Ms. Marvel Critic Reactions Prove The Backlash Was Absurd

The first critic reactions to Ms. Marvel are overwhelmingly positive, proving the preemptive fan backlash over Kamala Khan's power changes was absurd. The next Marvel Studios series releases on Disney+ on June 8th, 2022. In the run-up to the show's release, there has been a lot of online discourse surrounding the decision to slightly alter Ms. Marvel's powers for the MCU, with fears that Kamala's character would be affected negatively because of the change.

In the Marvel comics, Kamala Khan is an Inhuman whose powers allow her to stretch parts of her body. While the powers can seem similar to the likes of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Ms. Marvel's powers are usually referred to as "embiggening" powers, with Khan more often stretching her body parts to be bigger and more powerful, as opposed to longer and stretchier like Mister Fantastic. However, it was revealed shortly after Ms. Marvel was greenlit that her powers were being somewhat altered in the MCU.

While the embiggening effects have still been visible in brief trailer shots, Kamala's powers have been shifted to suit the cosmic side of the MCU, given her confirmed appearance in trailer for the Disney+ show, these abilities enable her to do anything from embiggening her limbs like her comic book counterpart, to producing crystallized energy shields, to walking through the air using cosmic platforms. Now, critics' reactions to Ms. Marvel's first two episodes have proven that the preemptive backlash to this power change was absurd for several reasons.

Ms. Marvel Early Reactions Strongly Praise Iman Vellani

One of the main reasons there have been fears over the power change is how it may negatively affect Kamala Khan. However, from the first reactions to Ms. Marvel, it is safe to say that these worries were needless. While the majority of the reactions focus on different elements of the show, one thing all of them have in common is the praise for Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel. Vellani was cast in September 2020, with many praising the fact Marvel had cast a Pakistani actress to play the role of a Pakistani-American in Kamala Khan. A number of the early reactions have singled out Vellani as a standout part of the show, describing her as charismatic and full of bubbly charm. The reactions have shown excitement for Vellani's future in the MCU, proving the young actress is more than capable enough to appear in a myriad of different MCU projects. Not only does this prove Iman Vellani was the perfect casting for the show, but also that her version of Kamala Khan is extremely endearing, carrying the first few episodes of the show despite the change in her powers.

Ms. Marvel Features Lots Of Pakistani-American Representation

Besides the heaps of praise aimed at Iman Vellani and Captain Marvel 2, another element of Ms. Marvel has been singled out in a few of the early critic reactions. The lengths to which the show has gone to represent Pakistani-American culture is something incredibly important to the character of Kamala and had been strongly lauded. With Ms. Marvel, it seems Marvel Studios is taking another step in the right direction and delving into an underrepresented culture in ways that directly affect the show and its central characters. The focus on Kamala's religion has been described as refreshing, with Ms. Marvel's protagonist made more interesting than others in the MCU due to her struggles with being a Pakistani-American Muslim teen living in America.

The Power Change Hasn't Negatively Affected Ms. Marvel Despite Fan Backlash

Both Iman Vellani and powers, wrongly given Ms. Marvel's reactions, and worrying that Kamala's character and how she fits in in the MCU would be negatively affected.

However, it is clear from the reactions that this isn't the case. Given almost every single reaction praises Iman Vellani and Kamala, it is evident that Marvel's decision to change her powers hasn't made her character any less endearing. With a number of early reactions also praising the high school setting and how Kamala is relatably awkward, it's clear that this aspect of the character has been perfectly translated despite the slight power change. Kamala's cultural origins have also very obviously stayed the same, handled with depth and care. Both of these things being highlights of the early episodes of Ms. Marvel only reinforce how fan backlash was misguided and absurd from the start.

While only the first two episodes have been screened for critics, the early reactions set a great precedent for the rest of the series. With Ms. Marvel's first two episodes being focused on setup, the remaining four will likely increase in the action and plot department. There is evidence for this, given the regular trend of revealing episode 4s in MCU's shows. With the first two episodes so perfectly capturing the essence of Kamala Khan's character and her Pakistani-American upbringing, it seems the MCU was more than justified in the decision to change Ms. Marvel's powers for live-action.

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