Ms. Marvel is joining the X-Men, and all it took is her coming back from the dead. Here’s Everything you need to know about this Inhuman turned mutant. Kamala Khan was a Pakistani-American teenager living in Jersey City. She first appeared in a cameo in Captain Marvel #14, as part of Marvel’s MARVEL NOW! relaunch in 2014 before getting her own series shortly thereafter. This relatability made her an instant fan favorite. Her strength and stretchy-limb InHuman abilities awakened after a terragin bomb was set off in Jersey City.
Her mantra, “Good isn’t a thing you do--it’s a thing you are, its a thing you do--" is similar to a certain message about Power and Responsibility. She also became a mainstay of the Marvel Universe, particularly of Spider-Man who she formed a friendship with and teamed up to take down a rogue Kree in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man No. 7. Ms Marvel patterned her name off on a no longer used Captain Marvel moniker. She even joined a branch of Avengers alongside Miles Morales’ Spider-Man. Since then, she’s appeared in video games, animation, and of course, her own Disney Plus series.
Ms. Marvel died a hero, protecting Peter and Mary Jane from Rubin, a dimension-hopping villain who had previously trapped them both in a parallel world where time passes more slowly. While MJ was eventually rescued, the villain then followed them to our dimension, hellbent on his plan to sacrifice the redhead to attain power. Rubin mistakenly stabbed and killed a shape-shifted Ms. Marvel, who died in Spider-Man’s arms.
However, it seems not all was lost. First introduced during the House of X storyline, the X-Men now have a way to bring mutants back from the dead. This process, now as the Kraoka protocols is accoplishments by comping the powers of a group of young mutants known as "The Five." Shortly before her death, Emma Frost learned that Kamala Khan was a latent mutant. Ms. Marvel awakened in The Hellfire Gala #1.
The resurrected InHuman turned X-Man will have her adventures continue in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. The mini-series, launching August 31st, will be written by The Marvels' star Iman Vellani, who began playing the character in live action in Ms. Marvel on Disney Plus.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Vellani shared her thoughts on writing her own title. "This was way scarier than joining the MCU for me --Those projects feel like they live in their own dimension, so I guess I can separate myself easier. But you can hold a comic book! I've never written anything before in my entire life, but I have read many comics -- I was given a very professional tool to write what is essentially my own fan fiction." (Holub, p. 3).
Going forward it seems even though Vellani has "never written anything" by her own omission, it's her knowledge and experience of playing the title character that landed her the gig. What does this mean for Ms. Marvel's place in a non MCU-universe? Does this mean that the line between the Marvel Comics and MCU will be blurred-- or has it been blurred already? Sony's Across the Spider Verse makes a direct reference to the events in Spider-Man No Way Home. It's that hard to imagine a world where a similar leap in logic for Ms. Marvel's new mutant status it relates to her future appearances in tv and movies.
(2023, 14 July). Holub, C. The Marvels' Star Iman Vellani is writing a New Ms. Marvel Comic. Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/books/iman-vellani-writing-new-ms-marvel-comic/
(2023, 18 July). Kamala Khan joins the X-Men in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. Marvel. https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/ms-marvel-the-new-mutant-variant-covers-kamala-khan-joins-x-men
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