Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Aug 16, 2025

Ms Marvel: Critics praise Disney's 'joyful' first Muslim superhero story

Ms Marvel: Critics praise Disney's 'joyful' first Muslim superhero story

Critics have hailed the release of Ms Marvel, Disney's first on-screen Muslim superhero story, as a "joyful" slice of "pop culture history".

The show centres around geeky teenager and Avengers comic book fangirl Kamala Khan, played by Pakistani-Canadian newcomer Iman Vellani.

She struggles to fit in until she gains superpowers, becoming Ms Marvel.

In a five-star review, The Guardian said: "She's funny, charming and effortlessly bats off preconceptions."

The paper's TV critic Lucy Mangan wrote: "Normally, you would fear for a young actor, but Vellani seems so born to the purple [the colour of her powers] that you almost have to shrug and say, as an elder might to a nascent superhero in - oh, I don't know, the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] perhaps - that it is her destiny."

Mangan said the two available episodes of the six-part Disney+ series were "full of charm, wit, warmth, brio and truth".




Marvel superheroes have been leaping off the pages of comic books and onto TV and film screens since the 1970s, but more recently there have been attempts made to diversify its characters.

Early in the new series, Khan notes the lack of superheroes that look like her. "It's not the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world," she sighs, focusing her attentions on being an artist, vlogger and Avengers superfan instead.

However, that that soon changes when she happens upon an old bracelet that belonged to her reputedly mystical great-grandmother.

"The bangle allows her powers to be tied to Kamala's Pakistani heritage and the trauma of Partition in particular," Mangan continued.

The Disney Plus series is her first on-screen appearance


In a four-star review, the Financial Times said Vellani's on-screen debut "charms" in "an adventure story as much about heritage as battling evil".

Journalist Dan Einav described the series, which depicts the Khans as an ordinary family, as "a small yet significant piece of pop culture history".

He wrote: "That Kamala is a practising Muslim of Pakistani origin isn't treated as incidental.

"Like the recent Pixar film Turning Red (and everything from Bend It Like Beckham to The Big Sick), the series humorously and sensitively reflects on the cultural gulf between parents rooted to tradition and children caught between their sense of identity and the desire to assimilate."

Khan first appeared in a solo comic book series in 2014, and Rolling Stone magazine described the character as "a genuinely great addition to the Marvel superhero ranks in print".

Alan Sepinwall's review of the streaming adaptation said that, in the first two episodes, she is still a "fascinating" character in the context of an on-screen teen drama, but cast doubt on her "uninspired" superhero credentials.

"The best and worst thing I can say about Ms Marvel is that there are long stretches where it's easy to forget it's a Marvel show," he wrote.

He added: "The show's first two instalments do such a strong job of establishing Kamala, her family, her friends... and the local Muslim community, that the MCU tie-ins can feel almost beside the point."

Her newfound superpowers, he underlined, serve as "a metaphor for Kamala trying to expand what she can be beyond familial and societal expectations".

Vellani will reprise her role in the upcoming movie The Marvels


The actress, who secured the role at an open casting call on her last day of school, seems to agree with his assertion, telling The Express Tribune: "I think that's the main theme of our show - to subvert expectations and throw away all the labels and become your own person."

She noted how her Pakistani heritage was something she had been "very dismissive about" and "disconnected from" before making the show.

While noting the efforts of the producers to improve representation, The Independent judged Ms Marvel to be "brash, tolerable and very much made for kids".

Critic Nick Hilton wrote: "I'm not here to review good intentions - indeed, Marvel is such a rampantly commercial enterprise that there are doubtless cynical motives at play here - but it's refreshing to see such commitment to creatives of South Asian origin leading a high-profile project."

He noted that the series was written by British-Pakistani comedian Bisha K Ali and directed by Belgian duo Adil & Bilall. "The creative influences are far more Michel Gondry and Edgar Wright than anything from South Asian film, but the whole thing is infused with a deep love of South Asian culture all the same," he said.

"But I suppose the only real question is whether this works as a superhero property."

For Empire magazine, the answer to that question was yes. In a four-star review, Destiny Jackson wrote: "Frothy and fun, Ms Marvel's opening act is relatively lightweight, but for both adults and its teen target audience, it's a compelling and unique addition to the MCU.

"For those who can roll with the punches of the awkward-but-relatable approach, there is much promise here."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
The World Economic Forum has cleared Klaus Schwab of “material wrongdoing” after a law firm conducted a review into potential misconduct of the institution’s founder
The Mystery Captivating the Internet: Where Has the Social Media Star Gone?
Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agents in Washington Charged with Assault – Identified as Justice Department Employee
A Computer That Listens, Sees, and Acts: What to Expect from Windows 12
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
UK has added India to a list of countries whose nationals, convicted of crimes, will face immediate deportation without the option to appeal from within the UK
Southwest Airlines Apologizes After 'Accidentally Forgetting' Two Blind Passengers at New Orleans Airport and Faces Criticism Over Poor Service for Passengers with Disabilities
Russian Forces Advance on Donetsk Front, Cutting Key Supply Routes Near Pokrovsk
It’s Not the Algorithm: New Study Claims Social Networks Are Fundamentally Broken
Sixty-Year-Old Claims: “My Biological Age Is Twenty-One.” Want the Same? Remember the Name Spermidine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
U.S. Investigation Reports No Russian Interference in Romanian Election First Round
Oasis Reunion Tour Linked to Temporary Rise in UK Inflation
Musk Alleges Apple Favors OpenAI in App Store Rankings
Denmark Revives EU ‘Chat Control’ Proposal for Encrypted Message Scanning
US Teen Pilot Reaches Deal to Leave Chile After Unauthorized Antarctic Landing
Trump considers lawsuit against Powell over Fed renovation costs
Trump Criticizes Goldman Sachs Over Tariff Cost Forecasts
Perplexity makes unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome browser
Kodak warns of liquidity crisis as debt obligations loom
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Taylor Swift announces 12th studio album on Travis Kelce’s podcast after high-profile year together
South Korean court orders arrest of former First Lady Kim Keon Hee on bribery and corruption allegations
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
JD Vance to meet Tory MP Robert Jenrick and Reform’s Nigel Farage on UK visit
Trump and Putin Meeting: Focus on Listening and Communication
Instagram Released a New Feature – and Sent Users Into a Panic
China Accuses: Nvidia Chips Are U.S. Espionage Tools
Mercedes’ CEO Is Killing Germany’s Auto Legacy
Trump Proposes Land Concessions to End Ukraine War
New Road Safety Measures Proposed in the UK: Focus on Eye Tests and Stricter Drink-Driving Limits
Viktor Orbán Criticizes EU's Financial Support for Ukraine Amid Economic Concerns
South Korea's Military Shrinks by 20% Amid Declining Birthrate
US Postal Service Targets Unregulated Vape Distributors in Crackdown
Duluth International Airport Running on Tech Older Than Your Grandmother's Vinyl Player
RFK Jr. Announces HHS Investigation into Big Pharma Incentives to Doctors
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Security flaws in a carmaker’s web portal let one hacker remotely unlock cars from anywhere
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
×