Editor's Note: The following contains Ms. Marvel spoilers.We are currently on Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if there’s one thing fans have learned over the course of the past decade and a half, give or take, is that with great power, comes great post-credit scenes. Whether in theaters or on TV, Marvel stories always come with a little surprise after the credits roll, usually hinting at something more. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Disney+’s newest teen comedy-meets-superhero origin story Ms. Marvel has its own little post-credit sequence with precious clues to what is coming to the MCU right at the end of its final episode. Ms. Marvel Episode 6, "No Normal", presents those who know how to wait with a nifty little cameo by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) herself, laying the groundwork for Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani) next adventure. But what exactly happens in the finale’s post-credit scene? And what does it all mean?
First, let’s take a look at what brought us here, just to keep it fresh in our minds. Created by Bisha K. Ali, Ms. Marvel tells the origin story of Marvel’s first leading Muslim superhero. The show is based on the comics by G. Willow Wilson, but takes some liberties with regard to its source material to make Kamala a better fit for the MCU. The most significant changes have to do with Kamala’s powers and their origin, and they play an important role in understanding that post-credit scene. While, in the comics, Kamala’s Inhuman powers are activated by the release of the Terrigen Mist into the Earth’s atmosphere, in the show, they are awakened by a family heirloom: a cool-looking bangle that Kamala receives from her grandmother, Sana (Samina Ahmed), alongside other family trinkets. Though Kamala’s mom, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff), does her best to keep the bracelet away from her daughter, claiming that it’s nothing but junk, she inevitably gets a hold of it. Her powers begin to manifest immediately, but they’re a little different from what comics’ fans might have expected. In the Disney+ series, Kamala begins her career as a superhuman producing a purple aura that she can turn into shields and platforms. In the comics, on the other hand, she can alter her appearance, embiggening parts of her body and even shapeshifting. For a while, it seemed like those abilities would be left out of the show and the MCU entirely, but Episode 6 reveals that this is not the case.
In “No Normal”, Kamala comes back from her eventful trip to Pakistan only to find more trouble waiting for her in New Jersey. After the death of Najma (Nimra Bucha), who sacrificed herself to close the Veil between dimensions, Kamran (Rish Shah) inherits his mother’s Noor powers. He’s not sure what exactly has happened and he doesn't have time to figure it out, either, as the Department of Damage Control is already hunting him down. Kamran and Bruno (Matt Lintz) manage to escape the DODC agents just as a drone explodes the Circle Q convenience store and take refuge at the school. With the DOCD still on their track, they receive help from Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), Kareem (Aramis Knight), Zoe (Laurel Marsden), Aamir (Saagar Shaikh), and, of course, Kamala. Now with her new Muneeba-designed outfit, she concocts a plan to get rid of the government agents, at least for the time being.
This already complicated scenario gets even worse after Kamran starts to realize that something has happened to Najma. As the truth of his mother’s fate comes out, he is flooded by emotions and acts out on his pain by using his powers in a way that poses a threat to everyone around him. For a while, it seems like Kamala is in way over her head, but this is where her embiggening skills come in. Finally tapping into her unknown potential, she’s able to stop Kamran, preventing him from harming anyone else. After saving her friends and the people of Jersey City, all at the same time, Kamala can finally consider herself a fully-fledged superhero - now with a cool new name, courtesy of Mr. Khan (Mohan Kapur).
But the end of her inaugural stint as a super doesn’t mean Kamala’s problems are over. As a matter of fact, they seem to be just beginning. First, there’s Bruno telling her that she might be some kind of mutant, and then there’s that post-credits scene. Let’s break it down, shall we?
The scene takes place a short while after the events of Episode 6. In it, we see Kamala hitting her bed, apparently tired after a busy day of superhero-ing. We hear Muneeba’s voice remarking something about science homework, reminding both Kamala and the viewers that even supers must get through high school with good grades. Unfortunately, Kamala doesn’t have time to get started on her work, as her attention is quickly drawn to her bangle, which is emitting a glow quite similar to the one produced by the awakening of her powers. Before she can figure any of it out, Kamala is sucked out of the room through her closet's door. In her place, a very confused Carol Danvers appears. She looks around, taking in Kamala’s fangirlish Captain Marvel shrine, and runs off-screen. Whether she’s a little intimidated by the decor or just concerned about being teleported to a random place out of the blue remains to be seen.
As a matter of fact, many things remain to be seen when it comes to this scene. First and foremost, of course, there’s the question of what happened to Kamala. From the looks of it, she and Carol have switched places, which means that our young hero could be anywhere right now, even in space. Then, there’s the matter of whether this is actually just a good old switcheroo. In the comics, Kamala has shapeshifting abilities and even transforms briefly into a variation of Captain Marvel before she finds the confidence to fight evil as herself. But even though it sure is possible that Ms. Marvel is nodding at its source material by having Kamala turn into Carol, it is also highly unlikely: not only is introducing a whole new superpower in a post-credit scene a bad decision from a storytelling point of view, the Carol that appears in Kamala’s room isn’t wearing the Ms. Marvel uniform, but Captain Marvel’s outfit.
Right after the scene ends, a title card further solidifies that this is indeed the real Carol Danvers by announcing Ms. Marvel’s return in the upcoming The Marvels. Set to come out in July 2023, the movie will have Kamala, Carol, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) teaming up to fight some yet to be disclosed evil. Ms. Marvel’s final scene is most likely the first stepping tone in these three women’s journey.
But what could possibly be behind Kamala’s disappearance? One hint lies in the show’s third episode, in which we learn about the origins of Ms. Marvel’s bangle. Najma and Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha (Mehwish Hayat), came across it in a temple in 1942 India while looking for a way to return to their original dimension. However, there was never supposed to be just one bangle: there is another one that neither Aisha nor Najma ever managed to locate. If we look carefully at the temple’s flooring, we can see the symbol of the Ten Rings engraved on the rocks. Considering that Captain Marvel’s last appearance in the MCU was in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, there’s a fair chance that we are just a year away from finding out what happened to that other bangle.
All six episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney +.