A Life Path of Ms. Marvel

If the new Ms. Marvel were comfortable in her own skin, she wouldn’t have gotten the powers that she did. Kamala Kahn is a normal young girl; except that she’s not normal- she’s the product of a Muslim family, a Pakistani heritage, and an American upbringing that shaped her to be a unique person. Her mother and father yearn for the ideal Muslim daughter, holding her to high expectations and expecting her to be a close follower of their religion. Those desires directly conflict with another pressure she faces; Kamala wants to be accepted by the social crowd that is quintessentially American. Her brother and her best friend have both embraced their religion wholeheartedly in an act of defiance against the aversion people seem to have towards their differences, but Kamala is trying to distance herself from it. Her family doesn’t understand her because she wants to fit in, her peers don’t accept her because she is different, and she is confused about who she is and who she should be to be. In her day-to-day life, Kamala feels pressure to play different roles in different settings to gain the acceptance she craves. This pressure to fit into contrasting molds becomes a part of her, and that is why she acquires the power to shift shapes.

Kamala’s family life and social life provide disparate definitions of normalcy. At home, normal means adhering to her religion and culture. She eats Indian foods and celebrates different holidays. She’s expected to dress modestly, refrain from alcohol and promiscuity, and attend meetings at the mosque. These things directly coincide with her desire to be an average American teenager. The object of Kamala’s interest in the first scene isn’t a boy- it’s an exemplary American food item that’s forbidden to her, a BLT. When Kamala asks permission to go to a party she’s told that it would be unsafe, and her father suggests that she should instead invite her friend over to do homework and watch movies. This is the norm for her father, who likely had a very conservative upbringing- but in Jersey City on a Friday night, it isn’t. Sneaking out gives her a liberated feeling, but it doesn’t last. Within moments of getting to the party, the white kids make her feel ashamed of her culture (whether it was intentional or thoughtless) through rude actions like tricking her into drinking alcohol and remarking that she “smells like curry.” She betrayed one part of her life, and still wasn’t accepted into the other. Here, she realizes it’s impossible to fit into both worlds at once.

Kamala wrestles her identify on a personal level, beyond the culture and the social rank that define her. The things that really set her apart make it even harder for her to chisel herself into someone else’s mold. Her mother and best friend don’t understand her interest in fan fiction and superheroes; Her friend even refers to it as her “sad nerd obsession.” Kamala also struggles to adhere to her religion when she sees flaws in it. She doesn’t wear a headscarf, and her and her friend are cynical toward the lecture at the mosque. When called out for talking, Kamala’s response is to note that the women are being forced to sit behind a partition, which interferes with their focus. More than a concern of her ability to pay attention, this is Kamala criticizing the legitimacy of a practice that arguably suppresses women. In one frame, her rain boots are shown, and they are patterned with puzzle pieces. While it’s a fleeting detail, it could be a nod to Kamala’s difficulty putting together her own puzzle.

In the article What Makes Muslim Ms. Marvel Awesome: She’s Just Like Everyone, Noah Berlatsky suggests that Kamala’s flexibility is strength. Changing shape, for her, isn’t about a lack of identity. Being able to morph and become whomever she wants doesn’t repeal who she is at the core. She doesn’t lose herself in the overwhelming ability to be anyone, even though at times she expressed a desire to be someone different. Instead, the power is her identity. In order to become the ultimate version of herself in one facet of her life, she’d need to forsake the others because of the way they directly clash. Shape shifting gives her the power to be a good Muslim daughter, a typical American teenager, and a superhero, all without the conflict that otherwise would occur. These things combined are what make up Kamala. Her powers are the master key to unlocking her character.

Kamala’s acquirement of shape shifting abilities stems from her need to regularly contort herself just to feel normal and accepted in different aspects of her daily life. Her family’s expectations of the perfect Muslim daughter, her peer’s expectations of a regular teen, and Kamala’s expectations of herself don’t mesh, which leads to her desire to be a different person altogether. Her powers give her the opportunity to be whole in a way that she couldn’t be before. She’s relatable in a fresh way, not just to Muslim teenagers but also to everyone who struggles to combine very different facets of their life into an identity for themselves. Her issues validate those who feel lost on their journey to the elusive “normal.” Kamala is the hero of all misfits. She shows that it is possible for the most splintered identity to become whole- superpowers or not.