Is the MCU going somewhere in Phase Four? Does it matter? Most of what’s come out on Disney+ at least has been watchable, the movies are still fun even when they are maybe only so-so, and I think some fans are too impatient to learn what’s coming next given the first three phases set up the whole Thanos thing. Why does it all have to fit together neatly all at once? Let the storytellers work, and if it somehow all fits into something again, well, that will be just fine. In the meantime, can’t I just enjoy the ones I like and move on?
Point is, the most recent Disney+ series, Ms Marvel, just ended and it doesn’t seem to fit into anything else in the MCU, but would we have noticed a connection between, say, Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr. Strange if fans didn’t know where to look?
16 year old New Jersey teenager Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is a big time fan of superheroes, especially Carol “Captain Marvel” Danvers. Her parents, both Pakistani immigrants, don’t quite get their American-born daughter’s interests, but a couple things happen. First, Kamala finds an old bangle in a box of stuff from her grandmother. Second, she and her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) attend an Avengers-convention. During the convention, Kamala sees a classmate in danger, the bangle lights up, and she finds she has some sort of hard-light, energy based powers. She can’t quite control them, but she has them. Being who she is, she and Bruno figure she can be a superhero in their hometown of Jersey City.
By itself, that would be enough for her. But Kamala has a couple problems, the least of which is trying to keep her powers secret from her generally disapproving mother (Zenobia Shroff) and father (Mohan Kapur), especially her mother. There’s also the Department of Damage Control, a government organization whose more overzealous members see containing anyone with superhuman powers as a priority. And then there’s the mysterious Clandestines, a group possibly loosely based on a very obscure 90s Marvel hero team, and they have their own interests in Kamala, her bangle, and the powers that seem to come with them. Kamala just wants to be a superhero and maybe find out where the bangle and her powers came from. Is that too much to ask?
This show was pleasant enough. Vellani is a charismatic lead, and her problems are fairly relatable. The show makes great use of her Islamic faith, and the way the government has treated Muslims in the past is brought up in ways that fit the story. There are strong elements of generational conflict as it turns out Kamala’s issues with her mother aren’t that different from issues her mother has with Kamala’s grandmother. The series explores a bit of what it’s like to see the Avengers and other heroes as an outsider and a fan. And it does a good job of setting up Kamala’s relationships with her friends and family. Like a lot of MCU shows, it does seem to feel the need to fit in a origin story and some connections to the wider universe while offering a hint of what’s to come, but that’s to be expected.
However, I can’t say I really got much into this one, and there’s a good explanation for that: I wasn’t really part of the target audience. This show was clearly aimed at a younger demographic. There’s nothing wrong with that, and personally, I am glad that the MCU has been trying to expand what it does with different styles and genres, and for the most part, it’s been able to at least make entertaining shows. This one is no different, but I suspect it would have grabbed me more if I was maybe 20-30 years younger.
Grade: B
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