Ms. Marvel season 1 was been such a pleasure to watch. Following Kamala Khan and her little corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been exciting and full of superhero adventure and more grounded moments that illustrate the coming-of-age journey Kamala is on as she tries to figure out who she wants to be and tries to find her place in the world. When you grow up watching literal gods destroy cities, and millionaires in metal suits save the world, is it so wrong to want more for yourself than the usual path everyone else follows?
One of the best things about Season 1 is its exploration of Kamala Khan’s lineage. We received tantalizing hints about her great-grandmother, Aisha, as far back as Episode 2, and in Episode 5, we finally get answers to what happen to Aisha during the Partition of India and how Kamala ended up going back in time at the end of Episode 4.
The first half of the penultimate episode chronicled the love story between Kamala’s great-grandparents, Aisha and Hasan . In so many stories, especially in the young adult genre, you see a male supernatural creature falling in love with and courting a mortal female. Aisha and Hasan’s blooming romance was a nice inversion of that usual trope. It was also adorable to see Kamala’s Nani, who completely won me over in the previous episode, as a little girl with both of her parents. We know this story has a tragic ending, but it was nice to watch this family unit during the little time they had together.
Inevitably, Aisha’s past comes calling and puts her husband and child as risk. Najma appears and delivers a foreboding reminder to Aisha about them returning home and how the bangle Aisha possesses is the key to their journey back. Aisha realizes that she can’t let Najma and the rest of the Clandestine go back, and decides that she and her family must run.
As the Partition of Indie unfolds, Aisha is tracked down and fatally injured by Najma. To ensure Hasan and their daughter get on the train safely, Aisha calls out to the bagel for help. That message reaches Kamala Khan in the future and she is brought back to assist her ancestors. As it turns out, it was Kamala who created the stars that led her grandmother back to her father, Hasan. It was a nice nod to the time-travel logic utilized in the Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban movie.
When she returns to the present, Kamala immediately notices that the explosion of power from the bangle not only sent her back in time, but has created a portal to the Clandestine’s home world, Noor. Things don’t work out to well for the group when they try to enter the portal, however, Najma sacrifices herself and her energy and sends it to her son, Kamran. Kamala’s mother witnesses her powers and finally believes in the extraordinary lineage of their family that she grew up hearing about. This leads to a beautiful and cathartic final moment between the three women.
Meanwhile, Kamran makes his way to Bruno for help, and displays some surprising abilities when Damage Control attacks the two of them. The episode ends abruptly as the store Bruno’s family owns explodes.
The literal explosive end of Episode 5 propels us into Episode 6, the season finale. Kamran and Bruno are on the run from Damage Control and Kamran’s new abilities are causing him extreme pain. We don’t get the specifics of what his new powers are and how he’s wielding them without a bangle, but we know they’re a danger to Kamran and those around him.
Kamala and her mother have returned to New Jersey, and Kamala is in the middle of revealing her powers to the rest of her family, only to discover that her mother has already told everyone, when she gets call from Nakia about the Bruno’s store. After briefly hiding out in the mosque, Bruno and Kamran meet up with Kamala, who gets to witness for herself Kamran’s unrollable new powers. The gang end up at the high school where they come up with a plan to deal with Damage Control who is hot on their heels. With the help of Kamala’s brother, and their frenemy Zoe, the gang take on the Damage Control personnel with hijinks straight out of a Home Alone movie.
Kamran’s abilities continue to spiral out of control, and his anger about his mother’s death, causes him to lash out and almost fatally harm some of the Damage Control Soldiers. Kamala intervenes and helps talk him down before someone gets hurt. Surrounded by her community, Kamala is able to avoid Damage Control and escape to play superheroine another day.
As the episode wraps up, we get a tantalizing hint about the origin of Kamala Khan’s genes and how they differ from her family, and thus, give her the extraordinary powers she wields. The end credits scene will leave viewers eagerly waiting The Marvels film, which will debut in theatres next year.
Overall Thoughts On Ms. Marvel Season 1
Watching Kamala Khan’s journey throughout the six episodes of Ms. Marvel has been thrilling, engaging, and has left me longing for the optimism of my own youth. Kamala Khan represents a group of people that deserve to see themselves as the heroes of their own stories. Kamala Khan showed us that brown girls from Jersey City, and all over the world for that matter, are capable of saving the world. Kamala showed up that it’s okay to dream and be filled with the kind of wonder that makes us weird to others.
The first season of Ms. Marvel did a great job of introducing viewers to Kamala Khan’s little corner of the universe. Was it perfect, no. My main criticism is that it needed better villains and the threats of the Clandestine and Damage Control ultimately fell a bit flat. I’m hoping this is something that will improve in Season 2 of the series, but first, I’m eager to see what will happen once Kamala meets her idol, Carol Danvers in next year’s, The Marvels.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here, and her name is Kamala Khan.
Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.