If you told my teenage self that I would see a brown Muslim girl superhero on TV one day, I would’ve laughed in disbelief. None of the X-Men comics I bought at the newsagents off Haldon St, Lakemba, had superheroes who looked remotely like me, let alone shared the same faith.
X-Men comics were my favourite. I had a special affinity for Rogue, who was a Southern belle with the ability to absorb the powers of anyone she touched. I could relate to feeling like an outsider, being the only Singaporean Malay girl in a class full of Arab students, in a new country that was, at the time, swimming in One Nation rhetoric. I wasn’t welcome, and comics gave me a safe place. On those glossy pages, even misfits could find a home and purpose. If Rogue found her people with fellow X-Men, then maybe I could too.
Enter Ms Marvel. Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American superhero who has been trending ever since her debut role as Ms Marvel on Disney+. She is marketed as Marvel’s first Muslim superhero. It’s so heartwarming to see a Pakistani Muslim family cast in such a positive light – Kamala has a loving and strict mother, a goofy father and an ultra-religious older brother with an incredible beard.
I could relate to feeling like an outsider
Kamala herself is funny, creative and prone to daydreams and has super awkward crushes on boys. Her friends are so wholesome: Nakia, her mixed-raced hijabi friend, shares an with her, Bruno is a supportive techy geek who is practically family and so respectful of Kamala’s family’s cultural and religious traditions.
Kamala is played by Iman Vellani, a Pakistani-Canadian Muslim teenager who is a real-life Marvel Cinematic Universe fan. With her vibrant on-screen presence, it’s hard to believe that this is her first acting role – an impressive debut by someone who found out about the Ms Marvel casting call after her aunty sent her a Whatsapp forward.
In another example of art imitating life, there were hilarious scenes in the episode like the different Muslim cliques at the Eid festival, the falling apart section of the women’s prayer room in the mosque, and even the mosque shoe stealer. It’s so validating to see Muslim characters being fully human instead of reduced to harmful stereotypes. I never, ever imagined reading a comic or watching it on TV with someone who could share the same faith as me – let alone a similar ADHD neurotype.
On the subject of ADHD, the series features animation that perfectly captures Kamala’s vivid imagination. It’s so cool to enjoy that added layer of storytelling. Even without the bonus of clever animation, my favourite part of watching Kamala on-screen is knowing that she is a brown girl who loves her faith and family. She isn’t held back because of them – her faith and family are her guiding posts in daily life.
She’s not rehashing that tired racist and Islamophobic trope of being an unhappy brown Muslim girl looking to her white saviours. When her rescues go well, she is the hero. And when she fails, she leans on her support networks.
Because she’s a teenager, she’s not opening up to her parents just yet, although the origin of Kamala’s powers is linked to her mysterious ancestry. I am all for reclaiming the narrative of powerful foremothers, and as the episodes unfold, we’re getting clues about that.
… my favourite part of watching Kamala on-screen is knowing that she is a brown girl who loves her faith and family
Despite my enthusiasm for Ms Marvel, I’m aware that all remakes come with creative licence, and it’s impossible to get exact representation. Kamala does not represent every single Muslim on this planet. What she does is be unapologetically herself – a Pakistani-American Muslim girl – while figuring out how to be a superhero.
Each episode is a vivid testimony to the fact that there has been so much at all stages of production. In the comics, Captain Marvel is a mentor for Ms Marvel, and in real life, Iman how Brie Larson was a mentor for her.
While fans like me and even Nobel laureate are excited about Ms Marvel, some online reviews have been . The demographics of negative reviewers are, interestingly, men under the age of 30. I wonder what it must feel like for them to finally not be the centre of a Marvel story.
I’m three episodes in and am loving the chance to watch the superhero, family and supernatural drama unfold from the comfort of my home. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I will say this – a good supernatural Muslim story will have something to do with . And Ms Marvel doesn’t disappoint.
