Marvel dropped a trailer Tuesday for “Ms. Marvel,” an upcoming Disney+ series that features Marvel Studios' first Muslim superhero.
The newest Marvel limited series, set to release June 8, follows Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani American girl from New Jersey who struggles to fit in at school and home until she’s endowed with superpowers.
From directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Meera Menon, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the six-episode series follows Kamala, played by Iman Vellani, as she obsesses over superheroes and writes fan fiction about them, particularly the Avengers and Captain Marvel.
The trailer shows glimpses of Kamala’s life — including praying at a mosque, attending high school and daydreaming about boys — before showing how it transforms with her new superpowers.
Kamala’s powers eventually give her the ability to create energy stepping stones and throw punches with a large energy fist. Her blue-and-red suit looks similar to Captain Marvel’s — and Kamala is set to appear in the “Captain Marvel” sequel “The Marvels,” which is scheduled to be released in February.
“Ms. Marvel” was initially set to be released in late 2021 but was pushed back after the pandemic delayed other Marvel releases. Kamala, who first appeared in a Captain Marvel comic in 2013, was given a solo comic series as Ms. Marvel in 2014, Variety reported.
Aramis Knight (“Into the Badlands”), Mohan Kapur (“Crime Next Door”), Zenobia Shroff (“The Big Sick”), Matt Lintz (“The Walking Dead”) and Saagar Shaikh (“Unfair & Ugly”) also star in the series.
Obaid-Chinoy shared her excitement on Instagram.
“Here’s to creating stories that represent all shades of superheroes,” she wrote. “The future is in her hands.”
Social media users also celebrated the addition of a Muslim teenager to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The “Ms. Marvel” trailer comes on the heels of the Disney+ release of “Turning Red,” Pixar’s first feature-length film directed by an Asian woman. The film received favorable reviews by film critics and audiences — along with some criticism that it was “alienating” to feature a female protagonist of Asian descent.
