Warning; Spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 4
Ms. Marvel episode 4 shows that it’s breaking an MCU tradition when it comes to how superheroes get their comic costumes. The fourth episode of Kamala Khan’s Disney+ series brought her closer to becoming the popular teenage superhero from the comics. However, her transformation isn’t complete – yet.
Ahead of her team-up with The Marvels, Ms. Marvel is having her MCU origin story told in her six-episode Disney+ show. As a teenager, Kamala is slowly developing control over her newfound abilities, which were accessed when she got her hands on a mysterious bangle linked to her bloodline. She’s obviously a long way from being a character who can keep up with Captain Marvel, but Ms. Marvel episode 4 pushed her in the right direction by giving her first full fight with a super-powered opponent in the form Aramis Knight’s Red Dagger. As for her comic costume, the show has yet to take that step with her, but it has provided teases of it. Marketing and artwork confirm she’ll look identical to her comic counterpart before the end of the series.
Ms. Marvel’s approach to Kamala Khan’s costume proves that for the show, the MCU is tossing out a golden rule for its superheroes. Regardless of how long it takes for a character to become a hero, their costumes tend to arrive fully formed. Ms. Marvel, on the other hand, is getting her suit in a completely different way. Instantly of giving her an instantaneous transformation in the same way that the MCU did for heroes like Doctor Strange, Ms. Marvel is putting Kamala’s comic look together piece by piece. In episode 3, she received the mask, and now she has the blue vest. Episode 5 could potentially add another article of clothing, with episode 6 providing the finishing touches.
Evolving Kamala Khan into Ms. Marvel in small steps is an interesting way of doing it, but one that contrasts greatly with how the MCU has debuted most of its costumes. Characters like Captain America and Iron Man ittedly started out with early prototypes, but they were abruptly replaced with different, completed designs. Other characters, such as Black Widow, Moon Knight, and Star-Lord started out with their MCU designs right away. For others, costumes are functional uniforms or just what they wear into battle, which is the case for superheroes like Shang-Chi and Thor.
Instantly having a character don their full MCU look makes it possible for Marvel’s movies and shows to offer some exciting costume reveal scenes. But since the MCU's Kamala Khan is already almost to that point, such a moment for her character may not be as effective in Ms. Marvel. However, that may not be a problem. So far, abandoning this unspoken rule has worked for the show, and fits with the TV show format. As a story that’s much longer than any MCU movie, Ms. Marvel has an opportunity to gradually craft her comic costume, with each stage holding some level of meaning for her character. The mask represents her need to hide her identity, whereas the blue vest symbolizes her heritage.
Ms. Marvel releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.