Ms. Marvel marks the beginning of what should be a prominent role for Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) in the MCU. Marvel Studios already confirmed her role in The Marvels, which will see her meet with her favorite hero, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), as well as Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). There is still a long way to go before Kamala Khan is fighting alongside these two MCU heroes, as Ms. Marvel episode 1, "Generation Why," firmly plays the role of setting up her life and superhero origin. The show primarily focuses on establishing Kamala Khan's normal life at school, with her friends, and with her family, along with making her Avengers obsession clear.

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Kamala Khan's life changes in a major way by Ms. Marvel episode 1's ending. Her days of being a normal teenager dreaming of what it is like to be a superhero are over, as she now has powers of her own that she must learn to control. However, Ms. Marvel's MCU powers are drastically different from what comic readers are familiar with. This was expected after seeing glimpses of her abilities in Ms. Marvel's marketing materials, but now the show's first episode provides a better look at Kamala Khan's new powers and origin for the MCU.

Ms. Marvel’s Comic Powers & Origin Explained

Kamala Khan's comic origin of becoming a superhero begins when she is in high school, well after her obsession with Captain Marvel is formed. Her life changes when she is returning home from attending a party and Jersey City is suddenly covered by Terrigen Mists.

Unbeknownst to Kamala, she had latent Inhuman genes in her DNA, so the exposure to Terrigen Mists kickstarts her Terrigenesis process. She becomes wrapped in a Terrigen cocoon and has visions of talking to Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man. When she emerges from the cocoon, Kamala Khan's Inhuman abilities kick in; these include her body morphing itself to look like a younger Carol Danvers.

Kamala's Captain Marvel transformation highlights the core of her powers in Marvel comics. Ms. Marvel is known as a polymorph, someone who can change their shape. Altering her entire appearance to look like Carol Danvers is not how Kamala typically uses her abilities, however. Ms. Marvel's comic powers usually revolve around Kamala embiggening her entire body or specific parts, such as her arms or legs. This gives her Mister Fantastic-like stretching abilities, as well as growing powers similar to Ant-Man. Ms. Marvel's powers also include a faster and stronger healing gene compared to normal humans.

Related: Ms. Marvel Is A Huge Step Forward For The MCU's Next Avengers Team

How Ms. Marvel’s MCU Powers Have Changed (& Why)

As explored in Ms. Marvel episode 1, the MCU has reinvented Kamala Khan's origin and powers. Her powers still manifest after sneaking out, but this time her powers are not Inhuman — at least not in the same way. Terrigen Mists and the process of Terrigenesis are completely absent, as Marvel Studios links Kamala Khan's MCU powers to a family bracelet. It is only after finally putting on the bracelet that Kamala has a cosmic vision and emerges with new powers. The MCU seemingly reinvented Ms. Marvel's embiggening powers by having them be energy-based instead of her body actually stretching. This also allows for an extension of her abilities, as the cosmic bracelet allows her to form certain energy constructs and platforms.

Ever since the Ms. Marvel power change was hinted at, there has been a lot of debate as to why the MCU altered Kamala Khan in such a way. The thought that Marvel changed them based on the visual similarities between Kamala's powers and Reed Richards has been debunked. Concerns about the shared universe not wanting to touch Inhumans have also been put to rest after the surprise Black Bolt cameo in Doctor Strange 2, even though Inhumans are not established in the main MCU timeline.

The real reason the MCU's Ms. Marvel has different powers is likely part of her long-term place in the MCU. Giving her cosmic powers immediately creates a bridge to her appearing in The Marvels beyond her Captain Marvel fandom. It also leaves Marvel Studios with some wiggle room to add layers to Kamala Khan's MCU origin in Ms. Marvel and beyond.

More: MCU Phase 4 Makes Ms. Marvel’s Origin Change Even Worse

New episodes of Ms. Marvel premiere on Disney+ every Wednesday.