Ms. Marvel’s modifications to Kamala Khan’s talents appeared to be a substantial deviation from the comics, but episode 2 may have rectified that by hinting that Kamala is the MCU’s first legitimate mutant. Ms. Marvel’s first two episodes sought to introduce the franchise’s newest hero, detailing how she inherited her powers before showing her learning how to utilize them efficiently. In a divergence from the comics, the series depicts Kamala gaining her powers via a strange bracelet inherited from her grandmother, which grants her the ability to create “hard light” on which she can either stand or use to “embiggen” her fists, as she does in the comics.
The discovery of this bracelet appears to provide a relatively traditional explanation for the hero’s abilities, yet there may be more to it than has been initially suggested. Due to issues with studio rights, there was no likelihood of mutants appearing in the MCU before to Disney’s acquisition of Fox, but the merging of the two businesses now makes such a crossover not only a possibility, but a near certainty. It was only a matter of time after Patrick Stewart’s Professor X cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before the MCU began to freely reference mutants, and the first clue of this can be found in Ms. Marvel episode 2.
Mutants are characterized as beings born with special abilities in the Marvel comic books and animated series. These natural powers are not acquired through a specific origin story, but rather are a part of the heroes’ genetic make-up. Bruno’s claim in Ms. Marvel episode 2 that Kamala’s strange bracelet activated her powers may allude to the MCU’s hesitant foray into mutant territory. With the franchise now owning the rights to all X-Men terminology previously controlled by Fox, Ms. Marvel might be the MCU’s first recognized mutant.
Ms. Marvel’s Power Shift Proves as Genetic Hero
The training sequence in Ms. Marvel episode 2 inspired this theory. Using one of his inventions to assess Kamala’s energy, Bruno declares, “your strength isn’t coming from the bangle, it’s coming from within you,” meaning that the bracelet isn’t the source of Kamala’s powers, but rather the object through which they manifest. If Bruno’s readings can be trusted – and the breadth of his inventions in Ms. Marvel’s first two episodes suggests they can – then this seemingly innocuous remark is the first hint of actual genetic, or “mutant,” powers in the MCU.
The theory is bolstered by a statement from a Department of Damage Control officer, who refers to Kamala as a “improved individual,” echoing anti-mutant rhetoric common in comic novels. Although the Ms. Marvel promo and first episode seemed to imply that Kamala’s bracelet was the source of her strength, Damage Control’s concern and Bruno’s notion show that the ability was always within her. In this example, the bracelet might be interpreted as a tool for focusing Kamala’s talents, or it could have delivered a burst of energy that aroused her dormant potential.
Ms. Marvel In The MCU Is More Like Scarlet Witch – But Is She A Mutant?
Ms. Marvel tests her abilities in the same way that Spider-Man does.
If the bracelet awoke or improved Kamala’s abilities, Ms. Marvel’s superhero origins are far closer to Wanda’s than previously imagined. When the Scarlet Witch initially appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the MCU did not own the mutant catalogue or any of its associated names or phrases. This is why, despite being Magneto’s children in the books, Wanda and Pietro keep their distance from the X-Men in the MCU. Wanda was born with significant telekinetic powers, which were further increased by her proximity to the Mind Stone in Hydra experiments, according to the franchise.
It’s possible that the MCU is using a same approach with Kamala, implying that she was born with certain abilities that were only magnified by her bracelet. Due to copyright concerns at the time of Wanda’s introduction, the MCU’s Scarlet Witch has never been referred to as a mutant, which means that Ms. Marvel may represent the MCU’s first foray into that realm. Ms. Marvel may be more closely resembling the hero’s comic book origins than the trailer initially hinted, but possibly taking a different route to get there.
History of Ms. Marvel’s Comics
How Ms Marvel’s MCU Powers Have Changed Since Comics SR
Kamala’s transformation into a superhero follows a completely different story than that of the Ms. Marvel series. In the Infinity plot, Black Bolt detonates a Terrigen bomb, shrouding the Earth in mist and activating any dormant Inhuman genes in those who come into contact with it. Kamala is one such person, to whom the Terrigen Mist offers polymorph skills to grow and shrink at will, as well as the ability to stretch her limbs long distances.
Although Kamala’s comic book backstory differs from that depicted in the MCU, Ms. Marvel may be employing the same awakening concepts described in the source material. Kamala’s grandmother’s bangle, like the Terrigen Mist, works to unlock dormant skills that have been inside Kamala her entire life, enabling her the capacity to conjure hard light in the same way that her comic book counterpart can stretch. If Wanda’s abilities were boosted by her contact with the Mind Stone, the true origin of Kamala’s bracelet could be as potent.
Ms. Marvel’s genetic talents and connections to other MCU characters like as the Scarlet Witch could make her the franchise’s first recognized mutant. Disney currently controls the rights to words like “mutant,” distinguishing Kamala from Wanda’s ostensibly identical origin and possibly implying that the series will officially connect Kamala with mutant-kind in its remaining episodes. If this is the case, Ms. Marvel could be the key to bringing the X-Men into the MCU’s shared reality.