All of the best quotes from season one of ‘Ms. Marvel’

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for season one of Ms. Marvel.

If Marvel fans learned anything on June 8, 2022, it’s that Kamala Khan is here and she’s here to stay.

Ms. Marvel’s arrival on Disney Plus was met with universal acclaim from critics and fans alike, instantly cementing the title character as a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is Kamala funny, rebellious, and relatable in all the right ways, but her youthful energy and love for all things Marvel has resonated with fans everywhere, many of whom are deeming the show Marvel’s best small-screen offering yet.

Despite some minor issues with the show’s CGI, fans are largely praising Ms. Marvel for its colorful storytelling, exciting MCU tie-ins, and long-awaited focus on Muslim representation. Equally impossible to miss throughout the first season is the witty, often hilarious dialogue spoken back and forth between Kamala, her best friend Bruno, and the members of her family. While earlier episodes feature an abundance of blink-and-you-miss-them exchanges that are played for laughs, quotes from later episodes reveal thought-provoking concepts with deep ties to Kamala’s history and destiny as a burgeoning superhero.

Here, in episodic order, are the most marvelous quotes from season one of Ms. Marvel.

“Do I have to figure out my whole future before lunch, or is there, like…?” ⏤ Kamala (episode one)

With the comic delivery of a one Hailee Steinfeld, Kamala asks her guidance counselor Mr. Wilson how much time she has to get her life together now that everyone, including him, is telling her that she has to start thinking more seriously about her future. Tossing out words like “college admissions,” “SATs,” and “applications,” Mr. Wilson encourages Kamala to stop living in a fantasy and “join reality.” Even though his heart is in the right place ⏤ and who doesn’t love a Mulan recitation? ⏤ it’s clear that Mr. Wilson is yet another parental figure in Kamala’s life who is trying to steer her in the “right” direction despite it not being the one she wants to go in. His attempt to show his support reinforces the world that Kamala lives in, namely one in which dreams are bad and conformity is good, suggesting that the rest of season one will find Kamala actively not conforming to what society expects of her in the name of following her heart instead.

“And let’s be honest, it’s not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world.” ⏤ Kamala (episode one)

Marvel provides another setup line here to show us where Kamala begins her adventure to juxtapose where she’s ultimately going to go over the course of season one. We know from the show’s title that Kamala is going to become a superhero, but in this moment, on the roof with Bruno, she doubts her ability to do anything special with her life. She acknowledges that wanting to dress up as Captain Marvel for AvengerCon is stupid, especially in the eyes of her parents, and that she’s not the first person the masses would think of when they hear the word “hero.” Naturally, Marvel also uses this line to highlight exactly what it’s doing with Ms. Marvel in the first place: giving the Muslim community its very own hero to root for, one who is long overdue and could very well become one of the best and most popular heroes in the entire MCU. This line illustrates the odds stacked against Kamala and leads us to a follow-up quote that packs a similar punch.

“You’re Kamala Khan. You wanna save the world, then you’re gonna save the world.” ⏤ Bruno (episode one)

Listen, we know we’re not supposed to talk about Bruno, but let’s be real ⏤ we’re gonna talk about this one. In Kamala’s moment of weakness, bestie Bruno doesn’t miss a beat. He tells her exactly who she is and what she’s capable of, proving that he’s the best pal anyone could ever ask for (and definitely interested in being more than just friends with his number one gal pal). Not only does Bruno boost Kamala when she’s at her lowest of lows, but he follows it up by presenting her with a pair of Photon gloves he designed for her to wear with her Captain Marvel costume at AvengerCon. In a single line, Bruno Carrelli proves that he’s one of the most supportive people in Kamala’s life and the kind of best friend she’s going to need as she transitions from ordinary teenager to super-powered hero. (Also, if anyone wants to make #Brumala a thing, we’ll allow it.)

“Cosmic.” ⏤ Kamala (episode one)

While marveling at her glowing hand, dazzled by her newfound powers, Kamala answers her mother’s question about whether she’d like to be “good” or a “cosmic head-in-the-clouds person” with a single word: “Cosmic.” She decides that she’d rather keep her head in the clouds and pursue her new powers (who wouldn’t?!) instead of blindly becoming who and what the rest of the world expects her to be. Her go-to adjective, which she uses several times throughout the first episode, is appropriate given her love for Captain Marvel and fresh acquisition of otherworldly powers, but when used in the context of this scene, it also sets up her character arc for the rest of the season, all but guaranteeing that Kamala will be embracing a new life that could very well take her beyond the bounds of her Earthly existence.

“I’m a Djinn.” “And tonic?” ⏤ Kamala and Bruno (episode three)

In one of the best exchanges of the season, Kamala reveals to Bruno what she really is ⏤ a Djinn, according to the mysterious Najma ⏤ which completely confuses her lovable sidekick. He thinks she’s said “gin” and understandably replies, “And tonic?” not knowing what to make of her assertion. Bruno’s comic delivery ⏤ complete with spot-on earnestness and confusion ⏤ perfectly encapsulates the confounding circumstance. Kamala has already shown him that she’s a newly-powered being, but a Djinn? Just like us, Bruno has no idea what to make of this news, and since it’s not every day that one finds out their best friend is the modern-day equivalent of a genie, it’s a game-changing moment for both of them. Only time will reveal that Kamala is actually so much more than just a Djinn, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

“Good is not a thing you are, Kamala. It is a thing you do.” ⏤ Sheikh Abdullah (episode three)

Episode three finds Kamala struggling to convince the masses that her superhero alter ego is good and not evil, as well as whether or not to tell her family about her newfound powers and superheroic calling. While sitting outside of a celebration for her brother and future sister-in-law, Kamala asks her sheikh what he thinks about their new “masked neighbor.” Sheikh Abdullah reminds her that the mysterious hero saved the boy who was about to fall from a high-up minaret in episode two, prompting Kamala to ask him how the hero can prove to everyone that she’s good. The sheikh replies by saying what can essentially be taken as the theme of the series up to this point: “Good is not a thing you are, Kamala. It is a thing you do.” Kamala then unboxes a gift that Bruno brought by earlier ⏤ a blue mask with gold markings made especially for her ⏤ her smile thereafter all but confirming that she will attempt to do good in her life instead of trying to prove that she’s good, a distinction that will hopefully show onlookers and members of the Muslim community that Night Light ⏤ ahem, the soon-to-be-named Ms. Marvel ⏤ is a positive influence in their lives and the very hero Jersey City needs.

“But then, if you have lived like I have, lost what I have, you learn to find beauty in the pieces.” ⏤ Sana (episode four)

After traveling all the way to Karachi, Pakistan, at the behest of her grandmother, Kamala finally gets some actual face time with her, a refreshing alternative to the FaceTiming she’s had to resort to in prior episodes. Once inside her grandmother’s house, Kamala sees firsthand how similar the two of them are. They’re both artists, dreamers, and inexplicably linked to the bangle Kamala now wears, not to mention the vision of the oncoming train that both of them keep seeing. As Kamala tries to piece together why they’re both seeing the mysterious train, she admits that she’s having a difficult time doing so and is, in fact, making a complete mess of things. Her grandmother then acknowledges that there is beauty to be found in the mess, that the puzzle might not be complete yet, but that’s exactly why she wanted Kamala to come to Karachi in the first place ⏤ so they could solve it together. These wise words, spoken by a wise woman, serve as a reminder that Kamala is exactly where she needs to be and that what sets her apart from the rest of the world might not be as bad as she thinks it is. It’s also a reminder that her family is here to help her every step of the way, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

“What you seek is seeking you.” ⏤ Hasan and Aisha (episode five)

In episode four, we learn that Kamala’s bangle bears a curious inscription ⏤ “What you seek is seeking you” ⏤ as translated by Waleed, the leader of the Red Daggers. While Waleed does not know the exact significance of the words, he does express to Kamala that they “must have been important to someone,” hence why they were inscribed on the artifact in the first place. We learn who that someone is in episode five, and as it turns out, it’s actually two someones. The words are first spoken by Kamala’s great-grandfather, Hasan, to her great-grandmother, Aisha, while quoting his favorite poem to her on the night that they first met. The quote soon becomes a through-line of their story, appearing again when Aisha tells Hasan that they must flee India with their daughter Sana and once more after Najma stabs Aisha at the train station.

When Aisha speaks them on the brink of death, they awaken the bangle and transport a present-day Kamala back to the past to the exact moment in time she’s been seeing in her visions. Kamala then realizes that it is she who saves young Sana, thus bringing the prophecy she’s been hearing about from her grandmother full circle. This quote, a family legacy that began with Hasan and Aisha, proves that Kamala’s destiny is not just something that’s been passed down from her ancestors ⏤ it’s been inside her all along just waiting for her to find it. Now that she has, nothing in her life or the lives of her family members will ever be the same.

“You sure are, and always have been, our own little Ms. Marvel.” ⏤ Yusuf to Kamala (episode six)

After saving her friends from the clutches of the DODC and receiving a new suit compliments of her mother, Kamala has a meaningful conversation with her father on the roof of their house. While reflecting on Kamala’s superheroic adventures of late, Yusuf asks her if she knows the origin of her name, to which Kamala shakes her head. Yusuf explains that he and Muneeba had tried for ages to have a second child after the birth of Aamir, but to no avail. He then describes how when Kamala was finally born, she was “perfect,” prompting them to name her Kamala since “Kamal” means “perfect” in Arabic. In Urdu, however, her name means something else: “Wonder. Marvel. Kamal means Marvel.” “I share the same name as Carol frickin’ Danvers?” a startled Kamala asks, to which Yusuf replies, “I don’t know who that is.” This is when Yusuf drives home the fact that Kamala has always been their own little “Ms. Marvel,” cementing the superhero name Kamala will now go by.

It would be one thing to assume that this quote only exists to bring Kamala’s origin story full circle. How convenient, after all, that her name has deep ties to the moniker she will now assume. But there’s more happening here that gives the moment even deeper meaning. Kamala’s story has always been intimately linked to her family, from her grandmother’s gift of the bangle unlocking her powers to her mother going with her to Karachi so Kamala could solve the mystery of her great-grandmother (and, you know, Kamala’s casual time-travel moment that helped her save her own grandmother during the Partition). It makes complete sense, then, that her new outfit would be gifted by her mother ⏤ inspired by Kamala’s broken necklace, which Muneeba found in Karachi ⏤ and that her destined namesake would be revealed by her father, who has always been a strong supporter of his daughter despite her rebellious nature. These moments illustrate that Kamala’s family has been at the core of her journey and that they love her exactly as she is, both as a normal girl and a super-powered hero.

“Kamala, there’s something different in your genes. Like…like a mutation.” ⏤ Bruno (episode six)

It was the scream heard ’round the world when Bruno uttered these words in the season one finale. Earlier in the season, he’d told Kamala that the bangle had unlocked the superhuman part of her, prompting Kamala to ask him if she was related to Thor. What neither of them knew was that while she isn’t related to Thor (as far as we know), Kamala does have ties to another batch of powerful Marvel characters. As Bruno explains, he went back to his study of Kamala’s genetic makeup after Aamir kept asking whether or not he might inherit superpowers, too. Upon closer examination, Bruno found that Kamala’s genetic makeup is different from that of her family’s. “There’s something different in your genes,” he tells her. “Like…like a mutation.” It’s at this moment that a familiar theme plays, namely the opening notes of the X-Men: The Animated Series theme song.

This was exactly the kind of moment that fans had spent all of season one waiting for. In addition to her comic book origin story being altered for Kamala’s small-screen adaptation, it’s confirmed in one fell swoop that she is not an Inhuman as some fans had predicted, but rather a mutant in the vein of Charles Xavier and Wolverine. The appearance of the spine-tingling theme song promises that not only are mutants are headed to the MCU, but there’s a very good chance that Kamala is one of them. It’s a curveball moment to be sure, especially since Kamala only recently discovered that she’s a Djinn, and one that beckons the dawn of a new era in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Honorable mentions

Naturally, season one of Kamala Khan’s origin story gifted us a plethora of quotes worthy of recognition for making us laugh, think, and quite simply marvel at the MCU’s beloved new hero. In addition to the quotes above, we present to you some of the other quotable moments from the six-episode run that didn’t quite make the shortlist, but were enjoyable nonetheless.

• “Sometimes, someone can come out of nowhere and do something amazing.” ⏤ Kamala (episode one)
• “Bismallah.” “Bless you.” ⏤ Kamala and her driving instructor (episode one)
• “This is my fault. This is all my fault. These are my genetics. I mean, I come from a long line of fantasizing, unrealistic daydreamers. My mother was one.” ⏤ Muneeba (episode one)
• “You do trust me, right?” “No, I don’t trust you.” “Of course she does.” “No, I don’t.” ⏤ Kamala and her parents (episode one)
• “Dream bigger, Bruno!” ⏤ Kamala to Bruno (episode one)
• “Who do you want to be in this world, huh? Do you want to be good, like we raised you to be, or do you want to be some, you know, this cosmic head-in-the-clouds person?” ⏤ Muneeba (episode one)
• “I saved you.” “Only because you almost killed me first.” ⏤ Kamala and Bruno (episode two)
• “No Snapchatting in the masjid!” ⏤ Female parishioner (episode two)
• “We spent six weeks on ancient Rome and ancient Greece but six minutes on ancient Persia and Byzantium. History, written by the oppressors. That’s all I’m gonna say.” ⏤ Nakia (episode two)
• “You know that part in the movie where someone comes in to the main character and they say, ‘You’re going to be a Jedi?’ Or, ‘You want to answer phones of a demanding but impossibly chic magazine editor?’ Well, that’s this moment. That is happening to you right now. You’re the lead character. I’m Meryl Streep.” ⏤ Mr. Wilson to Bruno (episode two)
• “Who taught you to drive? Bowser?” ⏤ Kamran to Kamala (episode two)
• “That’s why we moved to America, right? So that our children could be anything that they wanted to be, yeah?” “Almost anything.” ⏤ Yusuf and Muneeba (episode two)
• “Yo! It’s Night Light!” ⏤ Male civilian (episode two)
• “You are brave, my son. Because you have chosen family. Mashallah. And the man who chooses family is never alone.” ⏤ Yusuf to Aamir (episode three)
• “Absolutely not.” ⏤ Female kitchen worker, upon seeing an incoming thug punch a coworker (episode three)
• “I share the same name as Carol frickin’ Danvers?” “I don’t know who that is.” ⏤ Kamala and Yusuf (episode six)
• “Get in losers, we’re getting shawarma.” ⏤ Nakia (episode six)
• “Oh no, no, no…” ⏤ Captain Marvel (episode six mid-credits scene)

You can catch all six episodes of Ms. Marvel season one now on Disney Plus.