Ms Marvel brings some much-needed everyday life into the MCU

Disney Plus’ Ms. Marvel To give Kamala Kan a better backstory, series changes the comics. More than this, Ms. Marvel is showing a side of the MCU that we just haven’t seen in a really long time: the way ordinary people live their lives, amid these superheroes and supervillains and catastrophic, world-ending events. Head writer Bisha K. Ali and the rest of the show’s creators smartly kept the more slice-of-life plot elements alongside Kamala’s superhero origin. Because the MCU currently seems more focused on constantly setting up the next big thing, it’s refreshing to remember what the hell these heroes are even fighting for.

Previously, we’ve gotten SomeMarvel Cinematic Universe offers glimpses at what ordinary people do in Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is usually because of their relationships with the main heroes. The MCU stopped creating new heroes after a while. Even those not featured in Avengers films as secondary characters had some ties to past heroes, or were already involved in the MCU’s inner workings. Shang Chi might not be familiar with any Avengers, but he was raised by secret cult as an assassin. Likewise, Kate Bishop took up archery because of Hawkeye and meets him straight away, so her adventures across the show are intrinsically intertwined with Clint Barton’s story. They’re also already skilled, so much of their hero origin (if you can even call it that) involves being in the right place at the right time and meeting the right people. This naturally pulls them from everyday life, and takes them away form their family and friends who do normal people things.

Photo by Daniel McFadden/Marvel Studios

Kamala Khan doesn’t want to miss AvengerCon. Kamala isn’t interested in becoming a superhero, but she does dream of it as a distant goal. She is much more focused on finishing her cosplay within the time frame. She doesn’t get powers until the end of the first episode, but even after that, she keeps those abilities a secret from everyone in her life but her close friend Bruno. The show also explores her friends and family’s lives without revealing that she is a super-hero. Kamala’s brother still has his wedding — complete with a little kid dancing in the Hulk salwar kameezHer mom appeared in the very first episode. Nakia’s friend is awarded the position on the mosque board. Her family is unaware of her trip to Pakistan and she ends up discovering about Red Daggers. It’s beautifully different from the rest of the existing MCU, where secret identities aren’t really a thing anymore.

The closest comparison in the MCU’s recent lineup are the first two Spider-Man movies, where Peter Parker still somewhat hides his identity and tries to balance regular high school things like the homecoming dance and a school vacation. Seeing Peter’s classmates navigate the blip and react to supervillains crashing their vacation is pretty fun, but unfortunately, because Peter himself knows basically all the Avengers and has access to Tony Stark’s personal armory, it doesn’t quite ever feel like a proper slice-of-life.

Photo by Daniel McFadden/Marvel Studios

And that’s where Ms. Marvel shines. Because even though Kamala gets her powers, she doesn’t have any sort of mentor figure. She’s figuring this out all on her own, navigating her new powers and responsibilities. It’s a true, proper, actual origin story for the first time in a long time. Spider-Man film that Ms. Marvel shares the most DNA with, then, isn’t Spider-Man’s Homecoming, but the first of the Sam Raimi trilogy, where Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker doesn’t even know how to sling his webs. Kamala, who is also testing her abilities without any guidance (other than a friend with genre expertise willing to assist her), is more interested in exploring her capabilities and not on defeating bad guys or saving the planet.

Kamala faces a villain one day who will use her abilities to gain selfish gains and potentially destroy the world. But that villain has a grudge against Kamala’s family, which also ties into their generational trauma over the partition of India. This makes it more real and tangible. Kamala’s family is still involved in the story, despite not being aware of her superpowers. As she balances her multicultural upbringing with modern sensibilities and her familial relationships, Kamala has beautiful and complex relationships. AlsoShe is a rising star. She is not afraid to get involved in the daily lives of regular citizens. Ms. Marvel finally gives the MCU a hero who actually feels relatable — and one with an actual connection to the world that she needs to save.

The new episodes of Ms. Marvel Disney Plus is available Wednesdays.