Ms. Marvel draws heavily from the original comics featuring Kamala Khan, beginning in 2014. Since her first appearance seven years ago, Ms. Marvel has quickly become one of the most prominent superheroes, joining the Avengers, fighting alongside her idol Captain Marvel, and taking part in some of the biggest and most recent major Marvel events.
Comic book fans know Ms. Marvel shares deep connections to the Inhumans, ties that appear to have been severed in the MCU. Nevertheless, she fits right into the established live-action universe with a grounded take on the character and her life while still reaching for the stars. The show reflects the enthusiasm and spirit that have made Ms. Marvel comics so endearing to fans since her debut.
Updated on June 11th, 2022 by Darby Harn: Ms. Marvel proves a faithful and infectious adaptation of the original comics, borrowing heavily from the initial 2014 comic from writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Sara Pichelli. While some key differences emerge in Kamala Khan's origin regarding her connection to the Terrigen Mists, the series showcases all the qualities that make Ms. Marvel comics so great. With the show following the comics so closely, her comic book history likely foreshadows her MCU future.
Not The First Ms. Marvel
Though Kamala Khan serves as Ms. Marvel in the comics today, she wasn't the first superhero to bear the name. In fact, she's the fourth. The first is by far the most familiar to comics fans. Carol Danvers first appeared as Ms. Marvel, the protege of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell.
Sharon Ventura succeeded Carol, who then joined the Fantastic Four and became the She-Thing. The third was the supervillain Moonstone, who impersonated Carol for years until Carol took her title back during Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers reign.
The First Muslim Superhero To Star In Her Own Marvel Comic
Kamala Khan distinguishes herself not just from former Ms. Marvels, but also from all other Marvel superheroes. Co-created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, she is the first Muslim superhero to headline her own book in the Marvel comics.
In an interview, Amanat said that she wanted Kamala's costume to "represent a bit of her cultural identity," with some "parts influenced by Indian salwar as well." In the recent Marvel Avengers video game, Amanat also helped to design Kamala's outfit and made sure that her culture and heritage were a part of this design, too.
She Idolizes Captain Marvel
Kamala Khan initially appears as a very normal teenager and in that way, she idolizes one of the most famous superheroes in her world - Captain Marvel. Kamala meets Carol in the first issue of her ongoing series in 2014, among the best Ms. Marvel comics to read before the MCU series.
Carol inspires her to take up the mantle of Ms. Marvel after Kamala discovers her strange new powers. That dynamic between the two women, of mentor or mentee, likely plays out in the show as well.
"Embiggen" Powers
Though Carol and Kamala share a history in their superhero names, their powers are very different. Kamala 'embiggens' herself with incredible elasticity that allows her to shapeshift and manipulate matter on a molecular level.
Kamala discovers she has Inhuman genetics after the Terrigen Mists are released throughout the world and activate dormant Inhuman cells. This initiative was part of a drive to have the Inhumans effectively replace the X-Men in the comics but has since been abandoned.
Connection To The Kree
Though the MCU series appears to divest the Terrigen Mist origin, Ms. Marvel may still share a connection to the Kree. The Kree play a key role in Carol Danvers' origin in both the comic books and in live-action and may be behind Kamala's unique bracelet in the MCU.
The Kree Empire's experiments on ancient humans resulted in the Inhumans in Marvel Comics. This detail remains unexplored in the MCU but could emerge in some way with both Ms. Marvel and the Inhumans appearing, the latter in the form of Earth-838 Black Bolt.
Friends With Lockjaw
Comic book fans know the Inhumans play a major role in Ms. Marvel's life, but that doesn't seem to be the case in the MCU. If no Inhumans connection translates to live-action, it will be a shame as Ms. Marvel forms a great friendship with Lockjaw.
Lockjaw, the giant bulldog who teleports vast distances, comes to Earth to watch over Ms. Marvel. He helps her fight The Inventor, one of her earliest villains, and the two make a funny pair that would be great to see on screen at some point.
All-New, All-Different Avenger
Ms. Marvel debuted as a solo hero but it wasn't too long before she joined the Avengers. She joined the team in the aftermath of the 2015 Secret Wars event, as part of the All-New, All-Different era of Marvel in 2016.
She joined a new squad that featured Sam Wilson, the Falcon, (who is now Captain America), Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and Jane Foster as Thor. This squad easily ranks among the best Avengers team rosters in Marvel Comics and may form in the MCU.
Becoming A Champion
Ms. Marvel later joined another superhero team, alongside Nova and Miles Morales. She helped form the Champions after her two friends quit the Avengers in the fallout of Civil War II.
The team fractured during the controversial Secret Empire storyline, in which Hydra successfully conquered the United States, but reformed after the squad helped overthrow the evil organization and liberate America.
Fracture With Captain Marvel
Civil War II complicated the relationship between Kamala and Carol Danvers a great deal. Kamala was stunned that the Avengers would sanction the murder of one of their own, the Hulk, over the prospect of him becoming a huge threat.
This eventually led to Kamala withdrawing her support from Carol in her battle against Iron Man over the future of the team. The basic plot of the story involved using a precog to forecast crimes (not unlike the tech-noir classic Minority Report), which Carol wanted to prevent, but it was at a price that Ms. Marvel couldn't accept.
Secret Warriors
Comic fans know Ms. Marvel joins other teams as well, including the Secret Warriors. This team includes several heavy hitters like Daisy Johnson, Moon Girl, Devil Dinosaur, and Magik, among the most powerful magic users in the Marvel Universe.
The team forms from several Inhumans who don't necessarily make sense within traditional Inhuman society or culture, reflecting a younger and more diverse roster composed mostly of characters who received their powers from the Terrigen Bomb.
The Protectors
Ms. Marvel also joins another unique superhero team that may form in the MCU in the near future. She signs up for the Protectors, an Asian-American superhero team including Agent Jake Oh, Jimmy Woo, Shang-Chi, and Silk.
The team initially comes together in response to an attack from the Imperial Guard of Seknarf Seven. This battle serves as their primary adventure in the comics, but they also later joined the fight during the War of the Realms crossover event.
Kamala Corps
When Kamala Khan goes missing, several friends and allies take up the charge to protect Jersey City. They form the Kamala Corps, wearing her iconic emblem and outfit as they defend the city from The Inventor in Ms. Marvel #27.
The team takes on The Inventor's army of robots in a giant battle that potentially plays out in live-action if The Inventor appears in the show. The Kamala Corps also likely appears eventually given the show's focus on her friends and high school life.
Multiverse Of Ms. Marvel
The Multiverse plays a huge role in the MCU, as it has in the infinite worlds and dimensions of the comics. Despite only being around a few short years, numerous alternate reality versions of Ms. Marvel exist, including one that is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Kamala from Earth-18138 serves as both Captain Marvel and Captain America, uniting two major powerhouses from the comics. She joined a very different Guardians team that also featured Cable. Unfortunately, all of them perished battling Galactus.
She Nearly Died
In recent comic adventures, an Asgardian Dragon created by the villainous Roxxon corporation gravely wounded Ms. Marvel. In the effort to save lives, Kamala's teammate Viv Vision, part of the synthezoid family exploded and left Kamala in a coma.
She eventually woke up in the hospital with Miles Morales at her side. However, her world changed considerably while she was recovering, leading to arguably the biggest fight of her life.
Kamala's Law
While Ms. Marvel recovered, Congress passed the Underage Superhuman Welfare Act, or "Kamala's Law." This outlawed all individuals under the age of 21 from being a superhero unless they were monitored by an experienced adult superhero.
This upset Kamala greatly and she put out a call to action for all young superheroes to rise up and continue fighting for those in need. This put her and the Champions into direct conflict with Child Hero Reconnaissance and Disruption Law Enforcement or C.R.A.D.L.E.