Ms. Marvel is the second series of the year in the Disney Plus catalog of the streaming service. It introduces us to the character of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenage girl who strangely acquires superheroic abilities when she wears her grandmother’s discarded bracelet. Vellani, who plays Kamala, will also be starring in a movie of her own, titled “The Marvels” along with the original Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). One of the heartwarming aspects of the production is the presence of another Pakistani-American – Bisha Ali – as the show’s creator. This move ensures that the story’s execution will preserve cultural intricacies.
This new phase of Marvel content is genuinely inspiring. The brave moves to be inclusive of different backgrounds and social ethos have given a unique color to the MCU. The flurry of television shows that have been released in the last two years proves that all audiences can enjoy superheroes in their local avatars. We see some of that in the first episode of ‘Ms. Marvel’ also. The episode overall was more like an introductory setup for the story. It lacked the spontaneity you expect once a show has clearly established a rhythm. But it is natural for the episode to feel like this. Read on to learn about the various details of the plot you might have missed.
MS. MARVEL (SEASON 1), EPISODE 1 RECAP:
The very first we see of Kamala is her inspiring work as the biggest fan of Captain Marvel. Her YouTube channel is a spark of her creative talent. The Jersey AvengerCon is her chance to let the world know about her obsession with the comic character and announce her own personality.
Aamir’s wedding is just around the corner, and Muneeba cannot let Kamala ease up in the preparations. She wants Kamala to take a driving test. Kamala does not do too well and messes up the driving test. She can no longer help her mother run errands for her brother’s wedding.
We also manage to get a glimpse of her school, where we meet two important characters. The upcoming episodes will certainly feature Bruno and Zoe prominently if the storyline follows the comic. When Kamala does ask her parents for permission to go to the event, she is instantly denied. The follow-up raises hopes that she might go, but the revelation comes up with drastic curbs about costumes and the attendance duration. This irks her and spoils the excitement she feels while taking out a clandestine bangle from a junk box that belonged to her grandmother. Muneeba had passed it on to her.
Ali’s influence on detailing of the background is evident when Kamala accompanies her mother to buy things for Aamir’s marriage. It is typical in South Asian households and feels nice to see it here. The background music, too, is aligned with the cultural tunes one often finds in such bazaars.
Kamala asks Aamir to help her out in trying to convince her parents, bringing out another typical Asian stereotype. It is common for parents in Asian households to hold their sons on a higher pedestal than their daughters. As sexist as it is, there is no denying its veracity. Point proved further as Aamir is able to convince Muneeba. But she puts absurd conditions on the event. By giving her the green salwar kameez, Muneeba asks Kamala to go as Hulk, and her father accompanies her as Hulk Senior. A match made in heaven, right? Not according to Kamala.
Kamala and Bruno finally decide to come up with a plan to go to the event. This is where Zuzu, an AI device made by Bruno and gifted to Yusuf, will come in handy. They intend to use it to create the impression that Kamala is still in the room. They also pray for some luck along the way to make the plan successful.
To cheer up a heartbroken Kamala, Bruno tells her how amazing she is and eventually, her parents will realize it. Besides that, he gives her a glove he designed that lights up (like Captain Marvel’s hand lights up while hurling energy blasts), and they begin to fight on the roof. While preparing her costume, Kamala also grabs hold of the bracelet she took from her grandmother’s things, as the costume requires the contestants to put something “of their own personality” into it.
MS. MARVEL (SEASON 1), THE GAME CHANGER:
The event is everything that Kamala dreamed of. We see a long montage showing the various colors of the contestants. We finally get to the Cosplay event but not before Kamala and Bruno spot Zoe (an extremely important comic book character), the popular girl from high school whom Kamala dislikes. However, Bruno calms Kamala down.
Immediately after wearing the bangle, Kamala feels a sensation around her whole body, and we see a blue sparkle around her. In addition, she finds herself in a place full of ethereal figures and bright blue light all around for a split second. Despite everything flashing around, Kamala somehow manages to throw a blue energy blast and several more after that. Everyone, including the judges, are amazed that she is doing that intentionally. In spite of her surprise, the judges and others believe she did it intentionally.
We see Kamala’s newfound energy so impactful that it sets into motion the giant structures of superhero memorabilia. The amazing display of this otherworldly power soon turns into a deadly face of destruction. The Ant-Man head and Thor’s hammer are both detached from their places and run the event ragged. The hammer also threatens to hurt Zoe, but Kamala is there just in time to save the day. She rushes out with Bruno before more investigation, but Zoe has seen her do these fantastic things.
As fate would have it, Kamala does not find much luck with her plan at her house. She finds Muneeba waiting for her in her room, fully prepared to lecture her about values and betraying her parents’ trust. Kamala is too overwhelmed with the mysterious nature of the bangle that lights up again one final time before the screen goes black.
MS. MARVEL EPISODE ONE ENDING EXPLAINED: DOES IT HAVE A POST-CREDITS SCENE?
Yes, there is, and for the confused ones, we have got the answers. There is a very simple and straightforward explanation of the post-credit scene. It has a direct relation to the Spider-Man: No Way Home film. For those of you who remember, the agents we see in the end are Deever and Cleary, who were last seen making probes into the actions of Spider-Man and his friends.
They belong to the Department of Damage Control, sponsored by the government to keep the heroes in check. It has taken up several other investigations in the past in the MCU and is back to make life difficult for Kamala. Previously, we have seen in ‘Thor’ (2011) how the department probed the breaking in by him into the Mjolnir site. The agents were also present in Captain America Part II, where they investigated the Hydra plant, which was an essential part of the story.
In keeping with the comics, the show also mentions Kamala’s power to enlarge her hands. In addition, the source of her power is a bangle which may be associated with the ten rings, the tesseract (a significant item in MCU history), or even something Skrull-related. We still have to wait for confirmation about the nature of her origin story. The creators can go in several directions to handle it, but we do not know yet. You could also just see it as an introduction to the Inhumans. The fact that Comics have historically been incredibly accurate suggests that it is pretty likely.
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