Explaining Ms. Marvel’s Major Power Change In The MCU

Official artwork for Ms. Marvel has confirmed that the superhero will have a major superpower overhaul. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is changing  core aspect of her abilities. Iman Vellani is one of MCU Phase 4’s most famous rookie heroes. She is confirmed to be a part of The Marvels, where Vellani’s character will team up with Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau.

Ms. Marvel is a very well-known superhero in the comic book fan circles. Fans are well-versed with her origin story and powers. But the promotional artwork for the series may have confirmed that Ms. Marvel may be keeping the comic book look but not her comic book superpowers. This phenomenon is somewhat in line with Marvel’s recent superpower overhauls for iconic Marvel characters. The Eternals had many of its heroes get a change in abilities to keep up with the story. The MCU has taken incredible liberties whole showcasing the powers of popular heroes on the big screens. But this is the first time an MCU show’s lead character is getting such treatment. Let’s explain how Ms. Marvels’ MCU power change affects the MCU.

Ms. Marvel – How Her Comic Book Accurate Powers Work

Kamala Khan is a descendant of a race of superhumans called the Inhumans. They were the result of a genetic experiment done on ancient humanity by the Kree. Each Inhuman is blessed with one superhuman ability. But to unlock it, the Inhuman must undergo a process called Terrigenesis. Kamala Khan, after being exposed to the Terrigen Crystals, got the ability to “embiggen” herself. She generally embiggens her fists to hit her opponents with incredible force, knocking them out of the park.

But her size altering ability goes far beyond than just enlarging her hands. She can also alter the size of her entire body, an ability similar to Ant-Man‘s Pym Particle enforced transition. Ms. Marvel’s embiggening powers also allow her to shapeshift. She has total bodily control of her hair, skin, and bone structure. This comes in handy when she is trying to camouflage herself or when disguises are required. She also possesses a superhuman regenerative healing factor, able to cure her from fatal injuries in minutes.

How The MCU Has Changed Her Iconic Abilities

As can be seen from the artwork, Kamala Khan’s powers do not embiggen parts of her body like in the comics. Instead, her hands can be seen covered in some form of a massive energy construct. Her actual hand is still the same size so she is using some form of energy manipulation to create a construct that looks like a fist. This means that the MCU is letting go of her body size altering ability for energy based powers.

Another speculation is that the wrist bands Ms. marvel is seen wearing on her wrists look very similar to Nega-Bands. Worn by the original Captain Marvel, the Nega-Bands are a piece of advanced Kree technology. They can convert mental energy into physical constructs, which would explain the crystalline energy fist in the artwork. If this is indeed true, then Kamala Khan doesn’t have any powers of her own. She is relying on alien technology to become a superhero.

That’s a risky gamble that could easily backfire if you ask us.