Ms Marvel Nails The MCU's Phase 1-3 Hero Problem

Ms. Marvel has acknowledged the superhero problem that the MCU suffered from during Phases 1-3 in terms of its lack of diversity and representation. The trailer for Ms. Marvel has been released, with Marvel confirming that it will be the next MCU show on Disney+ after Moon Knight. Along with teasing the action and comedy aspects of the MCU series, the Ms. Marvel trailer also touches on the historic problem within the MCU of representation. In doing so, it also highlights how important diversity in popular culture is in the real world.

Ms. Marvel will be the live-action MCU debut of teenager Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Muslim Pakistani-American. The MCU show will explore Khan's superhero-worship of the Avengers, especially Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, as she struggles to fit in until she gains her own powers, and becomes Ms. Marvel. The series was supposed to debut in 2021 but was delayed, presumably to position it closer to the release of 2023’s The Marvels (in which Ms. Marvel will be a prominent character). The Disney+ show will start streaming on June 8^th, 2022.

In the Ms. Marvel trailer, Kamala Khan questions whether in obsessing over superheroes and yearning to join them she spends too much time in a fantasyland. She then says "it's not really the brown girls from Jersey City that save the world." While she will prove herself wrong during the course of the Ms. Marvel series and beyond, her statement does nail the disparity in the MCU's diversity and representation during The Infinity Saga. Phases 1-3 of the MCU predominantly starred white male superheroes. Though that is comic book accurate, it's not a reflection of society and has been a big problem that Marvel has been slow to address. It took the MCU 10 years to have a Black actor lead a solo movie (Black Panther), and 11 years for a solo female-led movie (Captain Marvel). Ms. Marvel will be good progress for representation and diversity in the MCU, with Khan being Marvel's first Muslim lead character, as well as eventually becoming another female Avenger.

It's encouraging that as well as addressing the diversity problem in the MCU, the Ms. Marvel series also openly acknowledges it in the writing. It's a statement by Marvel that they recognize the problem and are taking action. To that end, Phase 4 has seen a significant change in Marvel's approach to diversity and representation and has given the MCU numerous firsts. Eternals had the first LGBTQ+ and deaf superheroes (Phastos and Makkari respectively), while Echo in Hawkeye was deaf, disabled, and Native American. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings meanwhile gave audiences the first Asian lead superhero. Kevin Feige has pledged that these changes are just the start, and Ms. Marvel is the latest step forward.

As ground-breaking and historic as Phases 1-3 of the MCU were in terms of filmmaking and interconnected storytelling, it's right and proper that Marvel has acknowledged its shortcomings in terms of diversity and representation. Every Marvel fan, especially kids, needs to see superheroes who represent them, to have someone that they can look up to and emulate in the real world. The issues and struggles that Kamala Khan faces in Ms. Marvel should be very powerful and speak directly to those Marvel fans that have previously not had a voice or seen themselves in the MCU. The responsibility that the MCU has to reflect the numerous corners of society is immense, and it will take more time before the balance is reached. However, Ms. Marvel is gearing up to be an important milestone towards that goal.

Next: Phase 4 Must Fix The MCU's Problem With Jewish Representation