After five episodes, Ms. Marvel‘s finale is getting closer. The series, which finally introduced Kamala Khan to the MCU, offered fans a new kind of story with a fresh perspective of the superheroine and her origin story. Marvel fans may have noticed that the show changed a lot about Ms. Marvel’s character from the comics. Comic readers didn’t welcome these changes, at least not in the beginning.
Marvel Studios remained faithful to Kamala’s Pakistani heritage and adapted many key characters from Ms. Marvel’s story. However, they also modified the root of Ms. Marvel’s powers, the storyline of several characters, and even the heroine’s rogues’ gallery. It’s up to fans to decide if they like these changes or not.
9 Kamala’s Group Of Friends Barely Appeared On The Show
It doesn’t really affect Kamala’s storyline as Ms. Marvel, but one of the most noticeable differences between the Ms. Marvel comics and the series is the absence of her group of friends. In the comics, Kamala and Bruno always hang out with Nakia and Zoe, but Laurel Marsden and Yasmeen Fletcher barely appeared on the show.
Obviously, this was a matter of plot economy. However, by removing Zoe and Nakia from the plot, the MCU left behind a very important part of Kamala’s life. Ms. Marvel’s friends are a core dimension of her day-to-day life and are eventual allies in her superhero gig. Additionally, Zoe’s sexual orientation adds LGBTQ+ representation to the story.
8 Muneeba Is A Way Deeper Character Than Her Comics Counterpart
Kamala has a complicated relationship with her mother. This conflict is also strained because of their different cultural backgrounds: Kamala is an American-born girl while her mother is an immigrant. The conflict between them is a key ingredient in Kamala’s personality both in the comics and the series.
However, Ms. Marvel does a better job depicting Muneeba as a complex character than the comics. The series writing, combined with Zenobia Shroff’s excellent acting, made Kamala’s mom a deeper character, someone fans can relate to.
7 Kamran’s Storyline Changed A Lot, Including His Moral Alignment
The second episode of Ms. Marvel, “Crushed,” introduced Kamran (Rish Shah) as Kamala’s crush and apparent ally. Since this character is one of Ms. Marvel’s most dangerous villains, comic readers thought they knew where the plot was going, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.
In the comics, Kamran betrayed Kamala for Lineage and his crusade for Inhuman supremacy, but the MCU’s Kamran isn’t even Inhuman. Instead, he’s a Light Dimension descendant and a member of the Clan Destine. Additionally, although he’s the son of one of the series’ villains, he’s an actual ally for Ms. Marvel. The series is yet to reveal what his future will look like, but so far, it seems like he will become a hero, just like Kamala.
6 Red Dagger Isn’t A Person, But A Clan
Kareem is a Pakistani teenager who Ms. Marvel met during her trip to Karachi. Since his mother was a friend of Kamala’s family, he lives with Kamala’s grandmother while studying for his university entrance exams. Incidentally, Kareem works as a freelance vigilante known as Red Dagger or Laal Khanjeer.
In the comics, Kareem is the only Red Dagger. However, the Disney+ series introduced this character as the member of a clan called Red Daggers, who chose him to take the mantle. The Red Daggers, an association that protects Pakistan from supernatural threats, became Kamala’s most important allies against the Clan Destine. Besides, its existence expands the MCU’s superhero reach beyond the United States, which is always important regarding racial representation.
5 The Clan Destine Never Fought Ms. Marvel In The Comics
“Destined,” the third episode of Ms. Marvel, introduces the Clan Destines, or Djinn. They’re a group of superpowered beings from the Noor dimension who request Kamala’s help to return to their reality. Unfortunately, this is a lie. In reality, the Djinn are trying to take over the world by breaking the Veil of Noor.
The introduction of the Clan Destine to Ms. Marvel’s storyline is an MCU original idea. In the comics, they can’t be counted among the characters that Ms. Marvel has fought. Created by Alan Davis, the Clan Destine are a superhuman family with a short-lived run in the ’90s who served as heroes of their time.
4 Kamala’s Pakistani Heritage Is Closely Tied To Her Superhero Origin
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One of the most compelling things about the Ms. Marvel comics is their racial representation. As a modern hero, Kamala’s story includes many references to Pakistani culture and her heritage is central to her internal conflicts. Kamala’s storylines are often about finding her identity, whether it is as a Pakistan-American teenager or as a rookie superhero.
Ms. Marvel takes this to the next level. The TV series links Kamala’s newly discovered power to her heritage. First, it established Kamala as a human/Djinn hybrid. Additionally, the series tackles the Partition of India in 1947 as a core moment of Kamala’s family generational trauma. “Time and Again,” the fifth episode of Ms. Marvel, also shows this historical event as a key moment in Kamala’s journey as a superhero after she time travels back to it.
3 Aisha Became A Very Important Figure in Kamala’s Life
As Kamala understands the power of the bangle, she explores her own family’s story back in India before the Partition. This research puts the heroine on the path to learn more about Aisha, her Djinn great-grandmother who never made it to Pakistan with her family.
The comics also feature Aisha as a victim of the Partition of India through a flashback. However, they don’t expand on her character. In the series, Aisha is the original owner of the bangle that grants Kamala her light-based abilities. Instead of being a secondary character, she’s truly relevant to Kamala’s time as a superhero.
2 Kamala Khan Isn’t An Inhuman
As most hardcore Marvel Comics fans know, Kamala Khan belongs to a fairly new group of Inhumans who discovered they had Inhuman genes after the events of Inhumanity. Once the Terrigen Mists were released on Earth, Kamala’s Inhuman polymorphic abilities were activated. This is very different from her MCU arc.
In Ms. Marvel, Kamala isn’t an Inhuman. In fact, except for Black Bolt as an Illuminati member in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Inhumans aren’t in the MCU yet. Instead, Kamala is a half-human, half-Djinnwho possesses a mystical bangle that gives her the ability to manipulate light.
1 Ms. Marvel’s Power Set Was Completely Modified
The MCU changed Ms. Marvel’s backstory. As a result of this modification, they also altered her abilities, which were one of the best things about her. In the comics, Kamala’s Inhuman genes granted her the ability to alter her body to modify her size, stretch her limbs, or shape-shift. She was basically transformed into a polymorph.
Ms. Marvel, on the other hand, gave Kamala a different super ability. Using her great-grandmother Aisha’s bangle, she can create things out of hard light that can be used as weapons or tools. Marvel Studios already explained that Kamala’s powers needed to tie properly with future MCU projects. Even though Ms. Marvel has shown this new path for Kamala, which still makes for an epic story, fans are disappointed about such an abrupt change in canon.