The Problem With Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel is the most popular young character that the company has put out in years, but does she work in the modern era?

0:00 Intro
0:49 Thanks, Factor!
2:00 Trends Never Last
8:46 Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant

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Tags: #MsMarvel #CaptainMarvel #Marvel

[comixproviderftw_]

I find it ironic that from 2015 to 2017 The Inhumans had only one goal, replace the X-Men because Disney didn’t have the X-Men film rights that were with 20th Century Fox at the time, and The Inhumans failed. Now Ms. Marvel, a very famous Inhuman has now been retconned into being a Mutant because Brand Synergy after the Disney+ tv show, and The Inhumans are the ones who are tossed aside because Disney finally got the X-Men rights after buying out Fox.

[mediabaron]

My biggest gripe with the current Ms Marvel stories is that her supporting cast has been seriously downplayed. Kamala's family and friends are remarkably fleshed out. Their own arcs and developments being as much of a draw as hers. Lately though, they've barely been seen, and have even had parts of said developments undone for seemingly no good reason. Nakia, Zoe and Mike aren't allowed to remember Ms. Marvel's identity because Emma Frost is suddenly really rubbish at rewriting people's memories? It's frustrating.

Also, can we just address how stupid the reveal of her mutant power is? Yes, I know. Corporate synergy. That's why her mutant power is light constructs. But given the fact they aren't having it manifest (not a complaint. It's an observation. I will always champion her having embiggening powers), what's even the point? I would have had it that her mutant power is simply to be a mutant who can also be an Inhuman. Her genes could act as a way of making Terrigen mist non-toxic to mutants or something. Would have been a pretty meta way of putting all that to rest.

[idomerchav]

Stopped reading Miss Marvel after they had a whole arc about her parents finding out and learning to accept her being a superhero, only to end the arc by erasing their memories and returning to the status quo for no reason. It's a shame how marvel keeps sabotaging Kamala.

[lesliejacoby]

I just want to bring up it's really weird and dumb how they keep trying to put her with Peter Parker and push their team ups as if Peter is a teenager around her age while at the same time slowly splitting up the team ups between her and Miles.

[Neostar]

Its funny how this is basically the same general issue as Spider-Gwen. Character who blew up in the early 2010s, made their way into the mainstream via movies, corporate synergy requires them to always be associated with whatever said movie used them for and as a result they end up being removed from their original setting and original cast in favor of forcing them into whatever contrived scenario they can to make them as close to the films as possible.

[TheDanishGuyReviews]

"I'm New York City's mutant superhero." What's Marvel DOING?! New York has enough superheroes! New Jersey having its own superhero opened up the Marvel world a little, like Howard the Duck in Ohio before it. And just like Howard before her, here she is, settling in New York City, the only place allowed to exist in Marvel, evidently.

[shinyocelotarchive]

It hurts my brain how weirdly they've been treating her during her cinematic debut.

Killing her off in Spider-Man just to revive her as a mutant was such an odd decision. I would've had Wolverine bring her to Krakoa as an honorary mutant or something.

I hope that some project does this character justice because I really enjoyed the original series from 2014. I need to read the miniseries from Iman Velani since I enjoyed her performance in the show.

[bobbybooshay]

If you ask me, Ms Marvel would be a perfect hero to tackle the whole young people loneliness epidemic, rising racism, no money, Andrew Tatification of young men dilemmas. She's supposed to be the teen hero facing teen issues. Those are the teen issues of today. I think it could work if you got the right writer.

[morgana-orion]

Kamala was THE Jersey City superhero. It was refreshing that she had an identity outside of Marvel’s overcrowded NYC, and it really felt like her home. Every time I’ve been to Jersey City I’ve thought of her. Stripping her home city away and making her just another NYC hero was one of many, many mistakes that they need to fix.

[TomSka]

Great video! Like you said at the start of the video, we no longer have the Internet where you're allowed to just like stuff so I was apprehensive that this would be a more needlessly mean spirited.

I think Ms Marvel comics are at their best when they're addressing issues that face young people today. Disenfranchisement, radicalisation, and the "standard" stuff like bullying, insecurity, prejudice, etc. For this reason I'd say Kamala's actual most compelling villain, although he barely appears, is Josh/Discord, an angry young man who keeps getting pulled towards fascism. It's relevant, it's impactful, and it gives Kamala's defining empathy opportunity to shine.

It sucks to see her character flailing around aimlessly. I actually think Champions was the perfect place for her, every team needs a moral compass and shot-caller and I felt she filled that role fantastically. Devastated that it got canned.

Given the historic bombing of The Marvels, I'm just worried we're going to see Kamala (and all their plans for her) get tossed in the bin.

Here's to a better future! Hopefully...

[StrangeCreed]

One of my problems is that they made her being a muslim and Pakistani-American out to be this big thing, but aren't really brave enough to do anything daring with it. Daredevil got to grapple with his faith from multiple angles, from his violent acts being decidedly not Christian to rectifying the existence of the supernatural and aliens with his Catholic beliefs.
Ms. Marvel has none of that. It's set dressing that would hardly change if she was Hindu or Buddhist, or if her family came from any other country. Her Tumblrina personality could adapt with the times, maybe even get ribbed for it by other heroes, but a lack of ambition or balls for her stories is a bigger hurdle.

[prime]

Feels like the Marvel equivalent of Jon Kent. Jon was one of the best new things DC had created in years but then everything that was fun and interesting about the character was permanently undone by Bendis to essentially make him a worse Superman. I don’t hate the character now and I’ve read some okay stuff with Jon recently, but man his adventures as a kid were something special.

[majestyzx]

Ms Marvel has always been awesome as Jersey's street level hero with some occasional crossovers, and day to day family/friend problems. Much like Spider-Man.

Them trying to push her into big team books or cosmic events has really hurt her development.

NYX is the worst X-book out right now, and there are a lot of x-books out right now.

Writing her to wax poetically over New York is completely antithetical to her original character. The writers have lost the plot.

[typemasters]

If Marvel wants iconic villains for Kamala that fit then here are a few ideas that can fit with her teen street level crime fighting
-Go the Static Shock route and give her villains that are jerks/turfs with powers
-Maybe give her villains who became villains out of desperation due to the current system
-Perhaps she could have villains that represent how she has been treated by Marvel, villains that try to force Kamala to take on multiple roles (a street level hero, a team player, an inhuman, a mutant, and maybe even a celebrity)

[foxtrotfunky]

I find it sad that Marvel literally created a new Spider-Man like character, and decided to not move forward with it.
I'm gonna get hate for this, but the true essence of Spider-Man is captured so well in Kamala's earlier books. she embodied Spider-Man more than early Miles' comics. She is the nerd with a set of weird creepy powers (remember when Spider-Man was creepy?) that has to balance her personal life with her chaotic superhero stuff. With a new twist focusing on her deep connection to her community, religion, and identity.
It's not hard to make ideas for good Kamala stories. You can make any personal conflict (from depression to climate change) and make a villain out of it to connect to a young audience.

I think Marvel secretly resents Kamala. It's like in recent comics they are trying to erase everything she used to be and replace it with some shallow garbage.

[ulises]

fun fact, Locust was inspired by 'El Chapulín Colorado', who may be the most famous mexican superhero. Chapulín Colorado was created as parody of usa superheroes. While Superman and Batman were brave and strong, Chapulín Colorado was weak and a coward but he still always tried to save the day. He was played by the late Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, humorist, director, producer, and author Roberto gomez Bolaños, also known as Chespirito (little Shakespeare), who made some of the most famous tv shows and characters in latin america, he may the most recognizable comedian in all of latin america.

another fun fact, the simpsons character Bumblebee Man is also inspire by El Chapulín Colorado

[steuartreiss]

Kamala has the opportunity to be the Gen z spiderman. As a Gen z fan she really struck a chord with me. Here’s hoping we get back on track

[eastvandb]

With early Ms Marvel, it wasn't her villains that mattered, it was her team-ups. Best ever Wolverine team-up.
One of the reasons Iman Vellani was such perfect casting is that having Kamala fangirl while in a team-up was just really fun in the comics, and Vellani is the most authentic fangirl ever cast in a Marvel movie.

[dxo]

It's weird how often Marvel takes a character they don't know what to do with, and makes them a mutant. It happened with Gwenpool, then the new black knight (please give them more stories I beg of you) and now Ms marvel.

[majestyzx]

It's kind of upsetting that Marvel finally hit big on a mainstream inhuman, just to make her a mutant.

Marvel very easily could have had both Inhumans and Mutants, side by side. Limitless potential for storytelling.

Inhumans have essentially been designated for the mausoleum with Khan being made a mutant and shoehorned into the X-books.