The MCU's Ms. Marvel Has Very Different Powers Than The Comic Version

Changing a comic book character's powers to better fit a cinematic universe is nothing new — Spider-Man's web-shooters famously became biological for Sam Raimi's take on the film, for example. Now, the trailer for the Disney+ series "Ms. Marvel" shows us a slightly different take on Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). It appears that the character's stretching abilities are going to be changed a bit, and the source of those abilities comes from a different source than her comic-book counterpart. 

In the Marvel comics upon which "Ms. Marvel" is based, teenage fangirl Kamala Khan is exposed to Terragenic mists that give her incredible superpowers. The Terrigen bomb unlocked Inhuman DNA inside of Khan, giving her the ability to morph her body in innumerable ways. Khan can stretch, shrink, change her appearance, and more, essentially turning her cells into molecular Silly Putty. She also glows gold when she uses her powers, a result of her alien DNA and Terragenic energy.

The live-action version of the character seems to glow a fantastic opalescent blue-purple when she uses her powers instead, and there isn't as much stretching as the comics might imply. Then again, we've only seen one trailer, and there could be plenty of limb-lengthening yet unseen. It's refreshing to see a power so inherently comic-booky presented in live-action, especially when it didn't look great for Mr. Fantastic in any of the "Fantastic Four" adaptations. Khan is a comic book fan herself, so it only makes sense that she would have powers that reflect her love for the medium. 

The other major change is the origin of Khan's powers. Instead of making her an Inhuman with latent powers activated by terragenesis, the trailer shows her wearing a pair of powered gauntlets that resemble Nega-Bands, created by the Kree and given to Captain Mar-vell in the comics. Since Khan's hero, Captain Marvel, fought alongside the Kree, the transfer makes quite a bit of sense. The bands are also more in line with the main theme of "Ms. Marvel": anyone can be a superhero. By removing her Inhuman ancestry and simply giving her an extraordinary cosmic weapon to wield, the folks behind the "Ms. Marvel" series are making it even more inspirational and universal. 

The six-episode first season of the series will be an origin story for Khan, and will serve as a tie-in to the upcoming "The Marvels" film, starring Larson as Captain Marvel. The series was created by Bisha K. Ali ("Loki") and will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah ("Bad Boys for Life"), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ("Satara: Let Girls Dream"), and Meera Menon ("Halt and Catch Fire").

"Ms. Marvel" is set to premiere on Disney+ on June 8, 2022.