pakistan where they do some stabbing. We learn Bruno might be a terrible scientist because all it takes to open the portal is hitting the bracelet…
One woman tries to go back and is turned into a skeleton like I was watching Raiders of the Lost Arc. Kamala tells Najma (Nimra Bucha) the hardcore leader that it’s overtaking our world and she’s just like okay, I’ll just go kill myself to. At least that’s the conclusion I came to- I thought at first she was still trying to get home like fuck it.
And her power somehow transfers too hot Kamran (Rish Shah) who is still in Jersey and also my least favorite of everyone on the show in terms of both acting and character.
So the Clandestine… not great and a lot to take in.
The Other Baddies
With the Clandestine gone Kamala now has to save Kamran and her friends from the rampaging racist Department of Damage Control Lady (Alysia Reiner.) The parts of her obvious racism taking over and like invading the mosque without a warrant, treating the people like pariahs were well down but then it descends to her and the DODC attacking teenagers on the street with (what looked to me) like lethal force.
Oh her partner/boss (?) I guess told her not to but that didn’t work. And a little context of the larger picture might have helped. I also can’t help but think again attacking kids in the streets with advanced tech, superheroes or not, it seems like some other heroes might take a bad view of that and want to be helpful. But no…
Two Big Reveals
So Kamala is apparently a mutant. The first acknowledged one in the MCU which kind of made me wonder…
What was the point of the Clandestine? Or is Kamala just everything? Descended from magic people from another dimension? And a mutant? Plus as someone who loves the X-Men more than any other comic group it just feels so blasé. Kamala’s whole response is, “just another label.”
I think I was expecting a bit more of a bang with the first acknowledged mutant. I mean we’re only months away from Wakanda Forever! There’s the movie to do it in.
I did love the part where Kamala and Carol switched places. Though it was so quick in the end credits some people believe this is Kamala’s shape shifting power- they confirmed they switch. Let’s hope Carol was just doing something calm like having breakfast. I would have loved to see her families reaction to Carol and the probability that Kamala is somewhere in space.
But hey I am excited for The Marvels so good job show!
Overall Ms. Marvel was great fun. The shows strong cast and utterly charming lead almost make you overlook the same old Marvel problems.
Recommend: Yes.
**I should clarify as the show does that while they are referred to as djinn they are not.
Great review! I enjoyed this show as well!
Oh my gosh, I am so with you! I didn’t know Marvel could make a show I love this much :). By the end, it had even supplanted ‘WandaVision’ as my all-time favorite MCU show. I just keep rewatching it and I love it all so much. Ahhhhh! YAY for ‘Ms. Marvel’!
On the Damage Control note, do you remember when they were talking of doing a Damage Control show that was more like ‘The Office’? I remember always being annoyed by the ‘Damage Control’ comic as a kid because I’d buy it since it had awesome heroes on the cover…only to find the story was about the people who had to clean-up after the fight. While the comic bored young me, I adore the idea of a MCU comedy in the vein of ‘The Office,’ with people having to go clean-up after those fights! It’s always helpful to have an evil, vaguely defined government organization for the heroes to fight so I’m not opposed to how they used Damage Control. But alas, I would’ve liked something like H.A.M.M.E.R. to play that role so we could still have a Damage Control half hour comedy…
They should do a show like that. I’ve been thinking probably way too much about world-building in the Marvel universe outside of the superhero. (Anytime Kevin wants to give me a call ;))
I’ve heard a few people say that Marvel is increasing so much the idea of super powered people isn’t really special anymore (which will be interesting to see how they incorporate certain parts of the X-Men there’s such a civil rights analogy with them but you have witches roaming around mind controlling towns I don’t see why anyone’s going to be more afraid of a few mutants. They seemed to be starting the idea of addressing this with the Sokovia Accords but mostly that seems lost now. But that’s a ramble for another day)
Anyway a story about normal people trying to live in a super powered world with all the messes they’ve made I think could be a lot of fun and very different!
Right?? Maybe they can create a new department to do that and we can still get a straight Marvel comedy show.
Also, HOW DID I NOT THINK ABOUT THIS with the X-Men??? You’re right! Where is the reason to hate and fear them? Even in the comics, it was always difficult to see how the general public could tell who was a mutant and who wasn’t. How do people know to hate and fear Cyclops and Jean but not Spider-Man and Daredevil? But the MCU has already shown the general public can be leery of superhumans and its hard to imagine how they will weave the narrative so the mutants have the standing in the MCU they do in the Marvel Universe.
That’s part of why I thought the one idea/rumor about the X-Men coming as a result of Secret Wars made sense. Like, the multiverses get smashed together and all of a sudden the MCU has these new humans who are born with abilities and there’s a perceived threat there for the “average person.” Who is a mutant? Are they in your neighborhood? Who are you dating or having children with? Etc. and so on. Because you’re right – after ‘Age of Ultron’ and ‘WandaVision’ it’s hard to see how new beings with power would be feared in a different, more pervasive way.
I…I guess I didn’t leave that ramble for another day XD. I, in fact, added to and encouraged it! But I’ll stop now.
Also also, I am 100% behind Kevin Feige giving you a call and I would feel completely comfortable with the keys to the MCU kingdom in your hands. Maybe you should just email him and offer?