It really can’t be overstated how much the unprecedented success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe owes to savvy casting. Yes, many of the characters were already well-established in popular culture, but audiences stuck with the serialized narratives of these movies because they got attached to the people: Robert Downey, Jr.’s fast-talking, narcissistic Tony Stark/Iron Man; Chris Evans’ earnest, principled Steve Rogers/Captain America; Chadwick Boseman’s regal T’Challa/Black Panther; Tom Holland’s eager Peter Parker/Spider-man. Even a villain like Tom Hiddleston’s slippery Loki managed to find a foothold. So how does Iman Vellani as Kamalan Kahn/Ms. Marvel stack up?
Ms. Marvel, simply by virtue of being a Marvel series, was going to have a baseline of interest, even if it wasn’t starting with already-familiar lead characters like WandaVision or Captain America and the Winter Soldier did. But the MCU team hit a home run with the casting of Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, one of the most instantly likable new faces to lead a TV series in years. If Ms. Marvel manages to break out beyond the hardcore Marvel fanbase, it might be thanks to all the warmth and appeal Vellani brings to a standard fantasy-adventure.
When we first meet Kamala, she’s an Avengers fangirl living in New Jersey, longing for a chance to attend the newly-created AvengerCon with her best pal, Bruno (Matt Lintz). But the expectations within Kamala’s Muslim family—particularly from her concerned mother (Zenobia Shroff)—keep her from a lot of her wishes to live as a contemporary teenager. Then, as she decides to sneak away to the convention anyway, she supplements her Captain Marvel cosplay with a family heirloom bracelet, which unexpectedly grants her strange powers to generate energy that takes solid form.
Much of the character tension in Ms. Marvel comes from the family dynamics, which presents the potential for something that repeats a lot of the same youthful cultural rebellion found in recent stories like Pixar’s Turning Red. There is some of that, which presents some of the most predictable material, but showrunner Bisha K. Ali offers a much more well-rounded picture of life for a Muslim-American girl. It’s not often that an American TV show is willing to spend time on the internal politics at the local mosque, or a lively sequence breaking down community sub-groups like they were high-school cliques.
And yes, high school itself plays a role, in a way that definitely evokes some of the same vintage John Hughes vibes of the first Tom Holland solo entry, Spider-man: Homecoming. In particular, Ms. Marvel gives us a heavy dose of Pretty in Pink, with Lintz’s Bruno as the nerdy friend pining for Kamala, while she in turn swoons over handsome Kamran (Rish Shah). Throw in more than a splash of Lizzie McGuire with the use of animated interludes, and you have something that feels every bit like an old-school tween-appeal Disney Channel series, though with its own distinctive cultural specificity.
Also like any of those old-school tween-appeal Disney Channel series, a lot depends on the star. And Vellani is absolutely a star, bursting with charisma and the potential energy of a young girl yearning for big experiences. By the end of the two episodes available for preview, Ms. Marvel has set up a kind of mystery involving the origin of Kamala’s power-generating bracelet, but it’s hard to imagine that the resolution of that mystery—or how it sets up Kamala’s involvement in the upcoming theatrical feature The Marvels—will be the most memorable element of the show. I spent the 90 minutes of Ms. Marvel’s initial episodes smiling nearly every time Vellani appeared on screen. That’s the sort of thing that makes you want to keep coming back.
Ms. Marvel premieres on Disney+ June 8.
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Let’s Hear From You
How does Ms. Marvel look to you? Do you think that Disney can keep up their streak wildly popular Marvel shows? Have you spotted the Ms. Marvel tie-in at Disney California Adventure? Share your thoughts in the comments below!