Connection to Friends and Family

The debut season of Ms. Marvel wrapped up its run July 13, and the finale has launched a major discussion about what the future holds for Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). Whether it’s the revelation that Kamala is now a mutant or the post-credits scene that sets up a tantalizing intro into The Marvels, fans have had a lot to say about the finale. But one major element that’s gone undiscussed is how it perfectly underlines how important Kamala’s family and friends are to her — whether she’s in or out of costume. In fact, the entire series places a major focus on these bonds.

When the series begins, Kamala is like any other teenager. She wants to get her driver’s license, she has trouble fitting in at school, and she visibly blanches when the topic of her future is brought up. But what sets Kamala apart from other teenagers — other than the fact that she has superpowers — is her Pakistani heritage, which colors her interactions with her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) and her father Yusuf (Mohan Kapur). A key example of this occurs in the pilot episode “Generation Why”. Kamala has been looking forward to AvengerCon, an event that is essentially the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of events like San Diego Comic-Con, and even made a version of her hero Carol Danvers’ costume. All she needs is permission from her parents to go.

Though her parents say no, Kamala ends up going anyway, taking a bangle from her grandmother Sana (Samina Ahmad) with her in order to make her costume stand out. Said bangle grants her the ability to create crystalline constructs made of violet light, making her a superhero in her own right. This ends up tying into the end of the episode where Muneeba asks whether she wants to follow someone else’s story or make her own. This proves to be one of the major story points for the first season, as Kamala learns more about her heritage and how it plays into the origin of her powers.

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Muneeba and Yusuf are an important part of that journey, as is Kamala’s brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh). When Kamala learns that her great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat) is a member of an interdimensional race of beings known as the ClanDestine and the other members need her help to get back to their home dimension, she’s torn on what to do. Muneeba tells her daughter about her own experiences coming to America and how she found solidarity in her religion,- as well as Yusuf. Yusuf acts as the rock of his family, putting Aamir’s mind at ease when he expresses doubt about his future with his wife-to-be Tyesha (Travina Springer) and even providing inspiration for Kamala’s superhero name.

That family connection even stretches back through time — quite literally. When the ClanDestine resort to lethal measures to try and force Kamala to send them home, she is sent through time to British-occupied India and the time of Partition. During that time, she comes face to face with Aisha and a younger Sana. She even uses her power to help Sana reunite with her great-grandfather Hasan (Fawad Khan), fulfilling an old family story that’s been passed down through generations. Throughout the episode, it’s also revealed that Aisha grew more connected to humanity after falling in love with Hasan and giving birth to Sana — like Muneeba, she found a grounding force in family.

Kamala’s friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) also plays a major role in her superhero journey, offering scientific as well as emotional support. Bruno encourages Kamala to go to AvengerCon, and when she tells him about her powers he helps her to figure out what exactly she can do. He also tells her to reconsider helping the ClanDestine after learning that creating a way for them to go home could have apocalyptic consequences. And when Kamran (Rish Shah), the son of ClanDestine leader Namja (Nimra Bucha), starts exhibiting powers similar to Kamala’s Bruno decides to help him out.

In the Season 1 finale “No Normal,” those bonds come in handy as Kamala seeks to help Kamran escape being captured by the Department of Damage Control. Bruno and Aamir, alongside Kamala’s other friend Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher) and popular girl Zoe Zimmer (Laurel Masden) come up with a plan to sneak Kamran past the DODC. Kamala’s parents also help, gathering the entire Jersey City community to help defend Kamala when the DODC attempts to arrest her and Kamran.

Hopefully, The Marvels and other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects featuring Kamala remember that those bonds are just as important as the superhero action.