When Marvel first unveiled its 2019 New York Comic-Con Schedule, one of the most interesting bits was a hint at a mysterious “fan-favorite” playable character yet to be revealed for Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers. At the Marvel Games panel at Madison Square Garden today, the team revealed that fan-favorite character Kamala Khan, the malleable inhuman known as Ms. Marvel, is joining the roster of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The character, created in 2013 by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona, will play a large role in the game, not only as one of only six playable characters, but as the hero the game's plot centers around. A Pakistani American teen from Jersey City, she’s the perfect down-to-earth, relatable character to ground a story caught up in myths and heroes.
In the first trailer for Marvel’s Avengers, which debuted at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the character was teased, much like the first trailer for Sony’s PS4 Spider-Man Game teased Miles Morales. And though that game did feature Miles heavily in the story, he wasn’t playable as Spider-Man.
That’s not the case here, however, as Kamala is not just part of the game, she’s the main protagonist, the lens through which the player experiences the game’s story. While they're not totally clear on setting the game up, the trailers suggest that one day the Avengers fail, which leads to Captain America’s death and the team’s break-up. Five years later, Kamala finds the narrative’s inciting, as she discovers a secret, villainous AIM plot that kicks the team back into shape and into action.
Though she is initially seen wearing street clothes, Kamala eventually dons an incredibly comic-accurate costume, adorned with bright reds and blues and highlights of gold. And as fan know, after seeing so many comic book adaptations toning-down the bold color palettes of comics for adaptations, it’s rewarding to see such a faithful adaptation.
In a bit of a tease for the future, the team at Crystal Dynamics did confirm during an earlier gameplay session that Captain Marvel is still Kamala’s favorite hero. What that mean for the future of the story and the characters playable in the game, if anything, remains to be seen.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, Marvel's Avengers features Nolan North as Iron Man, Troy Baker as Bruce Banner, Laura Bailey as Black Widow, Jeff Schine as Captain America, Travis Willingham as Thor and Sandra Saad as Kamala Khan. The game is scheduled to be released on May 15, 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.