Welcome to our coverage of the (hopefully first season) finale of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel:
“No Normal”
Written by Will Dunn and A.C. Bradley & Matthew Chauncey
Directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah
Kamala, now wearing her superhero costume, finds Bruno and Kamran on the run from the DODC. They wind up holed up in Coles Academic, where (along with Nakia, Zoe and Aamir), they plot a way to escape the DODC, and help Kamran reach a Red Dagger contact who’ll take him to Pakistan.
1. A Family Affair
Kamala’s first scene in this episode amusingly reveals Yusuf, Aamir and Tyesha knew her secret before she tells them, because Muneeba told Yusuf on the phone, and Yusuf had his phone on loudspeaker. This is a fast-paced episode, so there was clearly no time for family drama, but that’s refreshing, and lets Aamir’s inclusion in the Home Alone at school scenario be a hilarious act of walking into the story, instead of some tedious melodrama about him getting too concerned for her. More importantly, having her family know her secret leads to Muneeba creating her costume, and Yusuf inspiring the final name of her alter-ego, which is incredible really (to wit, imagine if Aunt May and Uncle Ben made Peter Parker’s costume and coined the name Spider-Man.)
I’d just assumed by the end of this season the rest of Kamala’s costume was also going to be made by Bruno, and that she would choose her name as a nod to Carol Danvers, something I’m astonished I didn’t realize would’ve been incredibly boring. I can think of no better new origin for her sigil than her mother deriving it from the Arabic/Urdu first letter for her name, or as self-assured as having her choose Ms. Marvel to reflect her own name as well as that of her idol — it’s truly beautiful how much removing Carol’s Ms. Marvel era from the MCU has transformed Kamala into a more independent character, and a stronger example of a Muslim/South Asian representation as a result.
2. Friends Too
The swiftness with which Nakia resolved her anger at Kamala for not telling her she was “Light Girl,” and alerted her to Bruno and Kamran’s situation, really spoke to the character’s maturity. Zoe being at Coles Academic on a Saturday was an iffier idea, as funny her explanation was, but it made a lot of sense she knew Kamala’s secret identity, and her comment to Nakia about how only Kamala had the right to share it tied up both characters’ arcs pretty well. (No spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read the comics, but Zoe probably knows better than most people about what it would feel like if someone blabbed a secret too.)
3. The Only Bad Guy
With everything going on, and Kamala failing to find time to tell Kamran about what happened to his mother, I was worried we were going to get a really rushed heel turn for the guy: thankfully, Kamala resolves the conflict between him and the DODC by using her powers to protect everyone, meaning he remains a heroic contrast to his villainous comics counterpart. It felt very important that the villain in this episode remained the DODC, to remind viewers that the main problem in Kamala’s life (and those of most Muslim Americans) will always be overzealous law enforcement, and so Kamala could be a great example of what a true hero does when they see someone in pain acting out, and becoming a danger to others as well as themselves.
On that note, seeing the cops be part of the locals stopping the DODC from arresting Kamala left me conflicted; obviously, one would hope there are far less corrupt cops in the MCU (especially after Captain America brought down HYDRA), but police have been part of the oppression of minorities for so long, that it felt false to have a clear divide between the feds and local law enforcement. At the very least, I think we can all agree the cops could’ve been visibly divided on how to proceed, and the conflict between Agent Deever and New Jersey State Police could’ve been highlighted beforehand.
Continued below4. The Other M Word
Before riding into the sunset (so to speak), Bruno tells Kamala that he ran another DNA test after her brother became curious about whether he could gain superpowers, and discovered that, unlike the rest of her family, she has a mutation that allowed her to wield the noor. (Cue the 1992 X-Men theme.) I always thought making Kamala a mutant would make sense, as she probably would’ve been one in the comics if Marvel hadn’t been trying to undermine Fox’s X-Men films when she debuted, and it is cool she has the honor of being the MCU’s first mutant (after the variant of Professor X himself in Multiverse of Madness.)
However, while the comics have set a precedent for people being mutants because they have superhuman ancestors (see: Franklin Richards), it feels unnecessary after switching the Inhumans with the Clandestines, clarifying something that didn’t need to be explained (it’s also ironic since Comics Aamir did gain powers, that were vaguely similar to his MCU sister’s, during the ‘Secret Wars: Last Days’ arc.) Still, like Kamala says, these are all just labels: hopefully that’s a statement Marvel Comics editorial will remember if they consider retconning Kamala’s backstory in print too.
5. And the Other Marvel
During the mid-credits scene, Kamala’s bangle goes haywire, causing her to trade places with (surprise!) Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, who’s naturally perturbed at being in a kid’s bedroom filled with artwork of her. (God only knows what Kamala is seeing.) This is a great nod to the Nega-Bands from the comics, which were Kree weapons that allowed Mar-Vell and Rick Jones to swap places with each other, all but confirming Kamala’s bangle is part of the MCU’s take on them. (If you recall, in the third episode it was shown being removed from a blue, Kree arm in 1942.) It’s great Kamala and Carol both have Kree involvement in their backstories now, although I have to laugh at everything from Marvel Comics being used for the former except her Inhuman heritage! It’s getting crowded. Also, I’m surprised how little red there is in Carol’s new outfit: hopefully she’ll borrow some of the Khans’ fashion sense and adopt the red sash in The Marvels.
Bonus Thoughts:
– Kamala finally “embiggened” her legs, and I’m glad the filmmakers managed to shape her hard light proportions so that her feet weren’t poking out of them — can’t wait to see more of what Kamala can do in The Marvels.
– Sheikh Abdullah giving the haram and halal hats to Bruno and Kamran was such a great spin on the usual MCU disguise (the ones Ant-Man and the Wasp poked fun at), though I still wish he gave them the sunglasses too.
– Both the fictional and real G. Willow Wilson appear during the social media reaction sequence, the latter noticeably without her trademark turban.
Well folks, this is it for now, since we’ll have to wait until July 28, 2023 for Kamala’s next appearance in The Marvels. Until then: excelsior!
