With Spider-Man leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the role of friendly neighborhood superhero has opened up. Ms. Marvel — a.k.a. Kamala Khan — is the perfect candidate to step into that position.
We’re not saying, of course, that Ms. Marvel is a direct replacement for Tom Holland’s web-slinger or that he needs to be replaced. But rather, that many of the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have their sights set on a grand stage. Instead of focusing on threats to the planet at large, or more galactic foes, Spider-Man was one of the few characters outside of Marvel’s Netflix taking care of their local community and neighborhood. It is an aspect of the MCU that deserves some focus and attention, particularly as it transitions into Phase Four.
Enter Kamala Khan. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige announced at D23 Expo that a Ms. Marvel series will be coming to Disney+, alongside She-Hulk and Moon Knight, and she is exactly the kind of hero that we need to show that street-level kindness and heroism.
But where Peter Parker, and Spider-Man, focused on New York — specifically Queens — Kamala is based out of New Jersey. Meaning that, though Spider-Man will be solely the property of Sony moving forward, the two will be able to co-exist in the minds of Marvel fans. It also provides a new location and fresh faces to explore, as Kamala finds her footing as a hero on her own turf.
Kamala was always positioned as a kind of every-man hero in the Marvel comics. A teenage superhero for a newer, modern, and multi-cultural world. The comics explored everything from her faith as a young Muslim, to social justice, and balanced precariously between diving deeper into the politics and diversity of her neighborhood. Be that through interactions with her friends and family, other street-level heroes, or others within and outside of her community.
Having the time and scope of a series on Disney+ will certainly allow Marvel to take the time and care that it needs to surround Kamala with that community — one that she’ll be able to ingrain herself into, and champion. The Spider-Man movies have managed, thus far, to really drive home that sensation of Peter being a hero for his people, looking out for the little guy, but he also has the advantage of several adaptations that have come before him, and a prolific comic book history. Ms. Marvel and Kamala Khan are newer to a Marvel movie specific audience, and that relationship will take some time to build up.
However, Kamala has many aspects to her character that a geek-centric audience will immediately love and connect to. Which is that Kamala, at her very core, is one of us. She is a fan, at heart, of superheroes and especially Captain Marvel — who we would not be shocked to see make a cameo at some point during the series — and has a vibrant and enthusiastic personality when it comes to the things that she loves. Oh, and she writes fanfiction. Yeah. Definitely one of us.
There is so much potential to be explored when it comes to Kamala Khan, not least in showing a Muslim-American teenager being a hero of her local community. In a current political climate that seeks to divide and other those who might be different, Kamala Khan is exactly the hero that we need right now. A no-nonsense leader and powerhouse, who cares deeply about those around her, and doing the right thing. Always.
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