Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)
Kamala made her first appearance in a background cameo in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013), before appearing in the anthology All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1 (January 2014) and starring in the solo series Ms. Marvel from February 2014 to March 2019, in a second solo series, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel, from October 2019 to May 2021, and in three Ms. Marvel limited series from November 2019 to January 2023. From 2016 to 2021, the character played a supporting role in the team series Champions and Secret Warriors; Kamala was also the focus of the 2020 event series "Outlawed" after being rendered comatose and made the face of "Kamala's Law", a vigilante minimum age law. An alternate future widowed version of the character named Kamala Carrelli, known by the vigilante name Khan, appears as a main character in the team series Exiles, published from April 2018 to March 2019. Following her solo series' conclusion, Kamala became a reoccurring character in The Amazing Spider-Man (2022), culminating with her death in issue #26 of that series in May 2023. She was then resurrected in the July 2023 X-Men Hellfire Gala storyline where it was revealed that she was an Inhuman/mutant hybrid, synergetic with her MCU adaptation. From 2023 to 2024, Kamala's mutant status was explored in two limited series and the main ongoing X-Men series. Starting in July 2024, Kamala headlined in the second volume of NYX with other young mutants as they adapt to life in New York City in the post-Krakoan Age.
Marvel's announcement that a Muslim character would headline a comic book attracted widespread attention, with The New York Times Best Seller Ms. Marvel: No Normal winning the 2015 Hugo Award for best graphic story. The character and her solo series have received an overwhelmingly positive critical reception, with strong sales for her solo series. However, her 2019 and 2023 deaths in Champions and The Amazing Spider-Man, respectively, have been criticized as fridging.
Iman Vellani plays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) miniseries Ms. Marvel, the attraction Avengers: Quantum Encounter (both 2022), the film The Marvels (2023), and the upcoming animated series Marvel Zombies; unlike the comic books, Kamala is reimagined as a latent mutant who uses a magical bangle to create glowing constructs out of hard light. From 2016 to 2019, the character was voiced by Kathreen Khavari in animated series such as Avengers Assemble, Marvel Rising, and Spider-Man. She was voiced by Sandra Saad in the video game Marvel's Avengers (2020) and the animated series Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021).
Overview
Creative origins
Marvel Comics announced in November 2013 that Kamala Khan, a teenage American Muslim from Jersey City, New Jersey, would take over the comic-book series Ms. Marvel in February 2014. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona, marked the first time a Muslim character headlined a Marvel Comics book. Noelene Clark of the Los Angeles Times noted that Kamala is not the first Muslim character in comic books; other Muslim characters include Simon Baz, Dust and M. The character was conceived during a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. Amanat said, "I was telling him [Wacker] some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim American. He found it hilarious". They then told Wilson about the concept, and Wilson was eager to join it. Amanat said that the series came from a "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective".
Artist Jamie McKelvie based Kamala's costume on his redesign of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and on Dave Cockrum's design of the original Ms. Marvel. Amanat asked that the design "reflect the Captain Marvel legacy, and also her story and her background", and said that Kamala's costume was influenced by the shalwar kameez. They wanted the costume to represent her cultural identity but did not want her to wear a hijab, because most teenage Pakistani-American girls do not wear one. Amanat said that they wanted her to look "less like a sex siren" to appeal to a broader female readership.
Marvel wanted a young Muslim girl, saying that she could be from anywhere and have any background. Wilson initially considered making her an Arab girl from Dearborn, Michigan or a Somali American with the comic set in Seattle, but ultimately made Kamala a Desi girl from Jersey City. Jersey City, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has been called New York City's "sixth borough". The city is an important part of Kamala's identity and the narrative, since most Marvel Comics stories are set in Manhattan. Wilson said, "A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is being a 'second string hero' in the 'second string city' and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person".
The series explores Kamala's conflicts with supervillains and her domestic and religious duties. Wilson, a convert to Islam, said: "This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith ... Her brother is extremely conservative, her mom is paranoid that she's going to touch a boy and get pregnant, and her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor". Amanat said,
As much as Islam is a part of Kamala's identity, this book isn't preaching about religion or the Islamic faith in particular. It's about what happens when you struggle with the labels imposed on you, and how that forms your sense of self. It's a struggle we've all faced in one form or another, and isn't just particular to Kamala because she's Muslim. Her religion is just one aspect of the many ways she defines herself.
Powers and abilities
Kamala develops her superpowers after Marvel's Infinity storyline, when the Terrigen Mists are released. Her dormant Inhuman abilities are activated by the mists on a rare night when she rebelliously decides to sneak out after her parents forbid her from attending a school party. Amanat said in 2022 that when she and Wilson were creating Kamala, the character was originally going to be a mutant before they changed her to an Inhuman. Screen Rant noted that Kamala is a "polymorph", with moves which "are basically Ant-Man and Mister Fantastic's combined". According to academic Sarah Gibbons, Kamala's body-morphing is paralleled by the flexibility required of the characters who live in Jersey City; her unusual, superpowered body shape conveys a non-conforming message.
Her best-known power is elongation, which allows her to extend her limbs, torso, or neck great distances. Kamala's other powers include the ability to alter her size, shrinking and enlarging herself. When she enlarges, she can lift up to 75 tons. Kamala has also used this ability to make her body as thin as paper. She has a healing factor (capable of healing bullet wounds), which works when she is not using her polymorph abilities. If Kamala extensively heals, however, she becomes very tired. She can shapeshift into other people and inanimate objects, although she rarely uses this power.
Asked about Kamala's transition from comic book to live action in 2019, Wilson said: "I think there're some characters who are very much set up for the big screen; they're very naturally sort of cinematic. But with Ms. Marvel, we really weren't interested in creating something that had very obvious film potential [...] She's got very comic booky powers. God bless them trying to bring that to live action; I don't know how that's going to work out in a way that doesn't look really creepy". Kamala's comic-book powers are reinterpreted for the live-action version of the character which debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2022. This iteration has "the ability to create and manipulate a kind of purple 'hard-light' (think Green Lantern, or Symmetra from Overwatch)". In the series finale of Ms. Marvel, "No Normal", it is revealed that Kamala Khan has a genetic mutation. Iman Vellani then confirmed that Kamala was the first mutant in the MCU.
Kamala is later revealed to have both Inhuman and mutant heritage during the X-Men Krakoan Age storyline in the comics, with Charles Xavier believing that Kamala having her Inhuman powers activating first may have suppressed her mutant powers. Xavier noted that unlike other mutants, Kamala was able to make contact with Terrigen Mist without suffering any ill effects. She will "retain her original stretchy embiggening powers that were established via her Inhuman heritage". When Kamala's body begins to disintegrate due to being resurrected without properly undergoing Terrigenesis, Kamala undergoes the process again to stabilize herself but this poses the risk of never awakening her mutation. An Orchis scientist reanimates Kamala's original body as a zombie with her mutant powers activated – these powers are revealed to be purple hard light constructs which were first seen in the MCU iteration of the character.
Publication history
Volume one (2013–2015)
Kamala is the daughter of Yusuf and Muneeba Khan and the younger sister of Aamir Khan. She takes the name Ms. Marvel from Carol Danvers, who is now known as Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick said that Kamala made a brief appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013): "Kamala is in the background of a scene in Captain Marvel 14 ... She is very deliberately placed in a position where she sees Carol protecting civilians from Yon-Rogg". She has a second cameo appearance in Captain Marvel #17 (November 2013). According to co-creator G. Willow Wilson, Kamala idolizes Carol and emulates her when she acquires superhuman abilities: "Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for. She's strong, beautiful and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different'". "Khan is a big comic book fan and after she discovers her superhuman power – being a polymorph and able to lengthen her arms and legs and change her shape – she takes on the name of Ms. Marvel", Amanat said. Kamala initially appears in "Garden State of Mind" in the anthology All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1 (January 2014) before debuting in the solo series Ms. Marvel with the first issue released in February 2014. Kamala is one of several characters who discover that they have Inhuman heritage after the "Inhumanity" storyline, in which the Terrigen Mists are released worldwide and activate dormant Inhuman cells.
She opposes Inventor, a clone of Thomas Edison tainted with the DNA of Gregory Knox's pet cockatiel, in the series' first story arc. Wilson created the Inventor as Kamala's first archrival to mirror her complexity. She characterized the Inventor and the overall look of the opening story arc as "kooky and almost Miyazaki-esque at times" due to the style of illustrator Adrian Alphona, which balances the drama of the threats faced by Kamala with the humor of Alphona's "tongue in cheek sight gags". During the story line, Kamala also teams up with the X-Man Wolverine against the Inventor. Because Wolverine is dealing with the loss of his healing factor during this time, Kamala is placed in the position of having to shoulder much of the responsibilities since Wilson felt this was a role reversal that would subvert reader expectations that Wolverine would take the lead in such a team-up.
At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, writer Dan Slott announced that Kamala would join Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (October 2014) during the "Spider-Verse" storyline. Slott characterized Kamala as "the closest character to classic Peter Parker": "She's a teenage superhero, juggling her life, making mistakes, trying to do everything right".
Ms. Marvel tied into the "Secret Wars" crossover event with the "Last Days" storyline in June 2015, which details Kamala's account of the end of the Marvel Universe. Wilson said, "In the 'Last Days' story arc, Kamala has to grapple with the end of everything she knows, and discover what it means to be a hero when your whole world is on the line". Kamala rushes to deal with the threat in Manhattan and, according to Wilson, "She will face a very personal enemy as the chaos in Manhattan spills over into Jersey City, and she will be forced to make some very difficult choices. There will also be a very special guest appearance by a superhero Kamala—and the fans—have been waiting to meet for a long time".
Volume two (2015–2018)
Marvel announced in March 2015 that Kamala would join the Avengers in All-New All-Different Avengers FCBD (May 2015) by writer Mark Waid and artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar, which takes place in the aftermath of "Secret Wars", with Kamala personally facing off against enigmatic Asian American billionaire Mister Gryphon. A second volume of Ms. Marvel, starring Kamala, by Wilson, Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa also debuted after "Secret Wars" as part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative. Amanat said,
By the time this new launch comes around, it will have been almost two years since the premiere of Ms. Marvel—and boy, has Kamala Khan been through a lot since then. She's been slowly coming into her own, dealing with the challenges of navigating adulthood and being a super hero. But her training is over now and it's time for the big leagues; the question is can she handle it? ... As much as Kamala has a right to be there—it's still a bit of a culture shock. Dreaming of being an Avenger and then suddenly being one is a lot to take on for someone of her age. So, she'll be a little awestruck, a little overly ambitious.
In March 2016, Marvel announced with a promotional image illustrating a rift between Kamala and Danvers that Ms. Marvel would tie into the "Civil War II" storyline. Amanat said that this storyline would center "around self-discovery and identity, and a part of that exploration includes separating yourself from those you put on pedestals [...] It has to do with growing up and realizing that you perceive the world differently from even the ones you love". Academic Sandra Eckard wrote, "Kamala at first follows her mentor's lead until she realizes that she is not comfortable with putting people in jail for crimes they may commit. The idea of 'predictive justice' that Kamala fights against leads to a domino effect of her friends abandoning her and Captain Marvel dismissing her from duty in her group and friendship. Kamala, broken and hopeless, goes on a journey to find herself in Pakistan". According to Eckard, Kamala realizes in this journey that places cannot fix a person and problems within oneself "must be figured and sorted out by that person". The story arc introduces Kamala to Kareem, a family friend, and to a young Pakistani hero named Red Dagger. Kamala does not discover that Red Dagger is Kareem, and Kareem does not know Ms. Marvel's secret identity.
Marvel announced in July 2016 that Kamala would join the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes who leave the Avengers after the conclusion of "Civil War II". The team, featured in a series by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos, consists of Kamala, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Nova (Sam Alexander), Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Viv Vision, and a teenage version of Cyclops. Waid said, "The first three are the kids who quit the Avengers proper. That was an easy get. Those three, in and of themselves, form a nice little subteam. Their dynamic is great. They all show up in each other's books, and even though they have their arguments and stress points, clearly they're good together".
The following month, Kamala appeared in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 by writers Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare. She is a mentor to Moon Girl (Lunella Lafayette), a fellow young Inhuman who suddenly acquires her powers. Amanat said that Kamala sees much of herself in Lunella and, by teaching her, learns much about herself.
In November 2016, Marvel announced that Kamala would join a new incarnation of the Secret Warriors in a series by writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Javier Garron; it debuted in May 2017. The team is composed of "Inhumans who are a little outside traditional Inhuman culture", such as Quake, Karnak, Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur, and was formed in the wake of the "Inhumans vs X-Men" storyline. Rosenberg said that there is some conflict and friction amongst the team members: "Ms. Marvel and Quake are really fighting for the soul of the team in a lot of ways, while Moon Girl will continue to really do her own thing. They will all be tested and challenged, they are superheroes after all, but they are going to do things their way". The first five issues of the Secret Warriors series were tied to the Marvel Secret Empire crossover storyline.
Marvel announced in March 2017 that Kamala would join Carol Danvers in a one-shot issue of the limited anthology series, Generations by Wilson and Paolo Villanelle. Wilson said that the issue would explore Carol and Kamala's mentor–student relationship, but "at its heart, [it] is about growing up, and a big part of growing up is discovering that your idols have feet of clay – and forgiving them for their flaws as you gain an adult understanding of your own".
From April to August 2017, the Champions series was also involved in the Secret Empire storyline. In the final story arc of the second volume of Champions, Kamala survived Weirdworld with her teammates. In October of that year, Kareem returns to Ms. Marvel in issue #23 as an exchange student at Kamala's high school. In this story arc, Kamala (as Ms. Marvel) has her first kiss with Red Dagger.
Marvel Legacy relaunch
In December 2017, Ms. Marvel began the "Teenage Wasteland" story arc as part of the Marvel Legacy relaunch. Wilson said, "Since the events of 'Civil War II', there's been friction between Kamala and her mentor, Captain Marvel. In this arc, we're exploring how complicated legacies can be when they're passed from generation to generation ... She's questioning a lot about herself and her mission. Her friends end up stepping into some very important—and unexpected—roles. So in a sense, the arc is really about a bunch of chronically under-estimated teenagers who pull together to fight evil".
In January 2018, Secret Warriors was cancelled after twelve issues. Kamala continued to co-lead the Champions with Miles Morales, which relaunched with a third volume that month. According to IGN, "writer Jim Zub will be sticking around, and he'll be joined by new artist Stephen Cummings as the two explore what happens when Ms. Marvel takes the team global". In the third volume's first arc, Kamala and Viv Vision are killed in a battle against the supervillain Zzzax in Dubai, dying along with numerous civilians. As a result, Miles arranges for this to be undone by agreeing to the devil Mephisto's offer of a "cosmic do-over", turning back time second-by-second long enough for Miles and Amadeus Cho to restrain Zzzax. This is done at the cost of a bystander's life who Miles had originally saved from falling rubble – in this new timeline, the bystander dies instead of Kamala and Viv. Guilt-ridden, Miles eventually tells Kamala of her death and the cost of her revival, "breaking her heart" and ending their friendship, before leaving the team in issue #4. In July 2019, it was announced that Champions had been cancelled, with issue #10 in October serving as its last.
Ms. Marvel #31—the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel featuring Kamala—was published in June 2018. To mark the occasion, Marvel brought in additional collaborators for the issue: writers G. Willow Wilson, Saladin Ahmed, Rainbow Rowell, and Hasan Minhaj, and artists Nico Leon, Bob Quinn, Gustavo Duarte, and Elmo Bondoc.
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel (2019–2021)
Kamala headlined The Magnificent Ms. Marvel, a new series written by Saladin Ahmed and illustrated by Minkyu Jung, in March 2019. Wilson said that she had planned her departure from the series for over a year (originally anticipating that it would only last for ten issues) and was pleased at having written 60 issues. Ahmed said that the new series would have a broader scope, "while still maintaining that intimate tone that people have loved about it".
From April to September 2019, Kamala headlined the ongoing relaunch of Marvel Team-Up. The first three issues, written by Eve Ewing and illustrated by Joey Vazquez, focused on Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man. Issues 4–6, written by Clint McElroy and illustrated by Ig Guara, focused on Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel; the series was then cancelled.
Marvel announced in July 2020 that Kamala would star in a graphic novel, published in conjunction with Scholastic and aimed at younger readers. Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin, written by Nadia Shammas and illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, was published on September 7, 2021.
Kamala was a focus of the October 2020 one-shot Outlawed #1, which began the "Outlawed" storyline in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel series and the relaunched Champions series. The Champions protect a young climate activist, speaking at Coles Academic High School, who is targeted by the Roxxon Oil Company. As the fight between the Champions and Roxxon escalates, the school collapses. Kamala saves the activist, but is critically injured; the government passes the Underage Superhuman Welfare Act, which bans superhero activities for those under age twenty-one, as a result of the disaster. Although the act is renamed "Kamala's Law", the character's secret identity remains intact.
Champions #1 and The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #14 pick up six months later, as they deal with fallout from Kamala's Law. CBR reported that "without disclosing her true identity, Ms. Marvel rejects Kamala's Law and publicly vows to continue her superhero activities alongside the Champions regardless of her age [...] Kamala's message has quickly split the young superhero community. Several agree to continue their double lives as usual in open defiance of the controversial law, while others believe Kamala is in the wrong and they should leave superhero activity to the adults". During the "Outlawed" event, the Champions take responsibility for their actions and reveal that Roxxon is using its government contract to intern young individuals with superpowers in brutal reeducation camps. This cause Roxxon to lose its contract, and the government suspends enforcement of Kamala's Law.
After the "Outlawed" event, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel ended its run with issue #18 (the 75th issue of the Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel comics) in April 2021. Kamala continued to appear in the Champions series, which covered the repeal of Kamala's Law. The series was then cancelled, with its last issue October 2021.
Limited series (2021–2022)
Kamala next headlined a new limited series, Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit, written by Samira Ahmed and illustrated by Andrés Genolet. According to Entertainment Weekly, "Ms. Marvel comics have only been written by Muslim writers so far [...]. But Samira Ahmed will be the first South Asian female writer to write a Ms. Marvel series". Ahmed is known for her young-adult novels, and Beyond the Limit was her first comic series. It had five issues, from December 2021 to April 2022. Kamala is on a multiverse adventure after visiting her cousin, Razia, a scientist who specializes in "multiversal theory". The series included multiverse variants of Kamala. A trade paperback collection of the five issues was scheduled to be published in June 2022, reportedly coinciding with the premiere of the Ms. Marvel television miniseries.
Marvel released the one-shot Ms. Marvel: Bottled Up, written by Samira Ahmed and illustrated by Ramon Bachs, in May 2022 as part of Marvel Unlimited's digital Infinity Comics. Kamala and her friend, Nakia, confront the destroyer Mariikh at the American Museum of Natural History after the jinn is accidentally released. In June 2022, Marvel announced a new weekly Love Unlimited romance anthology series on Marvel Unlimited's Infinity Comics. The first story arc, "Ms. Marvel and Red Dagger", was written by Nadia Shammas and illustrated by Natacha Bustos. The first of the storyline's six parts was published on June 9 of that year, and focuses on Kamala and Kareem (the Red Dagger) who have kissed but not yet shared their secret identities.
In April 2022, Marvel announced that Kamala would headline a series of one-shots, Ms. Marvel: Fists of Justice, in which she joins three heroes: Wolverine, Moon Knight, and Venom. The first issue, written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Zé Carlos was released in August 2022. According to CBR, the series is "a jumping-on point for Ms. Marvel newcomers, as the new saga will lay the groundwork for the character's next era [...] The series of one-shots begins shortly after Khan makes her live-action debut in the new Disney+ Ms. Marvel series".