The following contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel Episode 6, "No Normal," now streaming on Disney+.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ms. Marvel's Kamala Khan is officially a mutant. This likely threw comic book fans for a loop, as the character is traditionally an Inhuman. That concept was already seemingly thrown out before the series began, with the showrunners making it clear that her origins were being changed. This reflects the failure of the Inhumans as a property, both in the comics and their live-action show on ABC. But this new revelation also has major ramifications for some of Marvel's other properties, not just the Inhumans.
Captain Marvel is one of the more controversial MCU heroes introduced before Avengers: Endgame, with the same being said for the comics. Now, by being tied to the X-Men, her new sidekick will eclipse her in popularity, which could definitely end up impacting the hype for The Marvels. Here's how Ms. Marvel's mutant status helps embiggen her, but not her mentor.
Ms. Marvel Has No Real Connection to Carol Danvers
If Kamala Khan's connection to Carol Danvers was tenuous at best in the comics, that's even more the case in Ms. Marvel. She's not had any adventures with Captain Marvel; she's simply a huge fangirl for the heroine. This feels forced enough, as there's no real reason why the public should know that much about Carol, especially in comparison to other heroes like Captain America or Iron Man. Despite this, Kamala's initial costume is her Captain Marvel cosplay, even if she is clearly not Carol. The biggest point of connection between the two is the fact that the bangle that initially empowered Kamala was taken off of a severed blue arm, which fans speculated belonged to a member of the alien Kree species, to which Carol has genetic ties.
Likewise, Monica Rambeau has even less of a connection to Ms. Marvel, though that will change in The Marvels. That's a lot to try to handle in one movie, with the plot having to narratively connect three unrelated leading ladies and make it feel natural. More importantly, the revelation of Ms. Marvel being a mutant is both a blessing and a curse to Marvel. On one hand, it finally begins sowing the seeds of the mutants in the MCU, something that fans have wondered about ever since Disney acquired Fox. On the other hand, connecting Ms. Marvel to that franchise completely takes the wind out of The Marvels' sails.
Fans Are More Interested in Mutants Than The Marvels
The two big bombs that MCU fans have been waiting for Marvel Studios to drop are the X-Men and, to a lesser extent, the Fantastic Four. The X-Men have a lot of potential, with mutants sprouting up everywhere in the MCU sporadically being a cool way to organically establish their presence. Introducing mutants and the X-gene would also revitalize the stagnating shared universe, which has been rudderless and losing steam ever since Phase Four began. With mutants officially being a thing in Ms. Marvel, even jaded fans are interested to see how the MCU handles them. But that interest undoubtedly takes precedence over The Marvels.
Obviously, saying that no one has any interest in the Captain Marvel sequel would be inaccurate. But even at her most popular, Carol Danvers lacks even a fraction of the appeal and fandom of the X-Men. Now, the best-case scenario will be that fans only watch The Marvels in a vain attempt to see how it connects to the X-Men, though Rogue showing up to depower Carol would be a great hook. After all, fans want to see their favorite mutants, and so far, there's been nothing hyped up in The Marvels to compete with that. This could also be bad for Carol Danvers and the Captain Marvel property in the long run.
Now, Carol's "sidekick," with whom she has no narrative connection, will automatically outshine her by virtue of being more closely related to Wolverine. Keep in mind that having Carol share the screen with Monica and Kamala in her second movie is already somewhat suspect, especially given how undefined she still is as a character in the present. It feels as if Marvel Studios is unsure of her future as a leading character and using Ms. Marvel's mutant nature to bury the Captain Marvel property, similar to what's been done with the Inhumans. That might not be the case, but the optics are certainly troubling, and with the "m-word" now said in the MCU, all eyes are looking toward the X-Men and away from Captain Marvel.
Ms. Marvel Season 1 is now streaming in full on Disney+. The Marvels debuts in theaters on July 28, 2023.