Over the last few years, Ms. Marvel appearing as part of a new diverse generation of heroes enriching its universe. Finding her footing in her first solo series, Ms. Marvel, by writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona, Kamala Khan was a revolutionary character due to the way that her story mapped the classic elements of a superhero tale onto the religious and racial specificities of being a second generation, Muslim Pakistani American growing up in Jersey City. From her powers as a polymorph to her costume that was created from a burkini, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel is an essential character to Asian American history in comics.
However, with rumors afoot that Kamala's powers will be changed to energy projection ahead of her Disney+ show, the character stands to lose a significant part of what makes her such an iconic Asian American superhero. Currently, word that was added to dictionary thanks to Kamala's popularity.
By changing Ms. Marvel's powers for the sake of brand synergy and other factors, Marvel Comics stands to lose a crucial dimension to how Asian American experiences have been explored in their comics. Of course, Kamala will still be an Asian American regardless of what her powers end up being in the MCU, but her specific origin story does what few comics have done for Asian American characters in the past: tell a story of self-acceptance. Kamala's powers as a polymorph are integral to her journey as an Asian American, and without them, she becomes assimilated into an existing mold for Marvel characters that is diverse in name and face, but not in depth or experience.
For decades, Asian American comics readers had very little representation at Marvel Comics, with characters like Shang-Chi and The Mandarin being stooped in racist stereotypes, and relegated to filling out obvious roles like martial arts masters. This is what makes Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel arguably the most important Asian American Marvel hero: her powers speak to her experiences as a Pakistani American without resorting to old stereotypes. Her shapeshifting powers not only reflect a powerful sense of creativity, but interprets an Asian American perspective for superhero comics in a completely novel and uplifting way.
Kamala Khan's debut as Ms. Marvel was a watershed moment for Asian Americans in American comics, going where characters in the past would have never been able to go. An early character called The Green Turtle by Chu F. Hing never took his mask off, despite his story taking place in China, likely because it was believed that American readers wouldn't gravitate towards an Asian character. It wasn't until The Green Turtle's story was explored by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew in 2014's The Shadow Hero that The Green Turtle finally took his mask off, revealing himself to be Asian. Kamala Khan's origin story as Ms. Marvel did what The Green Turtle never could, and by changing her powers in comics for the sake of brand synergy, Marvel Comics loses one of its most crucial contributions to Asian American history and culture.
