It’s official; we now know when we will meet and fangirl with Kamala Khan! Marvel Studios released Ms. Marvel‘s premiere date alongside an official poster and the series first trailer. The previous sneak peek for Ms. Marvel came out in November last year. However, there is plenty to enjoy and unpack, even in a brief look at the series!
According to Marvel, Ms. Marvel will follow Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero mega-fan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels invisible both at home and at school—that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life gets better with superpowers, right?
That’s what the series will answer as Kamala gets “cosmic” powers that let her be even closer to her favorite heroes, especially Captain Marvel. Most importantly, they lead to Kamala becoming a hero in her own right. It is fascinating that the cosmic definition of Kamala’s power set contrasts her origin in the comics.
Marvel Studios has always had a hit-or-miss relationship with source material. So, it’s hard to know what direction it’s taking Kamala’s powers from just the two minutes we’ve seen, but one thing is sure — Kamala still embiggens her fists. Ms. Marvel wouldn’t be the same without that effect.
In the comics, Kamala can shapeshift, too. At one point, she even shapeshifts into Carol Danvers.
This short trailer doesn’t show that Kamala is capable of such an ability, but that doesn’t mean the show won’t delve into it at some point. After all, the messaging in the trailer seems to be very similar to that of the comics. Kamala faces internalized and externalized racism, and most of her heroes fall into the outdated and stereotypical beauty standard.
In the trailer, Kamala even expresses as much when she says, “It’s not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world.” Kamala Khan and Ms. Marvel are changing and challenging that status quo by broadening the MCU’s representation that has centered on mostly white male heroes for far too long.
Kamala stresses that seeing herself as a superhero only happens in fantasy. Hence, her desire to live in that fantasy world where she imagines herself to be a hero on par with Captain Marvel. The show will likely follow Kamala’s journey of accepting herself as a hero, which is similar to the source material.
Of course, there are also glimpses at Kamala’s Ms. Marvel suit! That’s probably the same suit Kamala will wear in the upcoming film The Marvels!
There’s also a lot of creative, fun work at play by leaning into the fact that Kamala is a young hero. She’s a teenage girl in high school, and the trailer recognizes that with the kind of endearment it deserves. Ms. Marvel could be a coming-of-age story as much as a hero’s origin story.
Some may view deeming Ms. Marvel a “Disney Channel knock-off” as a dig to dissuade people from watching, but it’ll likely only do the exact opposite. Kamala is a young fangirl who loves superheroes, and the tone of the trailer matches that.
Not only does such a tonal shift prove the MCU is capable of carrying multiple tones at once (Look at how different it is from Moon Knight), it demonstrates the franchise can appeal to more than the dominant audience. That’s a good thing!
Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. The cast includes Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Nakli, Azhar Usman, Travina Springer, and Nimra Bucha.
Episodes are directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Bisha K. Ali are the executive producers. Co-executive producers for the series are Sana Amanat and Trevor Waterson, and Bisha K. Ali is the head writer.
Check out Ms. Marvel‘s poster:
Watch Ms. Marvel‘s trailer:
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What did you think of Ms. Marvel’s first trailer? Let us know in the comments below!
Ms. Marvel premieres exclusively on Disney+ on June 8!