Why Ms. Marvel Is So Obsessed With Captain Marvel (& What It Sets Up)

The Ms. Marvel trailer confirms that Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is a huge fan of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), which is an important element of her character that ties directly into her MCU future. Based on her name and comic connections, the live-action version of Kamala being inspired by Carol Danvers doesn’t come as a big surprise. It was believed from the beginning that this would factor into Ms. Marvel’s story.

Similar to Moon Knight, Disney+’s Ms. Marvel show is on track to explore the rise of a new superhero. As indicated by the Ms. Marvel trailer, the story will begin with Kamala as a seemingly normal high school student growing up in New Jersey. Her homemade Captain Marvel costume and daydreams show that she’s among Carol’s biggest fans. Unfortunately, her hero worship has led to the people in life complaining that she spends too much of her time in a “fantasy land”. Even so, the trailer reveals that it won’t be long before Kamala will get to live out her dream. For a reason that hasn’t been delved into just yet, Kamala will end up with powerful cosmic abilities of her own, allowing her to become the MCU’s Ms. Marvel.

Kamala’s interest in Captain Marvel in the MCU can be explained by how she was originally introduced. In the comics, it was established that Kamala was a spectator when Carol was fighting the villainous Yon-Rogg and keeping civilians out of harm’s way in the 2013 comic, Captain Marvel #14. Witnessing Carol’s heroism is ultimately what caused Kamala to take notice of Carol in the first place. Later on, Carol’s status as a powerful and courageous female superhero made her into a role model for Kamala. As Kamala has noted in the comics, she admired Carol’s heroic qualities, beauty, and “awesomeness”. In a sense, Carol Danvers was everything that Kamala wanted to be.

Ms Marvel Trailer Breakdown Kamala Khan Superhero Landing

What’s known about Kamala’s MCU future proves that her Captain Marvel obsession is relevant to more than just her origin story. Along with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), both characters are slated to appear in The Marvels. After her solo adventure, she’ll be forming a trio with the other two heroes, presumably in an effort to take down a common enemy. By sharing Carol’s company, Kamala will get a chance to find out for herself what Captain Marvel is really like as person. Such a meeting could result in disappointment, or the youth learning some valuable lessons about being a hero.

Either way, it makes sense for the MCU’s Kamala to see something special in Carol (in the same vein as her comic book counterpart). And not unlike how the comic character was introduced to Carol (and how Kate Bishop discovered Hawkeye in the MCU), it may be that Kamala observed some of Carol’s heroics as a child. Her presence on Earth has been rather limited, but it is possible that one of her few visits to the planet occurred in Kamala's vicinity. Plus, there’s a shortage of visible female heroes in the MCU that can act as suitable role models to young girls, so it’s perfectly fitting that someone like Captain Marvel would be so appealing to Kamala in Ms. Marvel.

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