Ms. Marvel’s MCU Power Change Explained

The new trailer for Ms. Marvel has confirmed that the Disney+ series is overhauling Kamala Khan’s powers for the MCU. Played by Iman Vellani, the teenage superhero is one of Phase 4’s most anticipated newcomers. Following the conclusion of her upcoming Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel is confirmed to team up with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) in The Marvels.

Despite being a fairly recent addition to Marvel’s library of superheroes, Ms. Marvel is already a well-known character that’s considered to be recognizable even to casual fans. As a result of her popularity and overall importance to the comics, there are already a number of high expectations that Marvel is expected to meet when it adapts her character. This includes her backstory, personality, costume, and of course, her abilities. The recently released trailer for the upcoming Phase 4 series has confirmed that Ms. Marvel is keeping her comic look, but definitely not her powers. She seems to be sharing most of the core elements of her comic counterpart, but not her iconic powerset.

Marvel making a change to a hero’s abilities isn’t unprecedented. The superhero cast of Eternals stands as examples of Marvel characters whose abilities have been reworked for the big screen, with many of the heroes losing some of the most useful tools in their arsenal. It’s a bit of a different situation though with Ms. Marvel, whose higher visibility in the comics provides the MCU with much less leeway in terms of how much it can change. That being said, that hasn’t stopped Disney showrunners from taking massive liberties with her powers and how they work. Here’s what Ms. Marvel can do in the comics, what the MCU is doing differently, and why it radically alters her original powerset.

Ms. Marvel’s Powers In Marvel Comics Explained

In Marvel Comics, Kamala Khan was an ordinary teenager until exposure to the Terrigen Mist turned her into an Inhuman. Similar to mutants, members of this subspecies of humankind who were created by the genetic experiments of the Kree, typically possess at least one superpower. These are generally acquired after the Inhuman in question undergoes a transformation process known as Terrigenesis. When Kamala experienced it, she gained the ability to “embiggen” herself, meaning that she can enlarge and extend her limbs. One of the most common ways she exercises her powers is to “embiggen” her fists, thus allowing her to hit her opponents with tremendous force.

Normally, Kamala is seen altering the size of her hands in combat, but that’s far from the extent of her Inhuman capabilities. Ms. Marvel can increase (or decrease) the size of her entire body at once, not unlike the size-changing abilities of Hank Pym and Scott Lang. In addition, her shapeshifting powers enable her to completely alter her body structure, hair, and facial features, which comes in handy when disguises are needed. An additional ability that Ms. Marvel sports in the comics books is a healing factor. Since Ms. Marvel doesn’t have superhuman durability, she can die from a fatal bullet wound, but her rapid healing factor can fix most injuries. If she sustains serious damage whilst “embiggened”, reverting back to normal has proven to be an effective recovery method.

How The MCU Is Changing Ms. Marvel’s Powers

The new Ms. Marvel trailer shows Kamala using crystalline purple energy instead of her comic book stretching powers. While one scene shows Kamala using a giant hand that looks like an adaptation of her “embiggened” punch, this is where the similarities end between the MCU Ms. Marvel’s powers and origins, and her comic book counterparts’. Because Ms. Marvel’s MCU powers don’t come from Terrigen Mists and Inhuman genes, they have an entirely different range. In addition to using her classic fist, Kamala can also conjure fields of energy for defense, shooting blasts, or even walking on air. This is all due to the act that her powers’ origin is drastically different as well. In line with longstanding speculation, the new Ms. Marvel trailer reveals that Kamala’s energy-based powers come from a wrist band, which is most likely something akin to the Nega-Bands—powerful bracelets worn by the original Captain Marvel.

Speculative talk of Kamala using the Nega-Bands and having different abilities in the MCU has been going on long for a while. Now that it’s been fully confirmed by the trailer, it’s important to consider the significance of these changes. On the one hand, since the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ms. Marvel may not have any real superpowers of her own, it could be a somewhat disappointing shift. On the other hand, there are some very good reasons why Ms. Marvel’s powers have been changed for the MCU.

Why The MCU Is Changing Ms. Marvel’s Powers

For Marvel to make such huge adjustments to a beloved comic character, it makes sense that the studio had plenty of reasons for doing so. One possible motivation is the special effects. Making her “embiggened” attacks look identical to the character’s hands can be done with CGI, but going the Green Lantern route may be easier. There’s also the matter of how Ms. Marvel’s abilities compare to her co-stars in The Marvels. Both Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau rely on high-powered energy attacks. Since her powers are so different from theirs, a comic accurate Kamala would stick out when fighting alongside Carol Danvers and Monica. The MCU version, however, should be closer to their power levels and have a stronger connection to them.

Ms. Marvel’s Power Change Avoids A Fantastic Four Movie Problem

By making Kamala more similar to Carol and Monica, the MCU can also distance her from otherwise unavoidable Mr. Fantastic comparisons. Reed Richards doesn’t exist in the MCU yet, but he will soon, now that Fantastic Four is in the pipeline. The two characters having the same elastic powers would make both less unique, which was likely a motivating factor for Marvel when crafting Ms. Marvel’s Phase 4 debut. Then there’s the problems that previous Fantastic Four movies had in showing off Reed Richards’ powers – it’s never looked anything other than goofy. Plus, it’s unlikely the MCU wants to reinvent the Inhumans quite yet, if ever. That could open up a whole new world for the franchise, but would also raise serious complications due to ABC’s failed Inhumans TV series. Substituting Terregenesis with the Nega-Bands, or whatever Kamala’s bracelet might be, is actually a good solution to the character’s origin problem, and will help Ms. Marvel avoid Inhumans‘ less-than-stellar legacy.

Why Fans Hate Ms. Marvel’s MCU Power Change

For all the seemingly-sensible logistical reasons, however, Ms. Marvel’s changed MCU powers have outraged some. Chief among the complaints is the fact that Kamala’s powers from the comics play an integral role in her journey of self-discovery and how she navigates life as a teenager, her culture, and her superhero identity. While these themes can theoretically remain in place in the Disney+ show Ms. Marvel, fans are right to point out that changing Kamala Khan’s powers simply to suit the MCU’s needs takes away from the specificity of her character, which is what has made her so popular to begin with. On an even more basic level, it’s always difficult for avid readers and watchers of original content to see beloved properties changed for film and TV, often seemingly for no good reason. While most Marvel characters have gotten very comic-accurate translations, Ms. Marvel’s power changes are much more significant, which seems odd. Regardless of how it’s received by fans, however, Disney+’s Ms. Marvel show is sure to garner plenty of attention one way or the other.

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