With Marvel's Avengers out this week, many fans are excited to gain control of their favorite superhero in an all-new story. However, some fans may be surprised to learn that the focus of this new story is a young Pakistani-American from New Jersey known as Kamala Khan. Khan, also known as the superhero Ms. Marvel, is a rather recent addition to the Marvel Universe. As such, many may not know an awful lot about this powerful young girl. Let's remedy that with a dive into the history of the new Ms. Marvel.
Who is Kamala Khan?
In February of 2014 the Ms. Marvel series introduced a young Kamala Khan as the new titular hero after the previous Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) took on the title of Captain Marvel. However, the first time viewers would catch a glimpse of Khan is in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) where she is shown in the background watching Captain Marvel protect people from an attacking alien. This is important for the characterization of Khan as she would be shown to idolize heroes, especially Carol Danvers.
The writers behind the Ms. Marvel series knew from the start that the new Ms. Marvel would be a young Muslim girl. They also knew that they wanted to situate her across the Hudson River, away from Manhattan where much of the Marvel Universe takes place. This was a way to accentuate Khan's "second string" insecurities, an important part of her inner conflict throughout her story.
Beyond being a superhero, Kamala Khan is just your everyday teenager. She is shown to love comic books, video games, and obsess over superheroes like the Avengers. It is also shown that she is picked on and ostracized because of how strict her parents are.
Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel
Though born a normal girl, Kamala would gain superhero attributes after undergoing terrigenesis. After sneaking out to a party, Khan would be walking home when Jersey City is enveloped in a terrigen mist cloud. This causes Kamala to undergo the terrigen process and be enveloped in a cocoon. While inside the cocoon, Khan is scolded by the three superheroes she idolizes; Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel. The three chastise her for disobeying her parents and ask her what she wants from life. She would claim that she wants to be more like Captain Marvel.
When she emerges from the cocoon she is shocked to discover that she has been physically transformed to look like a younger Carol Danvers in the Ms. Marvel costume. After some freaking out, Kamala would discover that she could change her body into anything she wanted (polymorphing). She would then save one of the girls that bullied her from the river by enlarging her hand and scooping her out of the river.
Kamala would continue to uphold the morals and goodness of the Ms. Marvel mantle. In an attempt to stop a robbery, she would get shot only to learn that she can also heal rapidly. She would stop the villain known as the Inventor and save her friends. She would also learn that she doesn't need to look like Carol Danvers in order to be a superhero. Thus begins her tenure as Ms. Marvel and protector of Jersey City.
Kamala Khan and The Avengers
Though a superhero in her own right, Kamala was still a massive fan of the Avengers and other superheroes. This is evident in her first meeting with sometimes Avenger and X-Man Wolverine. After teaming up to stop the Inventor and save civilians, Kamala would ask the X-Man for a selfie, showing just how much she still fangirls over superheroes even though she is one.
Eventually, Khan would get her chance to fight alongside her heroes when she teamed with Nova to halt the evildoings of Warbringer. As the two were attempting to thwart him, they were aided by Captain America, Iron Man, Vision, Thor, and Spider-Man. Together they easily dispatched Warbringer and saved the day. Thoroughly impressed by the two young heroes, Iron Man would invite them to join the new lineup of Avengers, to which Ms. Marvel accepted gleefully.
It is clear to see why Kamala's Ms. Marvel is the perfect choice for the Square Enix game. Being a massive fangirl, who else would be able to get the team back together to stop another world-ending crisis? Plus, with her awesome Inhuman abilities, she would be a force not to mess with in a city being overrun with villains.