From the positive focus on South Asian culture to the very authentic and familiar Desi music, here's why Ms Marvel is a must-watch
Awkwardness, growing pains and never feeling like you can fit in. We can all relate to these struggles and Ms Marvel encapsulates them all.
Launching on Disney+ today, Ms Marvel is a teenager’s entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. Viewers make the emotional journey with the teen as she navigates school, her obsession with the Avengers, her protective Pakistani immigrant parents and her new superpowers in the series.
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So far, just two episodes of the new limited series have been released with four more due to arrive in the coming weeks. Despite a slow and meandering start, the show is deeply enjoyable for many reasons.
Keep reading for why you need to put this show on your watch list immediately.
1. The show accurately portrays the Pakistani American experience
One of the reasons why many people were so excited for the release of Ms Marvel was simply because it starred Marvel’s first Muslim superhero.
The character, in the 2013 comics, is part of a newer generation of Marvel characters who are led by women and ethnically diverse characters. Ms Marvel in the comics is Muslim American like her creators, G Willow Wilson and Sana Amanat, Marvel’s director of character development.
Thankfully, based on the first two episodes, it would seem that the show has done justice to the character’s culture and religion.
In the style of Mindy Kaling’s comedy-drama series, Never Have I Ever, Ms Marvel introduces viewers to Kamala Khan’s Pakistani-American family in a relatable and enjoyable way.
Her parents are strict and are simply trying to understand their daughter who is devoted to drawing, video games and everything related to the Avengers.
Kamala, played by Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani on the other hand, is simply trying to navigate her teenage years while straddling two cultures.
One thing that is immediately clear is that much reverence is given to Kamala’s South Asian background and her religion. It puts a positive lens on Islam and plays up familiar conflict points between parent and child while navigating religion.