Ms. Marvel, the slice-of-life teenage superhero drama; starring Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, and Rish Shah, came to an end with its explosive and exciting season finale episode. Following young Pakistani Kamala Khan (a superhero enthusiast and number one fan of Captain Marvel) as she navigates family life, friendships, and high school, while also trying to manage her newfound superpowers and superhero life.A new and unique direction for Marvel to take,Ms. Marvelhas been a critical success so far, with a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78% on Metacritic, and an 8/10 from IGN. Along with reviewers calling it a show with “eye-catching visuals” and “Iman Vellani gives a fantastic performance.”
With season one ofMs. Marvelofficially finished, critics and audiences are now able to review the show in its entirety; from cinematography to CGI to acting performances to pacing and more. With all of that in mind, here’s what worked, and what didn’t, in the first season ofMs. Marvel.
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What Worked: Spotlight on Pakistani Culture and Islam
One of the biggest things that makes Ms. Marvel (and Kamala Khan) the character she is, is her religion and culture. As one of the early lines from episode one says: “It’s not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world.” And the difficulties Kamala goes through are demonstrated throughout the show, as she balances being a superhero against her familial expectations (a strict set of parents), cultural expectations (not really allowed around boys, no revealing clothing, etc.), and does quite a good job of showing the contrast of those two sets of rules Kamala has to follow.
On the other hand,seeing Islamic culture during the Eid festivaldid flesh out the world ofMs. Marveland its characters, as well as Aamir’s and Tyesha’s wedding, showing the fun and vibrant side of Muslim weddings. The show even dives into a history lesson, showing Pakiston during the heartbreaking partition era of the country, and the effects it has today. No other MCU show has gotten as close asMs. Marvelhas to its main character’s culture and religion, and the show is all the better for it.
What Didn’t Work: The Power Change
The biggest controversy forMs. Marvelgoing into the show was the drastic change in Kamala’s powers. In the comics, her powers are elastic (similar to Mr. Fantastic/ Reed Richards); but in the show, her powers are more projectile based, almost like a Green Lantern ring set. Kevin Feige (head of Marvel Studios) has stated that her powers were changed because of her “coming into a specific time within the comic book continuity . . . now coming into a specific time in the MCU continuity. And those two things didn’t match.” Though Feige has also stated the new power set will tie into theupcoming MCU filmThe Marvels. Nonetheless, the CGI used for Kamala’s powers were iffy at best throughout each episode, and even after the finale fans are still confused on exactly how they work.
What Worked: The Official Introduction of Mutants into the MCU
Early in the series, it’s explained through Bruno Carelli (best friend of Kamala Khan and scientific genius) that her powers do not, in fact, come from her bangles, but rather from inside her. In the season finale, however, Bruno tells Kamala he’s gone over her power set and genome once again; and in onevery conspicuous line says, “There’s a mutation.“And as he says that, the theme song fromX-Men: The Animated Seriesplays in the background, confirming her as the first official Mutant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A nice, easy way to go about it, showing that mutants are naturally occurring in the universe.
What Didn’t Work: The Pacing
The past few MCU television shows have been shorter at around six episodes (Hawkeye,Loki,Moon Knight, and nowMs. Marvel), and it allows for quicker storytelling, which is the case forMs. Marvel. With three strong plot points: Kamala and her powers, the Deparment of Damage Control, and the Clandestines, the show had a lot to cover in just a quick few forty-minute episodes; and it does feel quite rushed. The DODC disappears completely for two episodes of the season, and doesn’t get as fully fleshed out as the other villains. The Clandestines (along with Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha) do get quite a bit of screen time, but the turn from helping Kamala to becoming threatening is too quick of a heel turn. Kamala’s mother goes from strict, protective Pakistani parent, barely allowing her daughter to go to Avenger Con; to being completely okay with her daughter being a superhero. It’s all quite a whirlwind for the audience, and a few extra episodes could have fixed this issue.
Related:Ms.Marvel: Post Credits Scene Delivers a Head-Scratching MCU Cameo
What Worked: The Acting Performances
Perhapsthe strongest piece of praise from criticsforMs. Marvelwas how well-written the characters were, and the acting performances that came along with them. Iman Vellani played a nearly perfect portrayal of Kamala Khan, capturing the awkwardness that comes with being a teenager and managing to be a hero. Matt Lintz does well as Bruno Carelli, the scientific genius, and love-sick friend of Kamala. Zenobia Shroff did an exquisite job playing Kamala’s mother, along with Mohan Kapoor’s contrasting father character. Saagar Shaikh was absolutely hilarious as Aamir Khan. The show was full of absolutely wonderful performances, and were closely accurate to their comic book counterparts. The whole cast truly succeeded.
