Ms Marvel Episode 1 is out now! Created by Bisha K. Ali, the series stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel along with Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli, Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Rish Shah as Kamran, Fawad Khan as Hasan, Laurel Marsden as Zoe Zimmer, Arian Moayed as P. Cleary, Adaku Ononogbo as Fariha, Alysia Reiner as Sadie Deever, Laith Nakli as Sheikh Abdullah, Travina Springer as Tyesha Hillman and Aramis Knight as Kareem/Red Dagger.
Produced by Marvel Studios, the first episode of Ms Marvel is directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah and written by Bisha K. Ali. The runtime for the episode is 46 minutes. The episode synopsis reads: “Kamala Khan attends Avengercon only to discover that she herself might have superpowers.”
– Ms Marvel Episode 1 Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Ms Marvel promises to be a series fans will immediately fall in love with from the very start. Be it the representation of strict parents in the Pakistani culture or the fickle, fantasy-filled mind of a 16-year-old teenager, the show seems to get everything right from the start which is why it is an enjoyable ride to be on.
In Ms Marvel Episode 1, we are introduced to Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, a teenager who loves Captain Marvel, swims in her own fantasy world, isn’t surely the popular kid at school and lives with a pair of loving but conservative parents. Kamala’s one true dream in her 16-year-old head is to make it to the AvengerCon and win the cosplay competition for Captain Marvel. Although her family isn’t keen on letting her sing her own tunes, she often faces cultural clashes with her westernized thoughts in a Pakistani household.
Nonetheless, Kamala aims to formulate a plan to make it to the AvengerCon, with Bruno, her best friend. But, things aren’t really as they might seem on the surface level. When she discovers a piece of old jewellery from the junk trunk sent by her Nani (grandmother), Kamala’s world takes a turn from being ordinary to extraordinary.
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Watching Ms Marvel Episode 1, the makers have made it clear that they are targeting the younger generation whilst holding onto the existing older fans. The animations and visuals are quirky, fun and a unique choice that makes his show stands out. Given how the first volume of Ms Marvel comics won the Hugo Award for the best graphic story in 2015, the creators surely did not want to lose out on that vision and it shows.
As for the narrative, it is clearly built around a coming-of-age genre. Kamala Khan is the youngest superhero to make it to the MCU, so nothing else was expected out of her origin story. But simultaneously, there is enough focus on her relationship with her parents as well as her friend, Bruno, who might play important roles in shaping her story in the upcoming episodes.
One thing that is absolutely endearing to watch is how the parent-child dynamic is represented in this series. The first episode drops enough hints to show Kamala’s parents being conservative and strict and, how their thoughts don’t align with their teenage daughter’s. But, it never depicts them as evil or traumatizing but, protective, instead. Letting this embed in the mind of the audience was an important and risky thing as many movies and shows depict the South Asian parenting culture more on the evil and traumatizing side.
As for our protagonist played by Iman Vellani, it seems like there could have been no better fit. She is the perfect girl next door, dazzled by her animated, superhero world but, nonetheless, charming in her own, sweet way. A lot relies on her hand, literally, on how she is going to be in the future episodes but, as for the first one, she is a complete hit.
Ms Marvel Episode 1: Final Thoughts
As MCU films are taking a darker turn with releases such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the series seems to be aiming for the fun, quirky side. Ms Marvel is definitely on the sugar rush palette, be it in regards to the genre or the visuals. Even the She Hulk trailer was on the funnier rim than deadly and, clearly, Marvel is aiming to create enjoyable stories for the large masses to sit back at home and enjoy.
Yes, the way Kamala receives her powers in the first episode holds a lot of discrepancies. It isn’t the way it was in the inhumanity storyline. However, maybe, the creators are aiming to infuse something of a Turning Red essence into this storyline by contradicting the comics. However, only time will tell how the entire show will hold up.
You can watch the first episode of Ms Marvel now on Disney+ Hotstar.
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