Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Ms. Marvel finale.
There goes easily one of the finest Marvel Studios TV series to date. Ms. Marvel reached its season finale today, wrapping up the first chapter of Kamala Khan’s MCU journey in style. Iman Vellani’s heroine had a great character arc across the show, with this last installment teeing her up to become a major player in the franchise in the future. But it has to be said that someone else had an even more transformative time of it this season. Namely, Kamala’s ammi, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff).
At the start of the series, Kamala and Muneeba had a mostly fractured relationship. Like many teenagers, of Pakistani heritage or otherwise, Kamala felt stifled by her parents’ strict rules, which led her to disobey them and sneak out to AvengerCon, thereby starting her secret life as a superhero in the process. Muneeba’s distaste for Night Light’s showboating heroics, which she felt dishonored her parents (whoever they might be), only enlarged — or embiggened — the divide between mother and daughter.
Thankfully, the two Khan women got to restrengthen their bond when they journeyed to Karachi together and Muneeba eventually learned the truth about her daughter’s alter ego and powers. Seeing Kamala in action, and finding out the truth about her family’s dark history, opened Muneeba’s eyes and the duo returned to Jersey on much surer footing. The finale goes even further, though, by delivering one of the most moving moments of the season, proving just how much Muneeba has grown.
When Kamala needs to disappear to save the day, Muneeba stops her… but only so she can reveal her new costume. In what feels like a modernization of the DC tradition of Martha Kent sewing Superman’s costume, Muneeba presents her beta with her iconic Ms. Marvel uniform, complete with lightning emblem that resembles Kamala’s broken necklace. It’s hard to imagine the Muneeba of episode one not only encouraging her daughter but helping her embrace her superhero side like this.
On top of her dad Yusuf being the one to inspire her Ms. Marvel moniker and brother Aamir aiding in the fight against the DoDC, episode six leaves Kamala with arguably the most supportive family unit in the whole MCU, offering a refreshing twist on tired teen hero tropes. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Muneeba and the Khan clan in the MCU.
