The Marvels' Mistake with Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel: A Closer Look
An analysis of the continuity mistake related to Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel in The Marvels and the implications for the character's powers and heritage.
Introduction
Before her role in Captain Marvel 2, Vellani debuted as Ms. Marvel when the character's TV series premiered on Disney Plus on June 8, 2022.
Vellani received praise for her performance as the titular character -- a teenage superheroine from New Jersey. Ms. Marvel, whose real name is Kamala Khan, is an intelligent Pakistani-American geek who enjoys video games, loves hanging out with her friends, and revels in writing Avengers fan fiction. She's a typical teenager at first look but with superhuman abilities.
However, fans were confused after The Marvels mislabeled Ms. Marvel's powers and heritage. On Reddit, one fan shared The Marvels screenshots of Kamala's profile from SABER. The young superhero's heritage was marked 'Inhuman,' and she was also classified as a 'polymorph.' This raised several eyebrows because the Ms. Marvel series identified her as a mutant and changed her powers.
Twitter article posted by Monkey D. Hernandy
The Controversy
Fans have mixed reactions, with some pointing out the mistake, others not caring about the discrepancy, and a number defending Marvel.
One pointed out the inconsistencies in Ms. Marvel and the critically panned Secret Invasion. A different user suggested that the information appeared to be copied from a Marvel Wiki entry or other fan sites.
Meanwhile, one Reddit user wrote, 'Be mutant, like you clearly hinted in the show, or be an Inhuman, like in the comics. I don't really care. Just commit.' Another explained that Ms. Marvel was 'supposed' to be a mutant in the comics, and it was the creators' intent. However, Marvel Studios did not have the screen rights to mutant movies, so they pushed for new superheroes with 'genetic powers' and called them Inhuman.
Implications and Changes
Fans were probably right about the mistake in Ms. Marvel's heritage. Tagging her as 'Inhuman' suggests that she's not human in nature or character. However, in reality, she's just a human with a mutation. Kamala, a.k.a Ms. Marvel, is the first confirmed mutant in the MCU.
As for her changing power, it's right that she's a polymorph because, in the comics, she can shapeshift and change her appearance and extend her limbs like how Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic stretches his body. However, perhaps to make her fit in for The Marvels, the Ms. Marvel series opted to make drastic changes in her power, giving her the new hard light abilities, which not only makes her more powerful but also sets her collision course with Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Photon.
