Ms. Marvel is set to become a major Disney+ streaming series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the end of 2021. The series is sure to focus on the origin of Kamala Khan, the first Muslim superhero to star in her own Marvel comic book, but there are many other parts of her story fans should be aware of going into the show.
Since debuting in a sneaky cameo in Captain Marvel #17 in November 2013, Ms. Marvel has become an integral part of the Marvel Universe. She’s been at the forefront of many major storylines both in her own title and across the entire line-up of Marvel Comics.
Becoming The New Ms. Marvel
The most obvious place to start with Kamala Khan is the beginning. Her story unfolds in Ms. Marvel #1 in early 2014. Co-created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala Khan discovers she has startling new powers thanks to her exposure to the Terrigen Mists.
Her status as a latent Inhuman owes some debt to the editorial initiative to try and replace the X-Men with the Inhumans in the comics (a product itself of the Fox/Disney movie rights feud). Kamala becomes Ms. Marvel after she meets her idol, Captain Marvel, and is inspired to become a hero just like her.
Fighting The Inventor
The first story arc of the book, No Normal, pitted Ms. Marvel against her first villain, The Inventor. The Inventor is a strange villain, to say the least. He’s a half-man, half-bird who is a cross between an attempted clone of Thomas Edison and a parrot. He used his genius-level intellect to build robots and battle Kamala Khan which showed the zany spirit of the book and the character that would become a big part of her appeal to readers. No Normal won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
Teaming Up With Spider-Man
Kamala Khan reminds some readers of Peter Parker, in that they’re both highly intelligent superheroes who started out as teens and who use their powers for good. So it made sense that she would cross over with Spider-Man in the comics. She first crosses paths with Spider-Man when she battles the supervillain, Dr. Minerva. Minerva could now turn into a giant monster and it took the combined power of Spidey and Ms. Marvel to take her down. She would become very close with another Spider-Man, Miles Morales, when she joined the Avengers.
Joining The Avengers
Ms. Marvel joined the Avengers after the universe-shattering events of Secret Wars in 2015. Iron Man invited her to join the team after she helped battle an alien villain named Warbringer. Kamala joined a revitalized squad that included Miles Morales, Sam Wilson (formerly the Falcon) and then Captain America, Jane Foster as Thor, and others.
Her tenure with the team was full of excitement and adventure but would lead to some difficult days in the years ahead as she confronted the stark reality of being a hero.
Clashing With Carol Danvers
Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau are destined to play out some of their comic book history in Captain Marvel 2. It’s possible the same will be true of Kamala and her idol Carol. One storyline that the MCU could ultimately build to is Civil War II. This sequel to the landmark Marvel Comics event was perhaps even more destructive than the first, with Kamala and Carol falling out over Carol’s support of using a precog to identify criminals and threats before they actually happen. Kamala would side with Iron Man in the fight.
Meeting Loki
Loki is going to star in his own Disney+ series as well, so it’s possible the Asgardian trickster could make an appearance in Ms. Marvel. If he does, it’s likely to follow their unlikely comic book meeting. Loki encounters after going to her high school in search of inventors and then intervenes in her personal life by coaching her friend Bruno in his efforts to win Kamala’s heart. This all goes sideways and ends with Ms. Marvel fighting it out with Loki in the school gymnasium, though they part on somewhat good terms.
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel has been growing and evolving since her debut, and she took a big leap in 2019 when she got a new title, The Magnificient Ms. Marvel. She also got an update to her costume, which kept the iconic elements but added some more details. She ultimately went back to her first and iconic costume by issue #12. This series brought her into conflict against the mysterious and deadly entity known as Stormranger, a cybernetic doppelganger of Kamala forged from her Kree nanotech suit.
Joining The Champions
Ms. Marvel’s falling out with Captain Marvel eventually led to her dropping out of the Avengers. Alongside her former teammates Nova and Spider-Man, she joined a new team, the Champions. The team also included a new Hulk, Amadeus Cho, and Viv Vision, the synthezoid daughter of The Vision from the eponymous comic book mini-series that influenced WandaVision.
The Champions is very likely a team the MCU could build to, and her adventures with the team, especially during the Secret Empire storyline that saw HYDRA take over the United States, are possibly roadmaps to the future on the big or small screen.
Outlawed
The most major recent event involving Kamala and the Champions was her near-death. Viv Vision exploded in a battle against an Asgardian Dragon, which left Kamala in a coma. When she woke up, all teenage superheroes had been outlawed by Congress. This act upset her, especially as it was informally known as ‘Kamala’s Law’ in her honor. The Outlawed storyline saw her try to continue to fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves alongside her fellow teen heroes in the Champions.
C.R.A.D.L.E.
The consequence of going rogue led to the formation of C.R.A.D.L.E, or the Child Hero Reconnaissance and Disruption Law Enforcement organization. This government agency tracked down and apprehended teen heroes who didn’t obey the new law. C.R.A.D.L.E went after Moon Girl and Ironheart, soon to be the star of her own Disney+ series, in their homes. They also apprehended other Champions when the team tried to fight back. C.R.A.D.L.E continues to hunt the team, but Cyclops granted the Champions asylum on Krakoa, where they have no jurisdiction.
