WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 3.
episode 3 and confirms once and for all that the MCU version of Ms. Marvel has no connection to the Inhumans.
The MCU has attempted to tell the story of the Inhumans before, of course. In 2013, a proposed movie based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's creations was abandoned and realized instead as a TV show for the ABC network. Despite an introduction to the species in the MCU canon.
Ms. Marvel episode 3 opens with a flashback to British-occupied India, where Najma, Kamala's grandmother, and their colleagues discover Kamala's bracelet on a dismembered arm in an old tomb. When the British army advances, they're separated, and Kamala keeps hold of the bracelet. It's swiftly revealed that Najma and Kamala's grandmother are of the Clan Destine, exiled beings from another dimension, also known as Djinn. The Djinn and Clan Destine are niche Marvel ideas first introduced in 1994 and have previously crossed paths with the X-Men. As with Kamala and powers, Clandestine and the Djinn have been heavily adapted from their Marvel comics source material, and, given their real-world origins in mythology, the Djinn are more fitting for Ms. Marvel's story of familial responsibility and cultural legacy than the Inhumans are.
Removing the Inhumans and NuHumans from the MCU's Ms. Marvel origins also simplifies matters for audiences who may not be familiar with its Marvel comics source material. There's a clear intention with Ms. Marvel to appeal to a younger audience compared to other recent Disney+ shows' approaches. It's a coming-of-age story first and foremost while also resonating with a younger audience who are also finding their way in the world. As a result, Ms. Marvel including the lore of a canceled TV show from 2017 would completely confuse audiences, especially as Inhumans' poor ratings suggest that even Marvel's core audience may not have watched it.
It's also a convenient way for Marvel to sidestep the failed experiment of the Inhumans TV show. With its Disney+ projects, Marvel is creating a more coherent TV universe to complement the MCU. It's already adapted elements from existing Marvel shows by featuring Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Vincent D'Onforio's Kingpin in Hawkeye. Killing Black Bolt in Multiverse of Madness and changing Kamala into a Djinn rather than a NuHuman in Ms. Marvel makes it very clear that Inhumans is one property that Marvel has no current interest in reviving.
New episodes of Ms. Marvel are released every Wednesday on Disney+.
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