Disney+'s Ms. Marvel series got its turn in the spotlight at Disney+ Day. The show's appearance in a Marvel Studios Sizzle Reel offered a brief look at Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan in action for the first time.
In addition to announcing a new release window for the series, Ms. Marvel's appearance at Disney+ Day confirmed what leaks hinted at: Kamala's powers have changed. Kamala's fans shouldn't despair, though. Not everything has changed in the transition from the comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One of Kamala's defining characteristics is that she's a superhero fangirl. She retained her enthusiasm for superheroes when she became one herself. While she's a fan of everyone from Wolverine to the Avengers, her clear favorite is Carol Danvers. She took her codename and inspiration for her costume from Danvers' first superhero identity.
Kamala's Danvers fandom runs so deep that the vision of Danvers as Captain Marvel speaks to her after she's exposed to the Terrigen Mists that gave her her powers. Flush with teenage angst after a disastrous appearance at a party, Kamala confesses that she wants to be Danvers, but in her "politically incorrect" Ms. Marvel costume.
When Kamala emerges from her Terrigen cocoon, her wish has been granted. She looks just like Danvers in her Dave Cockrum-designed Ms. Marvel costume, complete with the wedge heels Kamala was particularly enthusiastic about (which led the vision of Danvers to comment that she had "some kind of weird boot fetish").
Kamala learns that becoming her hero isn't all it's cracked up to be. The old Ms. Marvel costume winds up being impractical in addition to problematic, with its boots pinching her feet and the leotard giving her a wedgie. Danvers long, flowing hair just gets in her face. Instead of finding liberation in taking on her hero's identity, it exhausts her.
Kamala abandoned her Danvers cosplay after an attempt at foiling a convenience store robbery gone wrong. Shapeshifting from Danvers Captain Marvel costume back to her street clothes, Kamala realized she had a healing factor. It only worked when she was in her "regular form." Understanding the limits of her powers, Kamala created a costume instead of shapeshifting into a clone of her hero. It paid homage to the classic Ms. Marvel suit while representing who Kamala is.
The Disney+ incarnation of Kamala pays homage to her comic book emulation of Danvers by having her wear an MCU Captain Marvel costume in the trailer. Given that she's enveloped in energy in one of the images, she might be wearing the costume when she gains her powers. She's seen wearing the costume multiple times in the trailer, even sporting a plastic version of the helmet Danvers wears. Given that images of Kamala's MCU costume have leaked, it's easy to infer that she'll follow the same path as her comic book counterpart and eventually graduate to her own costume.
Kamala's powers and origin changing may take some getting used to fans of her comic book adventures. Marvel wanting to eliminate her ties to the Inhumans makes perfect sense. It will be tough to accept that she may not use the word embiggen (especially since Disney owns The Simpsons). Her admiration and emulation of Danvers will clearly remain in the MCU, leading to their team-up with Monica Rambeau in The Marvels. While the details may change, it's encouraging that Kamala's core character remains the same, including her fandom.