Iman Vellani is known best for her role as Kamala Khan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since her debut, she has been extensively charismatic about her role and more enthusiastic about how she brings Ms Marvel to life. Out of the very many things that make her such a captivating superhero, one quality that makes her stand apart from even her comic counterpart is the way her power works. Unlike the original Ms. Marvel, Vellani’s version has some drastically different powers.
Although it is not unusual for the franchise to sidetrack from its original source, it is rare not to see the MCU also influence the comics in return. There have been many instances in which films and television shows have changed the way the stories of the comics were going. However, it would seem that The Marvels star would not be seeing the same fate.
Iman Vellani’s Version of Ms. Marvel Is Different
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for being its own entity compared to the Marvel Comics. While characters are brought from the source material, and storylines are loosely interpreted, the franchise as a whole stands on its own, making creative decisions as it sees fit. This has been seen ever since the start, and something we do this day in the franchise.
An example would be Thanos’s motivations for the snap, which, though in the MCU was of a selfless nature, in the comics, his character was trying to impress Death. Another example would be making Tom Holland’s Spider-Man have an Aunt May instead of Uncle Ben, who may have existed at some point but did not hold the same significance in his story. Similarly, decisions were made about Ms. Marvel and her power.
In the comics, Kamala can stretch and extend her limbs, change her appearance, and almost shapeshift. On the other hand, in the MCU, her powers were changed to that of a cosmic nature. She is able to create and manipulate a purple ‘hard light’.
Change In Powers For Ms. Marvel Will Not Be Seen In The Comics
While this change in Kamala Khan’s power made her stand out in the MCU, it did not come without some resistance. There have been past instances, but changes in the MCU have followed into the Marvel comics, becoming permanent parts of certain characters, or even introducing new characters. The perfect examples of this would be making Nick Fury black, the introduction of the character of Agent Coulson who did not exist in the comics, and most recently, the change of Loki from the God of Mischief to the God of Stories.
It was recently announced in the comic, Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #4, That the character of Kamla Khan would return from the dead with a new mutant gene. This caused many fans to fear that Marvel would be changing her original powers, and mirroring them to that of the MCU. The fact that Iman Vellani was one of the writers of this comic made it all the more concerning.
However, Marvel put all of these concerns at ease by revealing that this new mutation may have given her a new power or potential for greater power, she refused to change herself. While this is an opportunity for her character, to explore her powers more, it is no indication of it changing completely. This was reinforced by the fact that what makes Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel is not what kind of power she has, but who she is, in her personality and as a person.
Also Read: “I would love to see that”: Iman Vellani Reveals Her Pick For Ms. Marvel Season 2 Villain
