Ms. Marvel Generation Why Review: A star is born in clever MCU Coming of Age Series

Iman Vellani delivers one of the most authentic coming-of-age performances as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel.

Kamala is the type of teenager who spends most of her days with her head in the clouds. The first Avengers Con is coming up. Kamala and Bruno, her best friend, are aiming to win the cosplay contest. If only she can convince her parents to let her go. There’s definitely a friend for now with the potential of something more to their relationship. The way Bruno builds her up is swoon-worthy.

Vellani’s ability to switch from comedy to drama, sometimes within the same scene is reminiscent of Hailee Steinfeld‘s performance in Edge of Seventeen. Steinfeld as Kate Bishop with Vellani is a pairing that may just melt the screen with their positive radiance. Similar to Kate, Kamala has a favorite Avenger.

Kamala’s mom, Muneeba, has a strict outlook on her daughter’s fantastical interests. Muneeba is an over-bearing type of mother, but in the hands of Zenobia Shroff, everything she does comes from a well-meaning place of love.

Bisha K. Ali‘s script in Generation Why is fantastic. He makes sure to balance out the endearing qualities of Kamala with some selfish tendencies, which adds to the authentic teenage performance from Vellani. When her Mom offers a compromise to allow Kamala to attend the con, Kamala scoffs at the offer. She even offends her father in the process.

The amount of creativity is incredible. Simple scenes like riding a bike down a New Jersey street are full of energy. Kamala’s fantasies are brought to life in animated form. Graffiti moves, Captain Marvel flies and plans are hatched with visual panache.

The focus on a Muslim family in New Jersey is well done. There’s not much handholding. Whether you’re religious or not, most people can understand a parent having a particular path in mind for their child.

All of these coming-of-age themes mesh together with the beginning of a superhero origin story. The only issue with the episode is the action sequence wasn’t as creative as other aspects of the series

Action is important, but the family dynamic, handling of religion and friendship are what make this series unique.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in Generation Why. There may be some minor spoilers. Ms. Marvel is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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What does good mean in Ms. Marvel?

Like any great coming-of-age story, the protagonist needs to start off trying to find their place in the world. Ms. Marvel changes things up a bit. Kamala, herself, isn’t concerned. Everyone with the exception of Bruno is concerned about Kamala’s future.

Her guidance counselor uses a Mulan lyric to try to make Kamala consider her future. Her mother wants her daughter to focus on making good grades, dressing appropriately and abandoning what she feels are delusions of grandeur.

Kamala may live in the clouds and her friend Bruno makes sure she keeps her head in the upper atmosphere. Kamala laments her ability to save the world due to her race and religion. Bruno responds with this simple, sweet pick-me-up phrase “You’re Kamala Khan. You wanna save the world. Then, you’ll save the world.” This is before her powers come to light.

The concept of what is good and what is different is fantastic in Ms. Marvel. Muneeba has such a narrow, some would say strict outlook on what “good” means. From Kamala’s viewpoint, “good” means independence and showing strength like her hero Captain Marvel does. Her Mom’s “good” speech clearly is Ms. Marvel‘s great power comes great responsibility moment..

Teen Rebellion

Kamala isn’t an obedient child. Every time her mom says no, she rebels. Throughout Generation Why, Kamala wants to attend Avengers Con.

When she finally gathers up enough courage to ask for permission, her mother says no. Her brother commends her bravery and advocates for Kamala. Her parents soften their stance, but with a compromise. Kamala can go, but her father must go with her. Kamala scoffs in embarrassment and hurts her father’s feelings in the process. Like mother, like daughter, this scene is a great example of Kamala’s stubbornness.

If Kamala doesn’t attend with her father, then she’s not going to the Avengers Con. Kamala immediately hatches an escape plan with Bruno. The plan has a few snags, but Kamala makes it in her awesome Captain Marvel costume.

After the Con, she arrives back at the house way past her curfew. Her mom is waiting and rightly scolds Kamala for going behind her back. Kamala is a little preoccupied with her glowing hand.

Cosmic Power

Generation Why takes time delving into Kamala’s powers. Kamala’s mom received a package containing family heirlooms. One of the items is a bracelet of sorts. Kamala thinks it looks cool. Her mom calls it junk.

Kamala and Bruno have the Captain Marvel costume mostly complete for the cosplay contest. The costume needs some flair to make it stand out. Bruno suggests Kamala adds something from her heritage. Eventually, Kamala settles on the bracelet.

Kamala’s first Avengers Con is eventful. She accidentally triggers the bracelet which shoots transformative energy beams. A few people are injured, but she’s also able to save a few people. Basically, that’s the only superhero element in the episode. Generation Why ends with Kamala in bed, looking at her glowing hand and saying “cosmic.”

Ms. Marvel Final Thoughts

Generation Why is one of the most confident starts to an MCU series. Ali seems to have a complete handle on Ms. Marvel‘s scope. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah bring a lively feel to every scene.

All of that strong aspects are bolstered by Vellani’s star-making performance. Vellani makes Kamala a funny, charismatic and relatable character. Kamala’s selfishness could come across as mean-spirited, but not with Vellani as the character.

There’s still a major question over how the series will handle heavy special effects and action scenes. There is fantastic animation used to add creativity to rote scenes. Unfortunately, the action sequence felt predictable and by the book. If the end of the episode is any indication, then the action could be the show’s lone weakness. However, it’s such a small part of the episode, that it’s tough to come down too hard on the episode.

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