Ms Marvel is the latest addition to superhero shows and movies. But there is something different about this Disney+Hotstar series that has premiered on Wednesday (8 June) – it’s centred around a person of colour, a Muslim teenager, Kamala Khan, who also has superpowers.
Created by Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, she is the first Muslim superhero to lead a comic book series.
Ms Marvel
(Photo: Marvel Database)
Kamala is essentially a Pakistani-American teenager who discovers that she has ‘inhuman genes’ – a type of dormant genes that got activated after ‘Terrigen Mists’ was released in the Marvel Universe. The character first appeared in 2013 and created quite a stir for being the first Muslim character in the comics.
Her powers include the ability to shapeshift – elongate her body, compress or flatten her limbs or enlarge her fists. She can also heal herself from bullet wounds. An admirer of Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, she has an idealistic attitude.
Kamala was born in Jersey City to Yusuf Khan and Muneeba Khan. While her parents may have moved from Pakistan to America, they are practising Muslims.
The comics highlight the struggles of immigrants and the identity politics related to it.
Speaking to The Guardian, Iman Vellani, the actor portraying the character of Kamala Khan, said that the main theme of the show is “to subvert expectations and throw away all the labels and become your own person.”
Ms Marvel
(Photo: Instagram)
The comics heavily deal with the struggles of faith and religion and Kamala is at the centre of that narrative. The show, according to reports, intends to focus on the characters struggle with the society she lives in and the religion she comes from.
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