As we approach the end of Disney+ and Marvel’s latest series Ms. Marvel, I wanted to give my thoughts on the show so far and what we may expect in the series’ final episode.
‘Ms. Marvel’ May Be “The Most Fun of All The Marvel Shows”
Ms. Marvel, as a series may be the most fun of all the Marvel shows thus far. It’s not afraid to not take itself too seriously and I would say it is the first of these Marvel series that feels like an actual TV show as opposed to a six-part film. Iman Vellani IS Kamala Khan. Vellani plays Kamala with all the wide-eyed hopefulness and enthusiasm you remember from the comics and her personality and relatability just explode on the screen. She truly feels as if she has stepped right off the page. While Vellani steals the show, everybody in the cast has been wonderful. While most Marvel shows I feel rely on spectacle and in-universe connections, where this show shines is in its softer moments.
While this show is about Kamala and her stepping into her role as the hero Ms. Marvel, it’s really about family and how one’s connection and love for their family can be where true power comes from. These are the moments in the show that shine, and I think propel this series forward. The show leans heavily into the cultural and spiritual aspect of the Khans, but in a way that feels so natural and authentic that it’s not shoved into your face. Moments like her brother telling her to say “Bismillah” before her driving test or how her mother has food prepared for Bruno so quickly all just make me smile and remind me of my mother-in-law who would never let me leave without a giant plate of food packed and ready to go. These are the moments that make this show so amazing and relatable, but also, I think, where some people’s criticism may come from.
I believe the representation and cultural references are really what make this show shine but if you do not come from an immigrant or Muslim household, a lot of those subtle things that make the show so beautiful, unfortunately, go over some people’s heads and I think cause them to feel underwhelmed with the show. This raises an interesting question: Should Marvel shy away from telling these types of specific stories for fear of alienating some viewers and focus more on broad appeal storytelling? I firmly believe that by branching out and telling more specific stories of different people and different cultures is how this world will continue to grow and get more people inspired and in love with the medium.
We have almost 26 MCU films with White or Male leads and other stories need to be told from different perspectives not just from one. It’s okay if every project doesn’t speak to you because it shouldn’t. I would personally rather have one person who sees themselves in Kamala and is inspired by her story than have one hundred people raving about the show and having it be critically acclaimed. Some things are more important and deeper than a Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Clandestine.
If I do have any criticism of the show, it would be with the Clandestine. Their motives seemed a little poorly written and seemed to only be used as a plot point to give us information on the bangle and Aisha. While I understand this is only six episodes and they needed to get from point A to B somehow, I think they could have given them just a tad more to flesh them out a little better, especially Najma.
Her turn in Episode 3 from trying to help Kamala to hunting her was very sudden, and her turn again at the end of this latest episode to close The Veil was just as abrupt and kind of jarring. I think maybe just another line of dialogue or two could have helped us understand her thought process a little more but ultimately, they needed them to give us the back story we needed so at the end of the day it’s a very small gripe.
Coming into the finale I think the show has been amazing so far and while there are some tonal issues with the six-episode structure I firmly believe they will stick the landing with this final episode. I truly believe this show even more than others would have benefitted from a couple more episodes if only to just flesh out a little more of the issues I already described.
For things I think we can expect from this finale, now that Kamran has unlocked his Noor powers, I think we will get more information on exactly what the Noor dimension is and how it operates. We know that the next time we will see Kamala is in The Marvels so something will most likely happen to set her up to join Carol and Monica.
I believe that we will get a lot more information on her bangle as well, maybe even being Kree technology which would be an easy way to bring her into The Marvels. I also would not be surprised to have another Skrull reveal setting up both Secret Invasion and The Marvels by the end of this series. Whether it’s Kree tech, Skrulls, or just Haram dot Kamran, I could not be more excited to see how this series ends and where we see Kamala goes from here.
Ms. Marvel Episodes 1-5 are now available to stream on Disney+
