Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel Cast: Iman Vellani, Mohan Kapor, Zenobia ShroffAd
Ms. Marvel Creators: Bisha K. Ali
Streaming Platform: Disney+Hotstar
Ms. Marvel Stars: 3.5/5
Representation matters… “correct” representation matters… enter Ms. Marvel! From its announcement, the Disney+ series, created by Bisha K. Ali has proudly boasted how the first Muslim superhero is entering the successful yet crowded MCU. All eyes were on newcomer Iman Vellani, the chosen one to play the spunky Kamala Khan, who fangirls over Captain Marvel and wishes to be a superhero herself. With all six episodes now out, does Ms. Marvel storm through with flying colours? Let’s find out!
*MINOR SPOILERS ALERT* In the course of a series format, Ms. Marvel graciously takes its time to not just give us a background check on Kamala Khan but her Asian mad house family too. Our desi hearts are hooked, line and sinker from the get-through as Kamala’s parents – helicopter mom Muneeba Khan (Zenobia Shroff) and adorable dad Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapur) along with big brother Aamir Khan (Saagar Shaikh) are all characters South Asian teens can wholeheartedly relate to and even chuckle over. Moreover, we’re also given quirky anecdotes about Kamala Khan being “different” in school through her best friends Bruno Carrelli (Bruno Carrelli) and Nakia Bahadir (Yasmeen Fletcher), while Khan also gets a love interest, of sorts, in the mysterious Kamran (Rish Shah).
When Kamala comes in possession of a family heirloom, a golden bangle, she is able to magically harness cosmic power and gets into a ton of adventure henceforth, landing into deep trouble as you’d expect. With great power comes many eyes in pursuit of said power! The parallels between the good guys and the bad guys are thoroughly bleak as Khan tries to navigate through her sudden superpowers while trying to tie loose ends when it comes to her tragic family past, dating back to the partition. It’s all interconnected as you’d theorise!
There’s something so infectious about Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel, that makes her instantly relatable! In Ms. Marvel, which is her first on-screen role, Iman manages to capture your attention with her spirited act and is so confident, that you wouldn’t believe that she’s still a freshman actress. Whether it be in action as Ms. Marvel or a regular teen with teenage problems as Kamala Khan, Vellani is indeed a welcome addition to the MCU. As for the supporting cast, it’s Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur, who are so utterly delightful, even in the cringiest of scenes. Big Hulk, anyone!? Sure to be Internet darlings! Moreover, Saagar Shaikh adds the witty comic relief aspect with his elder sibling shenanigans while Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher and Rish Shah are the perfect youthful counterparts to Iman Vellani’s goofy theatrics.
In terms of Ms. Marvel’s storyline, as I mentioned before, the desi tadka is infused by Bisha K. Ali through and through, whether it be in the catchy Pakistani and Bollywood numbers with Laura Karpman’s crackling score or the core family values insisted upon Kamala through her rich history. Not as cataclysmic as recent MCU Phase 4 entries, Ms. Marvel opts for a more heartfelt, grounded take on the superhero genre, where there are blurred lines between all the characters. In the final episode, in particular, a blatant statement is made on representation and what makes Ms. Marvel so seen is that they’re not even trying to be subtle about the same. It’s as bombastic as it gets and I sure love to see it!
