7 Superpowers Ms. Marvel Still Hasn’t Used In The MCU

There are still several superpowers from Marvel Comics that Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, hasn’t used since her MCU debut in Phase 4. Iman Vellani brought Kamala Khan into the MCU in 2022’s Ms. Marvel on Disney+, adapted from the Captain Marvel superfan from New Jersey who debuted in Marvel Comics in 2014’s Ms. Marvel #1. Marvel Studios significantly altered Kamala Khan’s backstory and superpowers, introducing her as a young mutant – the first seen in the MCU following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Since Ms. Marvel’s powers have been changed in the MCU, there are several abilities from Marvel Comics that haven’t been seen in live-action.

Phase 4’s Ms. Marvel debuted Kamala Khan as a New Jersey teenager who acquires a mysterious bangle from her grandmother that, when worn at a Captain Marvel cosplay contest at AvengerCon, seemingly grants her the ability to create constructs out of “hard-light”. It’s later revealed that this ability is Kamala’s latent mutant power, combined with her heritage as a Djinn-like being from the Noor Dimension, that was unlocked by the bangle. Kamala uses her ability to fight the Clandestines, help the Red Daggers, and battle Damage Control in Ms. Marvel, and while she displayed some impressive feats of power, some aspects of her ability in Marvel Comics haven’t been used.

7 Kamala Khan Is An Inhuman In Marvel Comics

Kamala Khan was revealed to be a mutant in the MCU, debuting as the first mutant seen in the franchise after the characters were acquired by Marvel Studios in 2019, though she was closely followed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Namor. This was an exciting revelation in the MCU, teasing the eventual introduction of the MCU’s X-Men team, but marked a major change from her Marvel Comics backstory. In the comics, Kamala Khan’s Inhuman heritage is revealed after 2013-14’s Inhumanity storyline, during which Terrigen Mists are released globally, awakening dormant Inhumans worldwide. Kamala is one of these Inhumans, being exposed to the Terrigen Mist on the streets of Jersey City.

Ms. Marvel creator Sana Amanat, who was also an executive producer on the MCU’s Ms. Marvel, revealed to Empire Magazine in October 2022 that she originally wanted Kamala Khan to be a mutant in Marvel Comics. Even though Ms. Marvel was changed to an Inhuman in Marvel Comics, this alteration granted the young hero the added ability of being able to withstand exposure to the Terrigen Mist, and it seems unlikely that Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel has this ability in the MCU. In live-action, Kamala Khan is a Clandestine-mutant hybrid, and because of the transition from page to screen, her subsequent abilities have been changed significantly.

6 Ms. Marvel Can Elongate Her Limbs & Body

Kamala Khan’s Inhuman ability in Marvel Comics involved her being able to morph her body into all sorts of shapes and sizes. This included being able to elongate her limbs, torso, and neck extraordinary distances, resembling the elastic abilities of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. This is explained as Ms. Marvel’s molecules time traveling when she uses her abilities, allowing her to share her mass with different versions of herself. In the MCU, Kamala uses hard-light to elongate her limbs, but this isn’t a biological process like it is in Marvel Comics, though she does use this power various times, including when she saves Zoe Zimmer in Ms. Marvel’s premiere.

5 Kamala Khan Can Change The Size Of Her Body

As well as being able to elongate her limbs, Ms. Marvel can also alter the size of her body in Marvel Comics. While her elongation powers mirror those of Mister Fantastic, her size-changing powers are more similar to Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, though she doesn’t require a protective suit to express this ability. This has also been adapted for the MCU through the use of Kamala Khan’s hard-light powers, as she uses this to create an armor covering her body that allows her to appear much larger, though, again, this isn’t biological. With this power, she can shrink as small as an action figure, or grow as large as a building.

4 Ms. Marvel Has A Regenerative Healing Factor

Sharing this power with several other notable superheroes, Kamala Khan has been granted an accelerated regenerative healing factor in Marvel Comics, that hasn’t yet been seen in the MCU. Ms. Marvel is able to recover from all manner of injuries, including bullet wounds, much faster than the average human, though using this ability interrupts her other powers, meaning she can only heal when regularly-sized, and this also leaves her incredibly fatigued and hungry. Kamala Khan’s regeneration ability hasn’t had a chance to shine in the MCU yet, as she didn’t find herself seriously injured in Ms. Marvel, but this could change in the MCU’s upcoming The Marvels.

3 Ms. Marvel Can Completely Alter Her Appearance

Ms. Marvel’s Inhuman power in Marvel Comics also grants her the ability to shapeshift, completely changing her appearance to fit any situation that suits her. Initially, this presented itself immediately after she was exposed to the Terrigen Mist, when she transformed into a younger version of Captain Marvel. She has used this ability to impersonate the likes of James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Mary Jane Watson, and can also shapeshift into inanimate objects when necessary. Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel hasn’t displayed this ability yet, and has shown no signs of being able to, as her mutant ability creates hard-light constructs rather than altering her actual body.

2 Ms. Marvel Has A Locator Pendant For Captain Marvel

As part of Marvel Comics’ 2015 Secret Wars event, which featured an incursion destroying the Marvel Universe, Kamala Khan found herself teaming up with her idol Captain Marvel. During this adventure, Carol Danvers gifted Kamala a pendant that the young hero could use to signal Captain Marvel in an emergency, simply with the push of a button. Having a high-profile superhero on speed-dial is an asset to Kamala’s arsenal, and although this piece of equipment hasn’t been seen yet in the MCU, 2023’s The Marvels could introduce it. The Marvels will explore a sisterly bond between its three lead heroes, so it’s possible Danvers could gift Kamala a similar pendant.

1 Kamala Khan Has An Unknown Mutant Power In Marvel Comics

After Kamala Khan died in 2022’s The Amazing Spider-Man #26, she was resurrected in July 2023’s one-shot X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1. During this recent Marvel Comics storyline, Kamala discovers that she has a latent X-Gene, making her a mutant-Inhuman hybrid. Ms. Marvel received a new costume, a new run in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, and a new, undisclosed mutant ability. It could be assumed that this hidden ability helped her survive the Terrigen Mist – which is usually deadly to mutants. In the MCU, it’s unclear whether Ms. Marvel has hidden powers, but with The Marvels set to develop her story further, it’s possible she could become much stronger.