In the Ms. Marvel comics, Kamala Khan has a specific set of powers. She can shape her body at will. She can flatten herself to be paper thin to sneak into the smallest crevices. Or make her fist the size of a small car. In the Ms. Marvel TV series, however, Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel powers seem to have been changed from the comics. At this point, Kamala Khan exhibits a power set similar to Captain Marvel with some tenets of her comic powers. The light that emanates from Kamala can be hardened and shaped to look like elongated limbs or enlarged fists. So, why did Kamala Khan’s comic powers change for the Ms. Marvel show? Let’s take a deeper look at the powers of Ms. Marvel in both the comics and the TV show for answers.
How Ms. Marvel Got Her Comic Powers
So how did Ms. Marvel get her powers in the first place? In Ms. Marvel (2014) #1, Kamala Khan was on her way back from a party she snuck out to attend. A strange green Terrigen mist surrounded her, turning her into Ms. Marvel… or at least the white and blond with blue eyes version that she desired to be. The Terrigen mist transformation happened because she’s an Inhuman, one of a race of humans with Kree (alien) blood who frequently had special abilities. This is the beginning of her dream superhero journey after being an Avengers fan for years.
Kamala’s powers in the comics were integral to her exploration of her identity. As she became more familiar with her rather freaky-looking powers, she also became secure and confident in being herself.
Ms. Marvel and Her TV Show Powers (So Far)
In the MCU, Ms. Marvel gets her powers a little differently. During Ms. Marvel‘s first episode, we see Kamala find a bangle that belonged to her nani (grandmother). After adding it to her Captain Marvel cosplay at AvengersCon, Kamala Khan’s eyes glow and she ends up causing quite the onstage spectacle. So far in the Ms. Marvel TV series, Kamala’s MCU powers include shooting out almost crystal-like formations and enlarging parts of her body when necessary. Of course, this is all quite shocking to Kamala and her bestie Bruno.
Instead of connecting her powers to her identity through how they change her body, MCU Kamala Khan seems to be on a path to discover her heritage through that bangle from her nani. We are only one episode in, but we will surely get to know more about Ms. Marvel’s powers. She obviously cannot control them at this point and doesn’t understand what’s happening to her. All she knows is that these powers are “cosmic.” And that’s cool enough.
In the show’s second episode “Crushed,” we learn a little bit more about why Kamala’s family history is something Muneeba wants to hide. Yusuf tells the story of Muneeba’s mother, who followed a “trail of stars” back to her father after she got lost on the train to Pakistan after Partition. Apart from changing the origins of Kamala’s powers from her being an Inhuman, the series now seems to be drawing a connection between her powers and the events of Partition, and how they triggered a change in Muneeba’s grandmother.
Evidently, it seems Kamala’s powers are still connected to her identity but through her heritage. And it was heavily influenced by what her family went through during Partition, considering the amount of rumors that flew around about Muneeba’s family after it. Hopefully, the series does explore exactly what happened to Kamala’s great-grandmother.
We also get to see a bit more of how her powers work. She can use her light to make hard stepping stones to run/jump across as well as bridge-like structures. And, she adorably calls it “hard light.”
Why Did Kamala Khan’s Powers Change for the MCU’s Ms. Marvel?
There was speculation that the change in Ms. Marvel’s powers is because of their similarity to Mr. Fantastic, a.k.a. Reed Richards, and his body shifting abilities. But Sana Amanat, a co-creator of the character and Ms. Marvel TV producer, sort of debunks this common thought in an interview with The Direct.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Amanat. “I don’t think so. I mean, from my understanding, it was kind of linked to the type of story that we wanted to tell with Kamala, and not only linkage to other MCU events, but also to the sense of history that she has and the relationship to her family, linking the powers to her family’s past. I think that was really the bigger idea.”
Additionally, Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) told Empire that Kamala Khan’s powers will be connected to her heritage. The combination of Kamala’s heritage and link to bigger stories in the Marvel universe makes sense. Kamala is a huge fan of Captain Marvel in both the comics and the TV show. And her next MCU appearance will be in The Marvels, along with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau. Having some connective tissue between Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel while still allowing this new hero to lean into her unique identity sounds like a solid approach.
Fans may be apprehensive about how the MCU will handle Kamala’s powers and the exploration of her identity. Right now, it is too early to judge whether the changes will somehow take away from the self-acceptance journey that was vital in Ms. Marvel’s comic story. But, there’s a chance to really lean into Kamala’s connection with the women in her family as she understands more about her maternal lineage.
One of comic Kamala’s most heroic choices was to be herself instead of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Captain Marvel she tirelessly admired. And, based on what we have seen from Kamala so far, it looks like Ms. Marvel’s big choice will involve embracing her heritage to understand the source of her MCU powers… and herself. The major choice Kamala may have to make is to embrace her heritage and understand more about where her powers came from.
Originally published on June 8, 2022.
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