Ms. Marvel Episode 3, ‘Destined,’ was a pivotal episode in the new Disney+ MCU series, as it needed to credibly establish the central conflict of the series.
This series has done an excellent job establishing Kamala Khan as a character, developing this wildly creative physical world around her, exploring her culture and religion, developing Bruno’s feelings for her, and developing the conflict of her newfound powers with all of these. It’s been an absolute delight to watch all of this unfold before our eyes. The confluence of wildly inventive visual effects, brilliant writing, and outstanding performances (particularly from Iman Vellani in the lead role) have easily made this one of the best and most enjoyable Marvel series to date.
Ms. Marvel‘s universal enjoyability has helped create undeniable cross-generational appeal for the show. Pardon the personal anecdote, but this show’s ability to appeal to seen-it-all pop culture consumers like myself and to new-to-Marvel little ones like my seven-year-old daughter is something that astounds me. The usual kid fair often gives some pandering winks and nods to the parents – usually a joke that sails over the heads of the children and garners a guffaw or eye roll from the adults. Outside of the absolutely exquisite references to Bon Jovi (that Captain Kidd reference was God-level), there’s no patting on the head to the parents for sitting and gritting their teeth through juvenile dreck. Conversely, there’s also no barrage of themes, jokes, inappropriate situations, or comic book lore that sails over a kiddo’s head. This is a perfect show that is the ultimate gateway drug for kids into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a wonderfully enjoyable series that reminds parents of why they love comic books and superheroes to begin with.
That’s why Ms. Marvel’s Episode 3 was such a pivotal episode. The show’s antagonists and their storyline could easily get lost amongst all that shimmers in this series. How many times has Marvel introduced a villain (or villains) that just flat out pale in comparison to the hero (or heroes)? Iron Man outshined all of his solo movie villains. The Guardians of the Galaxy were way more captivating than that turd blossom Ronan the Accuser. Do you even remember the villains from Thor or Thor: The Dark World or The Hulk or Ant-Man or Black Widow? Exactly.
In Episode 2, the Damage Control agents felt like just a bunch of nameless, faceless people who were going to chase Kamala around, spouting trite procedural dialogue. The insertion of Kamran’s family made things interesting though. It seemed as though Kamala had friends who’d help her in the battle against the men and women in black. Yet, the swerve here was just so satisfying. The Clan Destines or Djinn (whatever you prefer) aren’t your straight-up snarling villains hellbent on world domination. Instead, they take on more of an antagonist role, like Shadow in Ant-Man & The Wasp. They want to return home and if Kamala doesn’t want to help them, they’ll force her by any means necessary. A villain in the MCU with a cause and a through line is always the best – just look at Thanos, Killmonger, or Zemo as examples.
Yet, what makes the introduction of these antagonists even more impactful is that they throw the cold water onto Kamala’s fairytale superhero life. She realizes there are real-world stakes and consequences associated with her newfound powers and that’s a lot for anyone, let alone a teenager, to handle. Yes, it’s the whole great power/great responsibility thing, but it’s presented more as an emotional crossroad than a teachable moment. Iman Vellani’s performance has been so wonderfully lived in throughout the series that one cannot help but feel as if they’re watching their own child/friend/sister going through a personal hell.
Ms. Marvel Episode 3 does not leave us on a sour note though. When Kamala’s grandmother tells her that she must come to Pakistan in order to figure things out, we’re left wondering if our hero is leaving on a jet plane or not. With this conclusion, not only has the series created this element of mystery with Kamala’s family history but the audience is left with the fear that our favorite Jersey girl now has Damage Control and the Jinn hot on her tail. It’s the stuff that makes you want to come back next week, and that’s not something a lot of the Marvel D+ shows have done in their run.
Ms. Marvel is one of the best shows of 2022, period. It’s charming, delightful, colorful, and heartfelt, yet also a series that now has real stakes and truly palpable angst and emotion. This show runs the gamut of emotions and really captures audiences of all ages. It’s something we don’t see happen on television often and it’s just an absolute joy to have a series like this on television right now. Scoring a fight scene to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” doesn’t hurt either.
