London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Ms Marvel: Critics praise Disney's 'joyful' first Muslim superhero story

Ms Marvel: Critics praise Disney's 'joyful' first Muslim superhero story

Critics have hailed the release of Ms Marvel, Disney's first on-screen Muslim superhero story, as a "joyful" slice of "pop culture history".

The show centres around geeky teenager and Avengers comic book fangirl Kamala Khan, played by Pakistani-Canadian newcomer Iman Vellani.

She struggles to fit in until she gains superpowers, becoming Ms Marvel.

In a five-star review, The Guardian said: "She's funny, charming and effortlessly bats off preconceptions."

The paper's TV critic Lucy Mangan wrote: "Normally, you would fear for a young actor, but Vellani seems so born to the purple [the colour of her powers] that you almost have to shrug and say, as an elder might to a nascent superhero in - oh, I don't know, the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] perhaps - that it is her destiny."

Mangan said the two available episodes of the six-part Disney+ series were "full of charm, wit, warmth, brio and truth".




Marvel superheroes have been leaping off the pages of comic books and onto TV and film screens since the 1970s, but more recently there have been attempts made to diversify its characters.

Early in the new series, Khan notes the lack of superheroes that look like her. "It's not the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world," she sighs, focusing her attentions on being an artist, vlogger and Avengers superfan instead.

However, that that soon changes when she happens upon an old bracelet that belonged to her reputedly mystical great-grandmother.

"The bangle allows her powers to be tied to Kamala's Pakistani heritage and the trauma of Partition in particular," Mangan continued.

The Disney Plus series is her first on-screen appearance


In a four-star review, the Financial Times said Vellani's on-screen debut "charms" in "an adventure story as much about heritage as battling evil".

Journalist Dan Einav described the series, which depicts the Khans as an ordinary family, as "a small yet significant piece of pop culture history".

He wrote: "That Kamala is a practising Muslim of Pakistani origin isn't treated as incidental.

"Like the recent Pixar film Turning Red (and everything from Bend It Like Beckham to The Big Sick), the series humorously and sensitively reflects on the cultural gulf between parents rooted to tradition and children caught between their sense of identity and the desire to assimilate."

Khan first appeared in a solo comic book series in 2014, and Rolling Stone magazine described the character as "a genuinely great addition to the Marvel superhero ranks in print".

Alan Sepinwall's review of the streaming adaptation said that, in the first two episodes, she is still a "fascinating" character in the context of an on-screen teen drama, but cast doubt on her "uninspired" superhero credentials.

"The best and worst thing I can say about Ms Marvel is that there are long stretches where it's easy to forget it's a Marvel show," he wrote.

He added: "The show's first two instalments do such a strong job of establishing Kamala, her family, her friends... and the local Muslim community, that the MCU tie-ins can feel almost beside the point."

Her newfound superpowers, he underlined, serve as "a metaphor for Kamala trying to expand what she can be beyond familial and societal expectations".

Vellani will reprise her role in the upcoming movie The Marvels


The actress, who secured the role at an open casting call on her last day of school, seems to agree with his assertion, telling The Express Tribune: "I think that's the main theme of our show - to subvert expectations and throw away all the labels and become your own person."

She noted how her Pakistani heritage was something she had been "very dismissive about" and "disconnected from" before making the show.

While noting the efforts of the producers to improve representation, The Independent judged Ms Marvel to be "brash, tolerable and very much made for kids".

Critic Nick Hilton wrote: "I'm not here to review good intentions - indeed, Marvel is such a rampantly commercial enterprise that there are doubtless cynical motives at play here - but it's refreshing to see such commitment to creatives of South Asian origin leading a high-profile project."

He noted that the series was written by British-Pakistani comedian Bisha K Ali and directed by Belgian duo Adil & Bilall. "The creative influences are far more Michel Gondry and Edgar Wright than anything from South Asian film, but the whole thing is infused with a deep love of South Asian culture all the same," he said.

"But I suppose the only real question is whether this works as a superhero property."

For Empire magazine, the answer to that question was yes. In a four-star review, Destiny Jackson wrote: "Frothy and fun, Ms Marvel's opening act is relatively lightweight, but for both adults and its teen target audience, it's a compelling and unique addition to the MCU.

"For those who can roll with the punches of the awkward-but-relatable approach, there is much promise here."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×