Ms. Marvel Amazing?

 

I was hesitant to watch Ms. Marvel because I was getting tired of watching Marvel shows/movies since finishing Spiderman No Way Home, however I was surprised how much I enjoyed this show. In my opinion this is the best Marvel show that I have seen on Disney+.

If you are debating if you should watch this show I understand. It doesn’t seem intriguing as some of the other marvel products but let me give you a list of reasons why you should watch it.

1. The cast is mostly Pakistanis playing Pakistanis.
2. This is the first marvel superhero that is Pakistani.
3. The main character has an imagination that is realistic for a teenager.
   
4. The show centers around family relations, family history, and community.
5. The story is about redemption and forgiveness.

Cons:

Even though I'm not a part of the culture, the one thing that I was mostly worried about was the betrayal of Islamic beliefs in the show especially after watching the first two episodes. In the second episode Kamala goes to church and hints how the church treats women poorly. This is a BIG mistake on Disney’s part. This is the first superhero that has Muslim beliefs and, in my opinion, Disney should be respectful of that. Instead of trying to change the Muslim religion, Disney needs to focus on changing the viewers perspective of the Islamic religion and help us learn more about it even though this is a fictional story. That scene almost made me quite watching the show; I am glad that I didn’t because Ms. Marvel redeems its religious integrity especially when the leader goes out of his way to protect those who are not part of his congregation. This is my only complaint about the show.

Pros:

The family dynamics are perfect. I believe this is the first Disney superhero that doesn’t have a tragic backstory. All her family members are alive and supportive. The older brother, Amir, was the highlight of the show for me. I believed they were siblings because of how well they bother each other yet care for the other. My favorite scene happened in the last episode when Kamala is at the school planning to protect her friend Amir shows up out of nowhere even though the school is locked to help Kamala because their mom told him to do so. I was laughing at that scene. I also enjoyed Yusuf as well. He is not tech-savvy and it played well for the big reveal when Kamala tells her family that she is Ms. Marvel. I don’t want to spoil this funny scene, but it made me feel that they are a typical family. Finally, we have Muneeba, the mother. Kamala and Muneeba didn’t have a great relationship at the beginning of the show but as the story progresses the respect each other grows. I admire that Muneeba supports her daughter to being a hero even though she may worry about her safety.

Since this takes place in high school there must be stereotypical drama between the popular kid and the protagonist, right? Well in this show they did it with a twist and it was brilliant. Zoe is the popular girl who used to be friends with Kamala, but as they grew up they stopped hanging out and their priorities differ but they never became enemies. They still have similar passions (being fans of Captain Marvel) but they are just distant with each other. I liked that Zoe figures out Kamala’s secret and keeps it from the antagonist--- the department of damage and control (who are trying to capture Kamala). Zoe becomes a fan of Ms. Marvel and does what she can to help her out the best way that she can even if she has to put herself in danger.  

I have explained some of my favorite scenes but there is one more that I really liked that I want to share in this post. The antagonists were the Department of Damage Control and they are after mutants like Kamala (I think it is hinting towards an X-Men reference? If so, I'm for it!) and at the climax of the final episode they were close to capturing her, but the Pakistan community joined together with the police to protect Ms. Marvel. Instead of a message about them vs. us, this scene showed that we can stand united. I believe this message is necessary for today and a delight to have.