Rumors about Marvel Studios making the decision to alter Kamala Khan's superpowers for her Disney+ series Ms. Marvel have been swirling for a few months now, but after the recent release of the series trailer the discussion is back in full swing, with the trailer providing official confirmation that Kamala's powers are really different from what they are in the comics. In her comic series, Kamala’s latent Inhuman abilities awakened by exposure to Terrigen Mist, transforming her into a "polymorph." Kamala is able to alter her molecular structure by sharing cellular mass with other versions of herself through time. Put simply, she can stretch, shrink, enlarge, and twist her body into almost any conceivable shape or size. She also heals quickly and she can shape-shift.
Not only does it seem that head writer Bisha K. Ali is scrubbing Kamala’s Inhuman origins for her new show, but she is clearly revamping her powers entirely. It makes sense to distance a new character from the Inhumans, a group whose only on-screen appearance is ABC’s ill-fated Inhumans show. The decision to fundamentally reinterpret her powers is an interesting one. In the series, Kamala's powers are generated from a mysterious bangle she finds stored in an attic. This bangle grants her the ability to create and manipulate a kind of purple "hard-light" (think Green Lantern, or Symmetra from Overwatch).
Despite this major difference, Kamala (Iman Vellani) is seen in the trailer pulling off a lot of her familiar moves with this new tool, such as enlarging her fist to punch bad guys, or stretching limbs to make a far leap – albeit with a radically new visual aesthetic. Judging by the scenes shown in the trailer, Marvel Studios might even be retaining some timey-wimey complications with Kamala's morphology. There is also precedent for her new super bangle. In the comics, Kamala has a special compartment bracelet for utility storage as part of her gear that originally belonged to her grandmother.
Some comics fans are upset that Marvel Studios is taking such big liberties with Kamala's powers, but these changes can prove to be massively beneficial in the jump from page to screen. Kamala's old powers work better visually for comics, and these new powers work better visually for the screen. Even though Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series have budgets that are more comparable to a blockbuster film than a streaming show, attempting a direct adaptation of something as visually absurd as Kamala’s giant fist would draw quick, bad-faith comparisons between Ms. Marvel and The CW. No knock on The CW, they certainly know how to balance budget and presentation – but superhero shows like Arrow and The Flash too often end up as a punching bag when it comes to visual effects. Marvel Studios is doing themselves a favor by avoiding having to render stretching, elongating limbs on a Disney+ budget. It’s better to save that effect for Marvel Studios' upcoming Fantastic Four feature.
Not only do Kamala’s new powers translate better on-screen, but they also set Kamala up for a bright future in the MCU. When Ms. Marvel shows up on the big screen in 2023’s The Marvels alongside her hero Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as Photon (Spectrum? Pulsar?), her purple glow is going to mesh well with the glowing, cosmic auras of the other heroes. It’s a smart move to establish Kamala as a part of the “Marvels” family with her own distinctive aura.
Some fans prefer Kamala’s powers as they are in the comics. A popular argument is that Kamala’s “embiggening” is much more unconventional and unique than giving her just another subset of sparkly cosmic energy. Accusations that she is Marvel’s “Purple Lantern” are aloft. But is that fair? If the closest analog to the new Ms. Marvel is a hero that isn’t even part of the Marvel Universe, that hardly makes her generic. Within the continuity that matters, Kamala is unlike any hero seen before. The new powers allow Kamala to do new things, such as create shields and walk on air. These new abilities set her apart from similarly powered heroes like Ant-Man and Wasp, as well as the upcoming MCU hero, Mister Fantastic. While there are some parallels between Kamala's new powers and those of other superheroes, there is now no one in the MCU who has powers quite like hers.
Kamala’s powers and visual aesthetics are not the only things that may be different now. These changes may alter Kamala’s story. The series trailer seemed to imply things are going to get worse for Kamala once she begins her superheroics and finally gets to be like her heroes. In the comics, her powers are the result of a latent Inhuman genetics and manifest when she’s exposed to Terrigen mist. Comics Kamala will always have her powers because they are a part of her - it’s not something she can simply walk away from. Like Spider-Man, or Captain America, Kamala is a hero because she has the inherent ability to make a difference. By containing Kamala’s powers within a physical artifact that she can take on or off, Kamala is making a conscious decision to live the hero's life.
Kamala is a normal girl, a professed super-fan of the Marvel pantheon of heroes, and this is true of both screen and page versions. At this point in the MCU chronology, Kamala has grown up idolizing the Avengers, and especially Captain Marvel. This version of Kamala wants to be a hero because she wants to be like her heroes, much like how Kate Bishop idolizes Clint Barton. However, not everyone can do what Kate and Clint do with a bow and arrow. From the way things look now, anyone other than Kamala could put on the bangle and become Ms. Marvel. And at any point, Kamala could decide to give up the bangle and become a normal girl again. When things get tough, surely the temptation to give up will be strong for a high-school teenager trying to figure out her life. This change shifts Kamala’s potential character arc entirely, and it sets the stage for a story about choosing to be a hero, rather than being born a hero. It better suits a narrative about a fangirl who idolizes heroes and learns the hardships of being a hero first-hand.
It is possible that the bangle gives Kamala her powers because of something about her heritage. It may be a family heirloom of some sort, and it may only react to Kamala and members of her family. In that case, the show will be in a position to more closely adapt comic Kamala’s story, as her powers are exclusive to her genealogy. Only time will tell which direction Ms. Marvel goes. In either case, Marvel Studios can still incorporate arguably the most important point in Kamala’s development as a hero.
When comics Kamala got her powers, she had a vision of her favorite heroes, including Captain Marvel, chastising her and asking her what she wants in life. Kamala thinks she wants to be beautiful and badass and “less complicated,” just like Captain Marvel in her eyes. She emerges from her Terrigen cocoon having shapeshifted into Captain Marvel. It’s a heart-wrenching representation of the young, second-generation immigrant experience while growing up in a white-centric community. Comics Kamala is teased and ostracized, and she wants to be accepted. She thinks life would be easier if she was more like Captain Marvel, who just happens to be a white woman.
The trailer frames Kamala’s adoration of Captain Marvel against her mother’s admonishment: “That is not you.” Kamala’s mother (Zenobia Shroff) is likely pushing Kamala to be proud of her Pakistani heritage. Part of comics Kamala's arc is learning to love herself as she is, and to grow beyond wishing that she was somebody else. Regardless of whether the bangle could react to anyone or to Kamala only, Ms. Marvel is poised to tackle that theme. Ultimately, it is that theme that is the most important thing to get right in a Ms. Marvel adaptation, not the nuances of her superpowers.