Ms. Marvel, Marvel’s newest limited series on Disney Plus, comes out on June 8—just two weeks from now. As one of the more popular characters in Marvel’s comics universe, Ms. Marvel’s entry into the MCU has been met with some pretty high expectations from fans and critics. Now that reviewers have seen the first two episodes and reactions are starting to come in, how does Ms. Marvel fare?
Ms. Marvel tells the story of Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American Muslim who idolizes superheroes. She’s an especially big fan of Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, and fantasizes about being a superhero herself. Kamala’s wish comes true when she finds a set of wrist cuffs that give her the ability to manipulate cosmic energy, but she soon finds out that the superhero lifestyle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Along with showing us Kamala’s origin story, Ms. Marvel will also help set up The Marvels, the 2023 sequel to Captain Marvel that will see Carol team up with Kamala and Monica Rambeau, who gained energy-manipulation powers in WandaVision.
As excited as fans are for Ms. Marvel’s debut, the series has already generated some controversy. In the original comics, Kamala is an Inhuman, a race of humans descended from a Kree genetic experiment. Her powers include shapeshifting, shrinking, growing, and stretching. Some fans aren’t happy about the change to Kamala’s powers in the Disney Plus series, preferring her original powers or disliking the fact that her powers come from wrist cuffs instead of her own body.
So how are critics reacting so far? Let’s take a look!
Positive Reactions on Twitter
So far, critics have taken to Twitter to praise the series. Charles Murphy of Murphy’s Universe writes that “as close as we’ve come in the MCU to comic book pages coming to life. It’s inventive, bright & a ton of fun. My strong feeling is that teens are going to fall in love with this show. I know my kids will.”
Maggie Lovitt of Collider is unsure about the show’s plot, but writes that “Iman Vellani is fantastic.”
LaughingPlace.com calls the show “charming, hilarious and just a ton of fun.”
Meanwhile, South Asian and Muslim critics are divided about the series and its representation. Tariq Raouf called the series “game-changing” for Muslim MCU representation, while Swara Salih loves Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, but calls the show’s Muslim representation a “mixed bag.”
So what’s the verdict so far? Early reviews are saying that Iman Vellani shines as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel, and the show is funny and warm in all the right ways. As for its portrayal of Islam, reviewers who are disappointed hope it’ll course-correct after the first two episodes.
(image: Marvel Studios)
