Editor’s note: The below article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel Episode 6.
The Disney+ seriesMs. Marvelgot many things right regarding its titular character, including Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani)Pakistani rootsandMuslim faith. However, now that the show has reached its finale, it’s hard to justify the changes Marvel Studio made in Kamala’s comic book superpower origins. At first, it seemed likeMs. Marvelhad a good idea about how to reinvent Kamala’s powersand give them a brand-new origin. However, as episodes went by, things became even messier and more convoluted. In the final scene of Episode 6, “No Normal,“Ms. Marvelgives a clear nod to mutants and the X-Men, adding another unfortunate layer of complexity on top of an origin story that feels bloated and incomplete at the same time.
One week after the final clash with the Department of Damage Control, Kamala reunites with Bruno (Matt Lintz) and Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher) to say farewell. Bruno is going to Caltech, and none of the friends know when they’ll be all together again. However, before going on his next adventure, Bruno reveals to Kamala he ran some tests on the genetic structure of her family to try and understand why the other half-Djinn members of her family didn’t manifest superpowers. As it turns out, Kamala has something different in her DNA: a mutation that explains why only she can harness the energy of the Light Dimension and bend it to her will.
In the Marvel universe, mutations are often associated with the X-Men. It’s no coincidence that we use the word mutants to define people who were born with superpowers due to a genetic specificity. The word is so central to comic book history that Marvel Studios couldn’t even use the word “mutant” before Disney acquired Fox – just as an example, Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) couldn’t be presented as mutants inAvengers: Age of Ultron. So, the use of the word “mutation” to define Kamala’s power is already suspicious. However, as the secret is revealed,Ms. Marvelplays the 1990sX-Menanimated series theme for us to be sure what they are talking about – the same tune was used recently onDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnesswhenPatrick Stewartshowed up as Professor X. There is no doubt, then. Marvel Studios is turning Kamala into a mutant — and that’s a big mistake.
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In the realm of Marvel Comics, Kamala is an Inhuman. Inhumans are those with a specific genetic code that allows them to manifest incredible powers. These powers, however, only show up when an Inhuman has gone through a process called Terrigenesis. In the comics, Kamala’s powers are part of who she really is, a trait that’s inextricably linked to her genetics and her body. The Inhuman nature also allows each member of the species to manifest unique powers. That’s a straightforward origin story that allows Kamala to discover her secret family history, accept her powers, and forge a new identity for herself,
Unwilling to explore the Inhumans in the MCU (at least for now), Marvel Studios completely altered Kamala’s origin story to make her half-Djinn. AsMs. Marvelhas explained, the Djinn are beings from a parallel dimension who are capable of bending light to their will — a power they, unfortunately, cannot access on Earth. That’s whya group of villains known as the ClanDestinesgoes after Kamala, a half-Djinn who can still harness the power of the Light Dimension. These villains want Kamala to open a portal to the Light Dimension so they can all return home.
While the half-Djinn origin has a perfect parallel with the original Inhuman storyline,Ms. Marvelcomplicated things by introducing a mystic bracelet Kamala must wear to manifest her powers. The series underlines how the bracelet only woke the power inside Kamala, but the young girl still needs to wear the artifact at all times to become a superhero. That’s already a bad choice in itself, as it forces Kamala to channel her powers through an object, instead of having all the power herself. And things get weirder in Episode 5, when Kamala’s ClanDestine friend, Kamran (Rish Shah), acquires the same powers.
Kamran’s half-Djinn nature allows him to channel the light just like Kamala, an ability he receives after his mother, Najma (Nimra Bucha), closes a rift to the Noor Dimension that threatened to swallow Earth. If Kamala and Kamran are both descendants of the Djinn, it makes sense for both of them to have the same powers. Even so, the series not even once addresses the fact that contrary to Kamala, Kamran doesn’t need a bracelet to use his special abilities. If the power of the half-Djinn comes from within, why would Kamala still need to wear the bracelet? Well, only to justifyMs. Marvel’s post-credit scene,that all but confirms the bracelet is indeed a Kree Nega-Band.
Marvel Studios seems to be so worried about what comes next that it gets in the way of individual productions telling a coherent story. As if forcing Kamala to wear the bracelet was not already a big issue with the heroine’s new origin story, the introduction of a mutant gene only makes things worse. If, on top of being a half-Djinn, Kamala also needs to be half-mutant to manifest her powers, how can anyone explain Kamran’s ability to bend light? Or is he also a half-Djinn, half-mutant? Besides that, if Marvel Studios is ready to introduce mutations as a source of diversified superpowers, it’s weird thatMs. Marveldecides to claim Kamala’s Djinn powers were only unlocked due to a special gene. What about all other regular mutants who do not have some interdimensional family? Where do their powers come from? Also, if Kamala’s powers really originated from her mutation, the need for a cosmic artifact on top of everything makes even less sense.
While we can understand why Marvel Studios is not ready to bring Inhumans to the MCU after the failed ABC series about the superteam, Kamala’s new origin story just feels wrong. The series could have presented something interesting if Kamala was simply a mutant, a half-Djinn,orthe new owner of the Nega-Bands. Any of these three plot resources would work well by itself, but overlapping everything just creates plot holes and takes away the series' potential creativity – and once more, we see two enhanced people with the exact same powers fighting each other. The Nega-Bands are probably at the center ofThe Marvels, and the movie will be a good opportunity for Kamala to get rid of at least one of the elements that give her power. However, it will be hard to conciliate the double genetic specificity of Kamala in upcoming productions without making a bigger mess.
