Fans of the MCU received a treat earlier when a trailer for the upcoming Disney+ show Ms. Marvel dropped on the official Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel. You can watch the trailer above.
The trailer features almost two minutes of footage and shows Ms. Marvel (played by Iman Vellani) in action. Fans got a glimpse of her powers as well as the myriad costumes she sports during the show, a clear nod to Kamala Khan’s wardrobe decision in her earliest appearance.
Much of Kamala Khan is present in the trailer, like her hardcore fandom for the Avengers, the notion of her “uncoolness” as school, and her struggles as a Muslim living in America. That last one is central to Kalama’s development as the character has become one of the few Muslim superheroes appearing in comic books. Because of this, many fans relate to her struggles, illustrated beautifully and realistically by two of Kamala’s creators, G. Willow Wilson and Sana Amat, both Muslim women.
While the trailer has been receiving positive feedback, it is drawing some criticism in the way Kamala’s powers are portrayed. In the comics, Kamala receives her powers after being exposed to the Terrigan Mist, a vapor that empowers certain people and turns them into Inhumans. Those powers manifest in polymorphism, which allows her to change her size (a la Ant-Man) or stretch (a la Mr. Fantastic).
The trailer for the show, though, seems to imply that Kamala gets her powers from a mystical bracelet. It’s no surprise that Marvel would veer away from the Inhumans after the television show featuring those characters was… let’s say, less than well received.
But the change in origin also came with a change in powers. Instead of being able to control her body proportions, Kamala now seems to be able to control energy projections. This change could have been necessitated through some CG constraints, or it could be that Marvel wants to distance Ms. Marvel from the upcoming appearance of Mr. Fantastic in Jon Watts’ Fantastic Four film. With Mr. Fantastic being the more famous of the stretchy-superheroes, Marvel and Disney may have felt that a Stretchy Kamala would confuse fans unfamiliar with the character.
Despite the fan concerns, the trailer is being very well received. I can’t wait to see Kamala burst onto the scene.
Ms. Marvel, starring Iman Vellani, Anjali Bhimani, and Rish Shah, is slated to premiere on Disney+ on June 8th.
