Why Ms. Marvel’s Power Change Makes Sense For MCU Phase 4

Among the many upcoming projects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Ms. Marvel, introducing Kamala Khan, who has a very specific set of superpowers, but these have been changed for the MCU – and they make more sense this way for Phase 4. Now that the MCU’s Infinity Saga is over, this universe can continue its expansion with new stories, concepts, and characters, and what makes Phase 4 more exciting is that it will not only cover movies but also TV shows, which will be an active part in this universe.

Expanding to TV/streaming has allowed the MCU to explore more complex stories that ultimately complement the movie side of this universe, and through TV shows, the MCU is also introducing a bunch of new characters that will be very important to the future of this connected universe. Among those new heroes is Kamal Khan (Iman Vellani), who will make her MCU debut in the TV series Ms. Marvel, ahead of a bigger adventure in The Marvels. Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old Muslim Pakistani-American who is a big fan of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and gains shape-shifting powers, which lead her to take on the mantle of Ms. Marvel.

In the comics, Kamala Kahn’s powers (which come from her Inhuman heritage and were activated by the Terrigen Bomb) are all about changing her body: elongating it, adjusting her height and stature (from shrinking to growing as tall as a building and also making her body as thin as paper), altering her appearance to look like someone or something else sometimes, and also has accelerated healing factor. Of course, her defining superpower is being able to grow in size and elongate her body, which when it comes to adapting the character to live-action can be tricky, but Marvel has already changed her powers for the MCU, and while it might seem like a weird decision, it actually fits the MCU’s Phase 4 a lot better.

As seen in promotional images for Ms. Marvel, instead of literally changing the size of her body parts, Kamala will rely on energy, with a purple energy glow appearing around the parts she wants to increase. Of course, this will change her origin from the comics, but as strange as this change might seem, it fits the MCU mostly because there’s one big character coming up who has very similar powers: Reed Richards a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. Thanks to the Disney/Fox merge, the MCU will welcome the Fantastic Four in the near future, and Mister Fantastic needs to be a big deal and seem more unique. Kamala using energy instead of literally elongating her body also fits better with the other Marvels – Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau (Teyona Parris) – whose powers are also based on energy.

These modifications, while big, won’t change the importance and impact of Kamala Khan, and will actually help her stand out when the Fantastic Four make their arrival and when she joins forces with Captain Marvel and Rambeau. This isn’t the first time the MCU makes adjustments to its characters, their powers, and backstories to better fit its narrative and grounded style, and there are many details about Ms. Marvel that remain secret, so there’s a lot to learn about this adaptation and how these changes will fit with the rest of the MCU.