In the war between DC and Marvel, I'm a Marvel guy. No offense to the Justice League but I prefer Stan Lee's ragtag misfits, most of which would never get an invite to one of Bruce Wayne's swanky cocktail parties. It's more fun to root for the outsider.
Get ready to start cheering for underdog Kamala Khan, the main character in "Ms. Marvel," which starts streaming Wednesday on Disney Plus.
When we first meet the teenager, played by Iman Vellani, she's worshiping the Avengers in the same way her peers geek out over BTS. She has no expectations of becoming a real superhero; she just wants to dress like one. Getting permission from her strict parents to attend a comic book convention means more to her than getting invited to prom.
Everything changes when she tries to jazz up her Captain Marvel costume with one of her great-grandmother's bangles. The bracelet gives her the ability to harness cosmic energy, allowing her to pull off stunts like walking in midair and rescuing a kid hanging off the edge of a building.
Yeah, I know. Not exactly spine-tingling stuff. But "Ms. Marvel" isn't about saving the world from alien forces, at least not in the first few episodes. It's about getting some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Her most daunting enemy early on? Mosque leaders who force women to sit behind partitions during sermons.
When she debuted in comic books nearly a decade ago, Khan became Marvel's first Muslim superhero to get top billing. The TV adaptation, led by British-Pakistani writer Bisha K. Ali, doesn't shy away from her heritage or faith.
We meet colorful characters at an Asian market in Jersey City. Her wise-cracking brother comforts her with a mug of chai. Her dad roots for the Pakistan cricket team. Her best friend shares how deciding to wear a hijab has boosted her self-image.
