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I’ve been looking forward to this series for months, so I’m eager to share my first impressions of Ms Marvel. As a Muslim myself, this is the first time I’ve ever been able to see people like me portrayed as the heroes. Not to mention I’m a huge Marvel fan and have loved their other projects so far. As such, this has been on my radar for a while, and I was so excited to finally get to watch it.

Now, something to bear in mind is that the vibe of this show is very different to what we’re used to. Pretty much everything in the MCU so far has been targeted at adults. Sure, it’s mostly been family friendly, but adults were still the target audience. This is not the case with Ms Marvel. It’s targeted towards a YA audience, and so it’s understandable that it may not be for everyone. This is very much a teen drama with a superhero twist, and should be watched through that lens. It wouldn’t be fair to compare it to more intense projects such as Loki.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to give a few of my opinions after having watched the first episode. I’ll try to avoid any significant spoilers, but you may want to avoid the ‘superpowers’ section if you haven’t yet watched the first episode. Other than that, I’ll only be mentioning minor moments, and won’t reveal major plotlines.

Characterisation and Casting

I have to say, Iman Vellani was the perfect choice for Kamala Khan. She’s adorably dorky, and brings Kamala’s energy to the forefront. Iman herself was a huge Marvel fan long before being cast, and so she definitely fits the bill for Kamala. After all, Kamala is an Avengers super-fan, and has dedicated herself to producing fan works based on them. She even has a Youtube series talking about the different Avengers. I found Kamala to be immediately likeable, and it’s moving to watch her struggle to balance the two starkly different cultures that she’s being raised in.

Her best friend Bruno is really sweet too. He’s played by Matt Lintz, who I immediately recognised, but couldn’t quite remember where from. It eventually clicked that I knew him as Henry from The Walking Dead, where he did a great job portraying a complex character. I’m confident he’ll do an excellent job in Ms Marvel. Bruno’s dynamic with Kamala is endearing, and I love watching the two of them together. I just really hope they stay as just friends, because I feel teen shows need to accept that boys and girls can be together platonically without a romantic relationship developing. It’s important for teenagers to see that friendships are just as special as relationships.

We haven’t seen too much of Kamala’s family yet, but what we have so far is very nuanced. I was glad to see that the directors have shown typical Pakistani family life without delving into offensive stereotypes. Her parents are loving, and whilst strict, it’s clear they want what’s best for Kamala. Her brother is slightly caricatured, but I’m sure he’ll develop more naturally as the episodes go on.

Humour

I definitely felt that the humour in this show hit the mark. On several occasions I found myself laughing out loud, a rarity these days. I thought it was great that they leaned into the cultural elements. Showcasing the disparity between Pakistani and American culture is a relatable feeling for many foreigners living in the West. Even if you’re not from Pakistani background yourself, you likely know or have met other Pakistanis, and so will be able to connect to the humour used in the show.

One scene in particular really made me chuckle. Before taking her driving test, Kamala says ‘bismillah’. Muslims will recognise that as meaning ‘in the name of Allah’, and it’s something we say regularly as a way of putting our faith in Him. But of course, to non-Muslims, it’ll be unfamiliar. And so the driving instructor hears Kamala utter it, and has no idea what’s happening, and says “bless you”, assuming that it was a sneeze. It was a funny miscommunication, and helped show the style of humour in this show.

Iman also has naturally amusing facial expressions. She’s a very emotive actress, and that comes through with her mannerisms. She rolls her eyes/ raises her eyebrows a lot, without it becoming overdone. Small things like that add so much levity, and helped make the show even funnier. My first impressions of Ms Marvel were that it’s spot on where humour is concerned.

Muslim Representation

I was nervous about this prior to watching the show. I’ve seen poor Muslim representation so many times over the past decade or so (before that Muslims never really seemed to appear in shows at all). Often, directors will attempt to include Muslim characters, but it’s clear they’ve not done their research. I’ve seen shows where the directors completely mangle the prayer, or characters totally mispronounce very significant Islamic words and phrases. However, Ms Marvel had Muslims working behind the scenes, and that was apparent.

The practices and Islamic words were used realistically and pronounced correctly, something I was thrilled to see. Islam wasn’t portrayed as something foreign or mysterious, rather as just a natural part of the Khans’ life. I also loved the range of religiosity. We have Kamala’s brother who’s very practicing, and for whom faith has an integral role in his life. However, he never holds this over his family, or pressures them to be more strict. It’s great to see a practicing Muslim who’s accepting of others. Then we have the parents who have mixed a lot of their Pakistani culture with the practices of Islam, a realistic scenario. And finally we have Kamala, caught between two cultures, not totally fitting into either.

I know there are a few Muslims who are upset with the show for not being Islamic enough, but that’s not how I see it. Yes, the Muslims in this show aren’t perfect, but neither are the vast majority of Muslims in real life. Representation isn’t about only showing the most religious Muslims. Islam is a diverse religion with billions of followers. And Ms Marvel seems to be doing a great job of showcasing that diversity.

Cinematography and Music

I have to say, I absolutely adored the direction that Ms Marvel went in with the cinematography. It had such a comic book feel, and the hand-drawn cartoons that appeared throughout were superb. Not only does it work really well with the YA vibe, but it also harks back to Marvel’s roots. Before it was a highly successful movie franchise, it was all about comics. And Ms Marvel is a perfect bridge between the two mediums.

I really liked watching the live action filming combined with comic elements appearing around characters. It made the whole show feel really dynamic. Even as the characters are walking, you see the graffiti moving and swirling on the walls behind them. Or text messages appearing like stars in the sky. It was so imaginative and creative. It’s something that wouldn’t work in a regular MCU show, but fits with the teen audience of Ms Marvel.

The music choices were excellent too, right from the get-go. The intro opens with Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, which is one of my favourite songs of this decade. It’s epic, and upbeat, and is just perfect for Kamala Khan. It prepared the audience for the atmosphere that they could expect from the show, and Ms Marvel delivered. The other tunes and sound effects throughout worked so well too. I had a smile on my face throughout the episode, and the cinematography and music was a large part of that.

Superpowers

I think this is the part that fans were most intrigued for. The trailer was decidedly vague on the powers that we could expect from Kamala. It did seem that the show had gone in a different direction to the comics. With the first episode out the way, that much is clear. My only experience with Ms Marvel as a character had been through the first volume of the comics and the video game Marvel’s Avengers. As such, I wasn’t as knowledgeable as some fans may well be, but I still noticed stark differences.

Perhaps the biggest change is the origin of Kamala’s powers. In the comics, she develops powers as a result of being exposed to a mysterious mist connected with aliens. However, in the show, they appear to arise after she puts on a bangle that she finds amongst her grandmother’s trinkets from Pakistan. When she closes it around her wrist, she temporarily seems to enter another dimension, before returning to the present with a peculiar energy field around her.

We’ve only had one episode so far, and for most of it Kamala wasn’t wearing the bangle. As such, right now we only have limited information about her powers in the show. She seems to be manipulating the energy around her, shooting out blue beams or creating metaphysical platforms. She also extends and grows her arm at one point, similar to her pre-established powers, except that in the show it’s the blue energy that grows, rather than her actual body.

In the comics she can shapeshift amongst other things, so I’m excited to see where the show goes from here.

Overall

Overall, my first impressions of Ms Marvel are overwhelmingly positive. The acting is brilliant, and I already feel a connection to the characters. Iman does such a fantastic job of bringing Kamala to life, and the supporting cast seem believable. I’m so happy with the Muslim representation, as it’s really like nothing I’ve seen before. This is the first time I’ve seen a mainstream show have a respectful and realistic depiction of Muslim life.

I also love the way that superheroes are portrayed in this. We’re not delving straight into the action, instead we’re seeing the MCU through the eyes of someone removed from the action. I loved the scenes in Avenger Con, especially as I personally love to attend conventions. It made sense that this is how regular people would interact with The Avengers. They’re living in a world with superheroes, and that’s exciting! I love seeing scenes from the perspective of ‘regular people’. As someone who has enjoyed cosplay in the past, I loved seeing Kamala integrating her Pakistani heritage into her outfit. In the past I’ve had a lot of fun integrating my headscarf into my own cosplays.

Of course, going forward, Kamala is going to be navigating the realities of her own powers. I can’t wait to see how that develops, and I’m confident in the future of Ms Marvel. I’m also excited to see more hijabi characters introduced. As a hijabi myself, it’s going to be epic to see characters who look like me.

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