Ms. Marvel Creator Defends Changing Kamala's Powers for the Show

The upcoming Disney+ series Ms. Marvel brings some new wrinkles to the character of Kamala Khan. See why Ms. Marvel's creator says there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

By Daniel Trainor May 12, 2022 1:21 AMTags
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This is Ms. Marvel like you've never seen her before. 

In the upcoming Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, the powers of the titular superhero (a.k.a. Kamala Khan) differ from how fans know them from the comics. Producer Sana Amanat knows it's kind of a big deal.

"Obviously, so much of the show is an adaptation, and we thought it was important to make sure that her powers are linking to larger stories in the Marvel universe," she told Entertainment Weekly. "We wanted to make sure there is a little bit more story to tell after this series. Obviously, she goes into The Marvels. The powers do look different, which is very controversial."

Iman Vellani, who plays Ms. Marvel in the series, will reprise the role in the 2023 film The Marvels, starring Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris.

Before you raise a fuss, Amanat knows a thing or two about Ms. Marvel. After all, she's been a Marvel comics editor since 2009 and co-created the Ms. Marvel series, which was Marvel's first solo series to feature a female Muslim superhero.

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Amanat wants to calm the fears of Marvel super fans, guaranteeing that she and writer G. Willow Wilson know what they're doing.

"I know people are like 'How dare you change the powers!'" she said. "I know people are upset about it, but as someone who's probably one of the closest people to this character from the inception, and having spoken to Willow about this as well, I think Willow and I have always felt that this made sense. This was the right move because there are bigger stories to tell."

It sounds like we're in good hands. 

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Beyond the superpowers and folklore, however, Amanat knows the show has the responsibility to be so much more. 

"I know how incredibly important it is for people to have this out there, especially for young Muslims and young Pakistanis and Indians and people of color and young women," she told EW. "It just affects so many different communities, and that's what was really exciting for me, just knowing how important this show is and hoping that we get it right." 

Ms. Marvel starts streaming June 8 on Disney+.

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