Ms. Marvel will be available on Disney+ on Wednesday, so I think it’s time to confront the cosmic elephant in the room that is Ms. Marvel’s powers. If you’ve been paying close attention to how Marvel, particularly Ms. Marvel, admirers have responded, you’ll notice that the prevailing sentiment is that they don’t like the change.
In the comics, Ms. Marvel is a shapeshifter who can expand her fists to huge sizes and enlarge and compress her body to any size. She can stretch her limbs like Mr. Fantastic or even alter her appearance to look like anybody she desires. Kamala Khan transforms herself into Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel, in her first comic issue. She can not recreate the superpowers, but she could replicate the looks to the smallest detail.
The show’s creators have opted to make Ms. Marvel more like a Green Lantern than a shapeshifter. She can conjure cosmic missiles that may create fists, platforms to run on in the air, and forcefields to defend herself and others. It does look cool, but the Ms. Marvel fans are not used to seeing it. As far as I can figure out, that is the only complaint fans have about the show.
Regarding the character’s essence and relevance to the wider universe, it appears to be quite accurate to what fans cherish, so if all else is right.
Why are fans complaining?
I get why you believe that. After all, alterations from the comics to the movie occur more frequently than you may assume, particularly in Marvel movies.
Instead of building web-shooters, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy gives Peter Parker organic webs. This modification was dubbed “shenanigans” by critics and Marvel fans in general, yet other people still believe that these films are the finest live-action adaptations of Spider-Man. Why? Because they stuck to the character’s beliefs and concepts. They just altered one part about him.
And sometimes, a tiny alteration might be significant. Consider James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. They have little in common with their comic book counterparts in terms of personality. Nonetheless, many adore them. To the point where these characters moved from being unrecognizable to becoming ones that practically everyone knows about, whether you’re a Marvel fan or not, you now know who Rocket Racoon is.
So, if modifications to comics don’t make people despise the whole movie, change must be good then, right? Well, it all depends on what has changed. When it comes to character characteristics or how they gain their powers, the core elements that should never change are their costumes, sexuality, race, and gender. Most essential, a character’s superpowers must never vary. Above all, the superpowers define the hero.
How often have you been reminded of Mr. Fantastic every time you watch a new superhero stretch?
How often have you seen a new superhero get stronger as they become more enraged?
And how many times have you thought of Spider-Man when you watch a new hero swinging around the city?
Such abilities are what distinguishes these characters, and without them, they’d be just like every other superhero. Despite having biological webs, Sam Raimi’s Peter Parker still swings across New York, adheres to buildings, and possesses the proportionate powers of a spider. Although James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy have distinct personalities, they share the same powers as in the comics. That’s because their abilities set them apart, which is also why Marvel fans are outraged by Kamala Khan’s powers in the show. Because, as I already stated, it does not make her Ms. Marvel. It morphs her into a Green Lantern.
The worst aspect is that comics evolve all the time, and it’s usually because of how big a movie/TV show adaptation is. Because Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is so popular, Marvel went to lengths to give Peter Parker biological webbing rather than web-shooters. Because James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy had become so popular, the comics began ret-conning them to seem more like the movies. And it’s not just comic books. Every animated series and even video game using the Guardians of the Galaxy attempts to replicate James Gunn’s vision rather than creating their own.
It also brings me to another reason why many fans are concerned about how Kamala Khan’s powers vary in the series. The comics will modify the persona to correspond with the series if the show grows prominent. And those who adored Ms. Marvel’s original talents, which made her distinctive in the first place, will be disappointed that she will be changed so significantly because of whatever reason the MCU decides to modify it.
Anyway, I’m hoping that Ms. Marvel will be a good show that stays true to the essence of the character.
