Ms. Marvel's secret weapon seems to have already been killed off by Marvel Studios' tried-and-tested formula. The series featuring teen Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan debuted on Disney+ on June 8, bringing with it a fresh take on the typical superhero story. However, with episodes 1-5 already streaming and the season 1 finale coming on July 13, it unfortunately seems like Ms. Marvel might have already run out of steam.

In an ocean of action-heavy superhero stories in the MCU Phase 4, Ms. Marvel focused viewers' attention on Vellani's Kamala, a day-dreaming New Jersey teen and Avengers super-fan, particularly idolizing Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. After she uncovers a mysterious bracelet passed down from her great-grandmother, Kamala finds herself thrust into a world of superheroes, Djinn, and otherworldly dimensions. The bracelet grants Kamala incredible abilities that allow her to harden the light around her, which she mostly uses to create hard light platforms and to embiggen her fists (akin to her comic counterpart). Ms. Marvel episodes 1 and 2 introduced the teen superhero in a unique way for Marvel, but something seems to have been lost in episodes since.

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While Ms. Marvel received a huge amount of review bombs after episode 1, the series has been otherwise met with an overwhelmingly positive response. This is much due to the more grounded, human feel to the story, and the seamless integration of live-action and animation. Despite this, viewers may have noticed a serious lack of animation in the more recent episodes of Ms. Marvel, leaving many to question why Marvel Studios might have wiped out the secret weapon for the show before it even really began.

Ms. Marvel's Animation Set It Apart From Other MCU Shows

Kamala Khan Ms Marvel Animation Video

Ms. Marvel's fresh animation style being used in tandem with live-action was one of the biggest selling points for the series. When viewers were first given a look at this new style during teaser trailers, many were shocked at the new direction for Marvel, wondering whether it would carry on into the actual show. Ms. Marvel episodes 1 and 2 were packed with moments of animation, particularly evident during Kamala's day-dreams at school or in the car, her excitement of the grand plan to sneak out to AvengerCon, and again as viewers watch graffiti travel with Kamala and Bruno while they try and decide on her superhero moniker.

The new style was completely refreshing for the MCU's Phase 4 and seemed to put Ms. Marvel a step ahead of other, more traditionally Marvel, Disney+ series. However, while Ms. Marvel episodes 1 and 2 featured these exciting moments of animation, the remainder of the series seems to have forgotten about animating anything past Kamala's actual powers. This could be because of a change in directors. Adil and Bilall, directors of Ms. Marvel episode 1, influenced the use of animation to heighten reality and reflect the uniqueness of Kamala herself, but perhaps the other directors weren't as comfortable using animation. The lack of animation could also be a conscious effort to show that Kamala Khan in the MCU is maturing over the course of the series.

Even so, Ms. Marvel feels strangely empty without the animation audiences became familiar with at the beginning of the show. Luckily, whatever the reason for the loss of animation in Ms. Marvel, Adil and Bilall are returning to direct episode 6, which is set to release on July 13. Hopefully, the return of the directing duo will bring with it the return of this fresh style, and future projects featuring Kamala Khan will reflect her bubbly personality with the integration of animation.

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Ms. Marvel episode 6 airs Wednesday, July 13 on Disney+. 

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