One cannot speak about Kamala Khan without considering the cultural clashes that result from her belonging to the socalled second generation of immigrants. As important as your admiration for them Captain MiracleWhat drives her to dream of being a heroine lies in the duality of being born and raised in the United States while maintaining quintessentially Pakistani habits and customs, one of her great charms as a character. It is the particular materialization of his dilemma of belonging as well as the source of the richness of his universe.
The first episode of MS. Wonder was not afraid to emphasize the importance of his family for the story of its creation. But while it’s counterintuitive given its title, it’s “The Crush” that spearheads the charismatic protagonist Iman Vellani into a deeper exploration of his lineage and of course his newfound powers.
After the incident at VingaCon, Kamala doesn’t even look like the shy teenager who could barely face Zoe (Laurel Marsden) in her eyes when she met her old friend in the school hallway. Now she walks with the confidence of someone who knows (or thinks) that nothing and no one can stop her. It’s true that in the spotlight, it’s annoying to focus on the popular girl while she, the heroine, isn’t given credit for saving the day. But even the absence of another boom doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm for exploring his newfound abilities. Also because everything is reason for them to see themselves as one of the Avengers. The discovery that her bracelet does not give her powers but awakens her is enough for her to ask Bruno (Matt Linz) if that means it’s an Asgardian. Her young face is a clue to her that like Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), could communicate with ants but let’s be clear: no, it can’t.
As Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in SpiderMan: Homecoming, Kamala still doesn’t understand that with great power comes great responsibility, ignoring that she herself caused the mess she rescued Zoe from. She is therefore caught off guard when FBI agents pursue her with drones after a crooked attempt to rescue a boy who took a risk in the name of a selfie. However, she has been under investigation ever since her video at VingaCon landed on social media. No one knows his name or where he came from, but his strength points to a danger for the cunning agent Cleary (Arian Moayed), the same one who made life difficult for Peter No homecomingand his team goes after the girl.
But until fear takes over the protagonist, she has fun interrupting her training with Bruno very carefully, unlike Freddy’s (Jack Dylan Grazer) in Shazam! — having deep conversations and trips to the mosque with her friend Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher). More than the revelation of the crush that gives the episode its name, the heart of this week’s story comes from these real exchanges between the teenagers who, each in their own way, reconcile the two cultures to which they belong.
Encouraging Nakia to run for a seat on the Mosque Council and Kamala’s own comment on the distance that exists between women and men during the sermon are just two examples of how the episode carefully and lovingly explores the clash between tradition and novelty illustrated. But let’s face it, nothing beats the touching conversation the two have in the bathroom about their struggles with belonging. This is because while it’s so specific to the Friends experience, it doesn’t preclude identifying who is in front of the TV. Ultimately, the conversation is also about a familiar feeling for everyone, teenagers or not.
(By the way, here’s a parenthesis: these scenes look so ordinary on screen that the viewer realizes just how unusual this driving is. After all, the setting of the mosque and the Muslim religion are a long way off from Ms. Marvel capturing this portrait with such sweetness makes is by far a milestone in the recent history of MCU. It’s practically a service that not only signals the importance of representation, but in a way enlightens the public).
THE SUCH OF THE CRUSH
The Introduction of Kamran (Rish Shah) also works with this button. Aside from catching the girls’ eyes, the new student shares very similar (and less obvious) tastes with Kamala. In other words, forget the Avengers! These two discuss at length the best directors in Bollywood, which Bruno immediately rules out and, of course, ushering in the classic teen production triangle.
However, Kamran has more than charm. As the episode’s ending makes clear, her approach is thanks to her mother, someone Kamala has only seen in rather frightening visions. It’s not clear why she’s interested in the rookie heroine, but everything points to her having a relationship with Aisha, the protagonist’s greatgrandmother. Finally, along with all the fun, The Crush really hits the nail on the head that the mysterious veteran is a non grata in the Khan family, and the bracelet that brought Kamala on this journey certainly has something to do with that.
There is no doubt that some answers will come in the next episode as Kamran and his mother are the ones who save Kamala from FBI pursuit. There is one road trip that will be interesting to follow. Also because it will be difficult to take your eyes off it if the series continues in this direction.
MS. Marvel airs on Wednesdays at Disney+.