Disney+ Ms. Marvel (Marvel Cinematic Universe) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

I just watched the first episode.

It is so much fun.

Iman Vellani is wonderful in the role. Marvel has found a big star.

Also, everyone should note that there is a mid-credits scene this week. This is the first time any of the MCU Disney+ shows have done a mid-credits scene on the first episode, which is why I wanted to mention it.

I don't want to say anything else until more people have had the chance to see the episode, but I really enjoyed this.

 

[Jason_V]

I didn't know what to expect with this series, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first episode.

 

[Joe Wong]

Great first episode… loved the directorial style. And a lot of fun!

Spoiler

I liked her parents… fun, loving, caring, with some traits typical of Asian parents but not too overbearing.

Bruno is an awesome friend… and I wonder if he’ll stay a friend or turn into a love interest-type (there was a long look between them at one point).

 

[Josh Dial]

Great first episode!

I loved the visual style. Shades of Into the Spider-Verse and Scott Pilgram. The bit with the neon signs showing the text messaging was particularly awesome.

Iman Vellani is...sort of a star. I know Feige and his team have the contours of the next decade sketched out, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are in a room right now pencilling in some new lines around Vellani and her character squarely at the centre of the main arc.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Iman Vellani is wonderful in the role. Marvel has found a big star.

She's terrific. Right up there with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in terms of casting that elevates a character. She imbues Kamala with so many engaging and relatable qualities: she is by turns goofy, adorably awkward, and incredibly easy to root for.

Great first episode… loved the directorial style. And a lot of fun!

I wasn't expecting it to be as stylized as it is, especially with the way Kamala's notebook doodles and fan art come to life within the frame, and dance in the background as her and Bruno move through Jersey City. The perspective as as internal in its way as "Moon Knight" was for Oscar Isaac's character(s). And I love the bold use of color, which reminded me a lot of Kick Ass, in a good way.

I liked her parents… fun, loving, caring, with some traits typical of Asian parents but not too overbearing.

I appreciated too that her father was the good cop and her mother was the bad cop. You see that in a lot of stories about East Asian families, playing into the whole Tiger Mom stereotype, but for whatever reason Muslim families are almost exclusively oppressively patriarchal in Hollywood movies and shows.

Bruno is an awesome friend… and I wonder if he’ll stay a friend or turn into a love interest-type (there was a long look between them at one point).

It seems like they're definitely going to play the will-they-won't-they dynamic there, but I really enjoyed their platonic friendship too. I also appreciated that the friendship wasn't just one-way. He's there to bolster her up, but she brags about him too. I wasn't entirely clear, but it sounds like he's an orphan and lives with his grandmother in the apartment about the Circle Q (which I'm assuming is supposed to be like an urban version of a Circle K?) and it's clear that Kamala's parents look out for him too.

Great first episode!

It's also the first premiere episode of one of these hourlong series that felt like it covered one-sixth of the story. Pacing has been a problem with these Marvel shows, where the story is parsed out slowly over the first handful of episodes and then a rushed conclusion gets shoved into the last episode or two.

Some other thoughts:

• It seems pretty clear that her powers are tied to the ornimental vambrace that Kamala's grandmother shipped to her mother. What's less clear to me at this point is whether the powers come from the vambrace or if the vambrace simply awakened latent abilities that were already innate inside her.
• Kamala's bully at school becoming a Ms. Marvel superfan feels a bit like a retread of Flash Thompson in the Homecoming trilogy, but maybe the show will surprise me.
• There were definitely gaps in the cast credits at the end, so there are at least a few series regulars (including whoever gets the "And" credit) who were not in this first episode.
• Neither Kamala nor her mother wear a headscarf, which is true of the majority of Pakistani American women in the real world, but the importance of dressing modestly is a still a significant plot point in this first episode. The only person wearing a hijab in the episode than I can recall is Kamala's school friend who won the bet with Bruno. And she looked Arab or maybe Persian, so she might belong to a different congregation.
• It seems pretty clear from Kamala's mother's bitterness over the women in her family being lost in "fantasies" -- a key reason she's so adamant about shutting down Kamala's superhero worship -- that Kamala is not the first one in her maternal line to have superpowers.
• I like that Kamala's high school looks like a regular intercity high school, as opposed to Peter's school in the Homecoming trilogy, which I think was supposed to be a specialized high school you test into like Stuyvesant or Fiorello H. LaGuardia. It's not some sort of dystopian hellscape like the ones from Lean on Me or Stand and Deliver, but it doesn't look like it opened yesterday, either.
• I'm really liking Laura Karpman's music for this so far. Here's a suite of some of the main themes:
  

 

[Jake Lipson]

It seems pretty clear that her powers are tied to the ornimental vambrace that Kamala's grandmother shipped to her mother. What's less clear to me at this point is whether the powers come from the vambrace or if the vambrace simply awakened latent abilities that were already innate inside her.

For me, the question is whether she needs the vambrace or not going forward. Carol got powers from the Tesseract, but she doesn't need to have the Tesseract on her at all times in order to use her powers. On the other hand, the power of the Ten Rings require the owner to physically have the rings on in order to wield their power. If Kamala's powers require her to wear the vambrace, then whatever villain she goes up against just has to knock them off her in order to neutralize her.

Just to be clear, if anybody reading this post has an answer from the comics, I don't want it. I'll wait until the show answers this. But it is a question I was thinking about after the episode.

 

[Museum Pieces]

There have been almost a dozen movies or TV series in Phase Four now and something I admire is none of them being remotely the same. I thought Ms. Marvel was fun, engaging on so many levels, had flair, and put so much positivity out into our world. Artistry, color, individuality, fun. Fabulous soundtrack too.

Oh, did I mention I liked it?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Iman Vellani kind of reminded me of a teenage Hailee Steinfeld. Not so much her looks, but her mannerisms and the personality of the character she is portraying in this series. Anyhow, a very good first episode!

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Pretty sure I saw a quick flash of the ten rings on the wall (five of the actual rings, not the 10 rings logo) when they went out to the marketplace. Also spotted a 'Trust a Bro' van during the closing credits.

 

[Sam Favate]

The first episode is delightful. Refreshing to see a new talent like Vellani, and for Marvel to use a place like Jersey City - which is distinct from its neighbor New York City - to such great effect. (BTW, Jersey City really does have a wealth of murals on buildings, like the ones that come to life in the show.)

BTW, I'm not sure where Marvel intends Camp Lehigh to be, but it has to be at least an hour away from Jersey City, so Kamala's timetable of how long it would take to get there and back may have been wrong but very typical for a teenager, who thinks that everything is quicker than it is!

 

[jayembee]

BTW, I'm not sure where Marvel intends Camp Lehigh to be, but it has to be at least an hour away from Jersey City, so Kamala's timetable of how long it would take to get there and back may have been wrong but very typical for a teenager, who thinks that everything is quicker than it is!

Me, I was thinking it was in the Great Beyond. Didn't Cyber-Zola nuke the thing to rubble in Winter Soldier?

The wife and I loved this first episode. So much of it felt right out of the comics. Kamala's family, in particular, were perfectly cast. I don't recall Zoe being a Captain Marvel fangirl in the comics, but I loved that her CM costume was one of the older designs over the life of character as she went from Ms Marvel to Binary to Captain Marvel.

Kamala's bully at school becoming a Ms. Marvel superfan feels a bit like a retread of Flash Thompson in the Homecoming trilogy, but maybe the show will surprise me.

Kinda yes, kinda no.

Spoiler

In the comics, she becomes a fan of Ms Marvel (not knowing that she's Kamala), though if I recall correctly, it was because her life was saved by Ms Marvel during one incident, not just because she thought MM was "cool"

I loved the visual style. Shades of Into the Spider-Verse and Scott Pilgram. The bit with the neon signs showing the text messaging was particularly awesome.

Scott Pilgrim was exactly what I was thinking of.

 

[TonyD]

I liked it. Didn’t love it.
A couple things I didn’t like including the Mom and the Dad.
Didn’t like the driving test guy. Didn’t like that Kamala was ridiculously terrible on her driving exam. How does a person who is taking a driving test not know how to put a car into drive and not park plus just jamming the gas down like she did. That’s a terrible cliche.

Found the bit with the bike being left and the bus driver actually closing the door right on Kamala.

Thought it was very strange that Kamala would jump out of the way and just tell Zoe to move rather then push Zoe out of the way. She was right there and could have pushed her easily enough.
I never read the comics of hers so I have no interest in why they changed her power form what it is in the comics but I do find it curious.

Big fan of her friend. Lots of things to build on with him.
Kamala said the AvengerCon thing wasn’t a party but it really did look like a huge party maybe even something like a school dance then a Con.
It even looked like it was at some back alley warehouse.

Of course I like Kamala. Iman is a great choice.

I haven’t disliked any of the Marvel shows even a little bit and I expect it to be the same with Ms Marvel.

 

[Jake Lipson]

The second episode was terrific.

There is one scene in particular that was so joyous and magical and perfectly executed that I paused the episode and backed it up just to watch it again as soon as it was over -- and it wasn't even a superhero moment.

I really love that Disney+ does weekly releases on these shows instead of Netflix-style binge drops. This makes it easier to discuss with other people because you don't have to worry as much about spoiling; there's no "What episode are you on?" or risk of accidental spoilers when everyone is watching weekly. But also, I feel like the show leaves much more of a lasting impression on me. By spreading it out over six weeks, the individual episodes stay in my memory longer and I feel more engaged with them.

I've binged watched stuff before where it's really good and I rush through it in two days on a high and then it fades away. By the time a new season drops a year or more later, the whole show is just a blur and I've forgotten what happened when or where we left off. Plus, by dropping episodes weekly, I have a show to look forward to every week. It becomes an event like a binge simply would not. I really think that the weekly episodes add value to how I experience the shows. For me, this has been true of all the MCU shows to date.

But -- at the same time -- I've got to say that if they put up episode three right now, I would watch it right now to see what happens next. That's how eager I am for this to continue -- which of course means that what they are doing is working. This is really great stuff.

For those curious, there is not additional footage after the credits start this week. I always like to watch the credits regardless, but if you don't, you won't miss any plot by turning them off.

 

[Joe Wong]

The second episode was terrific.

There is one scene in particular that was so joyous and magical and perfectly executed that I paused the episode and backed it up just to watch it again as soon as it was over -- and it wasn't even a superhero moment.

I really love that Disney+ does weekly releases on these shows instead of Netflix-style binge drops. This makes it easier to discuss with other people because you don't have to worry as much about spoiling; there's no "What episode are you on?" or risk of accidental spoilers when everyone is watching weekly. But also, I feel like the show leaves much more of a lasting impression on me. By spreading it out over six weeks, the individual episodes stay in my memory longer and I feel more engaged with them.

I've binged watched stuff before where it's really good and I rush through it in two days on a high and then it fades away. By the time a new season drops a year or more later, the whole show is just a blur and I've forgotten what happened when or where we left off. Plus, by dropping episodes weekly, I have a show to look forward to every week. It becomes an event like a binge simply would not. I really think that the weekly episodes add value to how I experience the shows. For me, this has been true of all the MCU shows to date.

But -- at the same time -- I've got to say that if they put up episode three right now, I would watch it right now to see what happens next. That's how eager I am for this to continue -- which of course means that what they are doing is working. This is really great stuff.

For those curious, there is not additional footage after the credits start this week. I always like to watch the credits regardless, but if you don't, you won't miss any plot by turning them off.

Agreed - very engaging episode! With plenty of history, background, and cultural context. Fabulously done.

Spoiler

Missed a lot of references such as Kingo being mentioned... may need to have the subtitles on

Also, wondering if new crush Kamran will be an antagonist?

I'm also liking the weekly episode drop... though I also like the binge possibilities if all episodes dropped at once! It's easier not to be spoiled if it's only 1 episode at a time, though.

Also, I must say I like the Wednesday release... at first I thought Fridays would be better because it's the end of the work week (for me). But now, I think Wednesdays work better, because a couple of days after the episode airs, you have the weekend to look forward to, and then when it's Monday, the next episode is only 2 days later rather than 4 days... I know, it's much ado about nothing, but it's how my mind works!

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Gonna need a lineage analysis after this one.

So the mysterious woman Kamala sees is her Great Grandmother? And that woman is the same one in the back of the car at the end? And the 'new senior' is that woman's son? Did I get all that right? I'm assuming she doesn't age due to her powers because that would make him like her GrandUncle or something.

So him pretending to be her cousin wasn't really that far off the mark.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The second episode was terrific.

After the propulsive first episode, I was a bit worried that this was going to fall into the usual trap of the early episodes of Disney+ shows being all set up.

And there was a lot of set up in this episode: The rivalry between nerdy wholesome Bruno and the handsome and mysterious Kamran; introducing Aamir's fiance and setting up their approaching wedding; and especially the complicated social dynamics of the mosque and the different cliques within in it. But the final act assuaged my concerns considerably: Both with Kamala's first highly public and intentional save, and the mysteries of her new powers and the secrets and rumors surrounding her mother's family.

There is one scene in particular that was so joyous and magical and perfectly executed that I paused the episode and backed it up just to watch it again as soon as it was over -- and it wasn't even a superhero moment.

Was it Kamala dancing and lip syncing to the Ronettes after her meet cute with Kamran after Zoe's party? I loved how completely Iman Vellani committed to that; she is so unconcerned about looking foolish that she oozes confidence and swagger.

Gonna need a lineage analysis after this one.

So the mysterious woman Kamala sees is her Great Grandmother? And that woman is the same one in the back of the car at the end? And the 'new senior' is that woman's son? Did I get all that right? I'm assuming she doesn't age due to her powers because that would make him like her GrandUncle or something.

So him pretending to be her cousin wasn't really that far off the mark.

That was my tentative read as well, which is certainly one way to defuse that brewing love triangle! It's pretty clear that Kamran's mother is the woman Kamala kept getting glimpses of with her powers. It would make sense that she's Kamala's great grandmother, who has aged much more slowly because of her powers. But it also feels like that could be a misdirect.

Other thoughts:

• The episode confirmed that Kamala's powers are coming from her, not the bangle. So while the bangle evidently unlocked her powers, it's not like a Green Lantern ring. Presumably she would still have her powers even if she was separated from the bangle.
• I thought Laurel Marsden did a good job in the interrogation scene, where Agent Cleary weaponizes her vanity against the mysterious new superhero. Zoe maybe a bully to Kamala, but you can tell she knows what the Department of Damage Control is about to do and is appalled by it.
• Kamala is still a terrible driver. I'm glad that wasn't just a one-off gag in the first episode. She should have to earn her license.
• I love how three-dimensional Kamala's powers are, with her using the light discs to walk through the sky. Part of why this high school student with no training was able to outmanuever a government agency is because they were operating in two dimensions, and Kamala just went right over the top of them.
• I believe in the comics Kamala's shapeshifting powers give her accelerated healing. I'm wondering if her energy powers do the same here. She took some hard falls over the course of this episode, and it seems like she'd be too banged up for superheroics soon if she doesn't heal faster than normal.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Was it Kamala dancing and lip syncing to the Ronettes after her meet cute with Kamran after Zoe's party? I loved how completely Iman Vellani committed to that; she is so unconcerned about looking foolish that she oozes confidence and swagger.

I enjoyed the second episode. During that sequence I had a flashback to "Adventures in Babysitting" opening credits with Elizabeth Shue lip syncing The Crystals "Then He Kissed Me".

 

[Joe Wong]

I also got Superman: The Movie vibes with her rescue of the boy. Though I wonder how much time she took changing into her costume (Christopher Reeve performed a quick spin in a revolving doorway)!

 

[Josh Dial]

I enjoyed the second episode. During that sequence I had a flashback to "Adventures in Babysitting" opening credits with Elizabeth Shue lip syncing The Crystals "Then He Kissed Me".

That was my immediate reaction, too.

Another 80s reference was that during his visit to the school counsellor, Bruno's outfit was like Marty McFly's from Back to the Future (this reference is from an issue of the comic series, too).

 

[NeilO]

We should find out next week, but

Spoiler: there are a number of possibilities that come to mind :

1. the woman is her great grandmother and is the same person in the back of the car.
1a. Her powers slowed her aging and she lived all these years
1b. She disappeared jumping forward in time somehow. He is still her son and her powers still slowed her aging, but not all that much.
2. Just the same actress and she is another descendant, but is connected to the power.

Related to this. Whoever she is, she sensed Kamala using her powers at Avenger Con or being activated by the bangle , and sent her son in to try to befriend her. Or perhaps predicted something would happen after the bangle arrived and already had started working on getting her son at the school at the same time.

Social media is not Kamala's friend if she wants to keep any of this on the down low. Both Damage Control and Kamran acted really quickly there.

Bruno was really torn in two by the Cal-Tech immersion acceptance. It is a dream opportunity, but he doesn't want to leave Kamala especially as he can help her practice with her powers. As soon as he tells her about the opportunity, I'm sure she would tell him he has to go. She would not want to be the one to hold him back.