The following contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel Season 1, Episode 1, "Generation Why," streaming now on Disney+.
Marvel Studios' newest addition to the powerhouse that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes in the form of another Disney+ series. Ms. Marvel has delivered a fun, stylistic and unique approach to the superhero genre. Its eccentric approach to the medium is strangely akin to another fan-favorite superhero film. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse ripped visuals from the comics and plastered them onto a stylistic animation, and now Ms. Marvel is doing the same thing in live action.
While Into The Spider-Verse was produced by Sony, these two properties share an origin in Marvel Comics. Both feature a new origin story depicting the rise of a young superhero. Each uses similar themes and a comic book style to address those themes in an upbeat and energetic way. Ms. Marvel's first episode promises more of this blend of heartfelt storytelling with fun and reminiscent visuals.
Season 1, Episode 1, "Generation Why" opens to a fast-paced and lighthearted animation made by the soon-to-be titular character, Kamala Khan. Immediately, the bright visuals, pop music and child-like energy harkens back to Into The Spider-Verse. That film opens with a similar stylized and energized montage of Peter Parker telling his story. While Kamala shows the audience Captain Marvel’s story through animation, Into The Spider-Verse shows us its world and its Spider-Man's story.
Later on in Ms. Marvel's pilot, Kamala rides down the street with her best friend, Bruno, and the graffiti on the walls behind them springs to life, animating the dialogue between the two. Into The Spider-Verse does this throughout the movie as well. Graffiti is a large part of Miles' life, and the animation reflects that fact when its visuals appear and flash in that style. The movie even has a fast-paced "planning montage" that becomes real just like Ms. Marvel depicts when they plan to get to AvengerCon.
Beyond style, both properties depict stories of members in the BIPOC community. Miles Morales and Kamala Khan both come to struggle with the notion that people of color aren’t normally superheroes. Kamala even goes as far as to say, "It's not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world." Into The Spider-Verse tackles this by repeating the mantra, "Anyone can put on the mask."
Ms. Marvel takes a different approach to these themes by depicting Kamala coming to terms with her own insecurities and accepting who she is by putting on a bangle from her culture. This bangle is precisely what ultimately gives her powers. Both pieces of media approach these themes with grace, not putting too much weight on them but providing representation and diverse stories of self discovery.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Ms. Marvel are new takes on the overdone trope of superhero origin stories. They both approach complicated topics with brevity and add a unique spin to it. Ms. Marvel's visual style is an incredible testament to its childlike nature, and the show essentially becomes a love letter to Into The Spider-Verse.
Ms. Marvel is gearing up to continue this style and provide fans with the coming of age, live-action Spider-Verse that they've always wanted. As the MCU grows, it learns more and more how to diversify in both style and substance.
New episodes of Ms. Marvel premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.