The newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t even here yet, but fans are split on Ms. Marvel just before she makes her Disney Plus debut.
The series stars an in-universe superhero fangirl who idolises Captain Marvel and the other Avengers. MCU fans, however, are torn on the series, with threads popping up discussing its importance to the greater universe and whether they should feel bad for not having interest in it.
Sparked by a post on the Marvel Studios subreddit, a fan wrote a massive essay about why they were skipping the Ms. Marvel series. For them, it was fine to skip a series targeting what they believed was a different demographic. There might have been a bit of main character syndrome afoot, but this is the internet.
The post does definitely make some strong points, and most importantly is that Kamala Khan is an important hero, with her Pakistani heritage crucial. There’s been a lack of women of colour in superhero roles, let alone Muslim teenage women.
The comments to the essay are all over the shop, but there’s definitely a lot of love and hype for Ms. Marvel from those who otherwise had never heard of the character.
Others have been quick to debunk the idea that Kamala Khan is unimportant to the Marvel mythology, with the seminal G. Willow Wilson run reinventing the character and becoming a New York Times Bestseller.
The idea that not everything is made precisely for you is a sentiment echoed throughout the comments, with a clever retort to it coming by referencing Moon Knight.
There’s a sad reality that the most “controversial” films and TV series in the Marvel canon are all about minorities or women. One has to wonder if fans really are that accepting of diversity and the concept of multicultural storytelling. Why does Black Panther and Captain Marvel get so many fans up in arms — especially after their success with the broader public?
The first impressions with audiences will be landing soon; Ms. Marvel is set to debut on Disney Plus on June 8.
