Ms. Marvel is here but she might not be for everyone. So we finally have the first episode of Ms. Marvel streaming on Disney+ so here is a spoiler recap/review. Again, MASSIVE spoilers for the first episode of Ms. Marvel.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MS. MARVEL EPISODE 1
Out of the gate we have to address that this show is not for everyone. The target audience really isn’t the same as any of the other MCU Disney+ tv shows, but I think it works really well. We start of the episode with Kamala Khan making a YouTube video of her animating superhero drawings and we would be lying if we said that kids in real life didn’t do the same thing.
As a whole the entire first episode made us connect to Kamala, at least me, because we saw her just be a normal teenager for 90% of the episode. She took, and failed, her drivers test, played with superhero toys, had arguments with her family, went to high school and did high school things, and overall was just a kid. I know a lot of people won’t like this because they want the huge multiversal events. Multiverse of Madness, No Way Home – we entered the multiverse… but here we are just following a teenage girl struggling with her family life and her future plans. It is all simple, but it works.
We also get introduced to her best friend, Bruno, who is a geek just like Kamala and adds even more to this down to earth show. Their relationship is so much fun to watch play out and I am excited to see his impact on her character. We saw him interact with her family as well which was a great way to build this larger connection to everyone in Kamala’s life.
Her family is such a big part of this episode, and I think they will be the entire show, because her heritage is a massive part of her character. As a POC myself I think having this representation in Hollywood can sometimes be difficult because of stereotypes but I think this show has actually handled it well so far. There are the clichés here and there but the message they are sending with this family that is overprotective but still just wants the best for her, is there.
I know in the later episodes we get to explore her heritage more and I am happy it isn’t just a 1 episode thing and they gloss over it. As for the members of her family I love the dynamics. Her brother, though isn’t in the episode much, has a great impact on the story and her going to AvengerCon. Her dad is a hilarious but heartfelt character and her mom, well she is a character. I think she is meant to be hated, as she is the over protective figure in the story, so she is doing her job well.
The episode’s final parts take place at AvengerCon where Kamala puts on the bangle and gets her powers. I am not the biggest fan of how she got her powers, but I think it will be explained in later episodes because right now we don’t know much about the direction of the show. That has to be my biggest issue after this first episode, there is no direction, at all.
All of the Marvel Disney+ shows suffer from this and that is pacing, this show is much different since it’s a pure origin, even Moon Knight didn’t start with Marc becoming Khonshu’s avatar, so for that I can cut this show some slack.
But as a whole, Ms. Marvel is a entertaining show thus far and Kamala Khan will likely end up being a fan favorite character because overall she is just a super likeable character with a relatable and fun story to tell.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Next: Here’s Why The Future Of The MCU Is Bright
About Ms. Marvel
Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero megafan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels like she doesn’t fit in at school and sometimes even at home—that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life gets better with superpowers, right?
MS. MARVEL is streaming now on Disney+.
