The creation of Kamala Khan was a landmark moment for Marvel Comics in more ways than one, but come 2020 she will have her own new partner in Fadi Fadlalah -- better known by his superhero moniker Amulet, the newest Arab-American superhero to join the Marvel Universe.
The news comes at a time when the Magnificent Ms. Marvel is currently struggling through her own version of the famous saga of the symbiote Spider-Man suit. So even if Kamala struggles to deal with her suit-turned-nemesis, and falls down the same slippery slope as Spider-Man, she will at least have some back-up to count on. Once the mystical superhero Amulet AKA Fadi Fadlalah arrives in Jersey City from the Midwest, and brings his superpower-granting neckwear along with him. And fans don't have to wait to get their first look at Fadi's hero form!
Set to make his debut in Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13, Amulet is the creation of the book's current writer Saladin Ahmed and Jordanian-American illustrator Sara Alfageeh, who worked together to bring Fadi to life. First as a friend to Kamala Khan, but eventually, granting him a place in the larger Marvel Comics canon. In the official Marvel announcement, Ahmed tells fans what to expect when Fadi makes his debut in March of 2020:
Amulet is a fun, mysterious new character who will be playing a role in MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL for months to come. We're keeping most of the details of him close to our chests, but I can tell you that his powers are magical in nature, and that he is an Arab-American Super Hero from Michigan. As an Arab-American who basically learned to read from Marvel Comics, being able to team up with the phenomenally talented Sara Alfageeh to bring Amulet into the Marvel Universe is literally a dream come true. We can't wait for fans to meet him!"
Fans can also feast their eyes on the newly revealed cover art for Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13 by artist Eduard Petrovich, featuring Fadi's heroic appearance, below:
Alfageeh will be no stranger to many Ms. Marvel fans, thanks to her work on Squire (among other projects and artwork online). Her experience as an illustrator and character designer means Fadi's design is more than just skin-deep, guaranteeing he won't just be unique alongside Kamala, but a hero readers can instantly embrace:
Saladin let me have a lot of fun with this concept. We talked about his defensive-style powers and how they tied into his background as a Lebanese kid. The blue and white color palette and the circular design were pulled from the Nazar, a symbol that pops up all over the Middle East that protects the wearer from the evil eye -- the harmful intentions of others. A bit of a historical, supernatural touch. We tend to associate sharp corners and edges with evil, and rounded designs and circles with good. This character is a gentle giant, so I wanted to make sure that even with his size he was shaped like a friend!
Fans can see his introduction to the Marvel Universe when Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13 arrives in comic book shops this March.