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Ms. Marvel Early Buzz: Iman Vellani Soars As The MCU's First Muslim Superhero

Ms. Marvel Marvel Studios
By Jeremy Mathai

After well over a decade of consistent box office hits, it's become popular to note that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is rapidly expanding the scope and scale of the franchise. The multiverse, cosmic threats, and crossovers galore have become common expectations, foisted upon the latest blockbusters and DIsney+ shows on the studio's ever-moving assembly line. But even more importantly, the last few years have seen the still-predominantly straight, white, and male-dominated MCU open its doors to somewhat more inclusive pastures. "Captain Marvel," "Black Widow," "Eternals," and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" all followed in the footsteps of 2018's "Black Panther," taking larger strides towards giving audiences much-needed representation on the world's biggest and most successful entertainment platform (though with plenty of work still to be done).

Disney+ has also emerged as a growing haven, both for supporting characters who've long deserved a spotlight of their own (hello, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, and more) along with some new emerging heroes as well (welcome to the MCU, Kate Bishop). "Ms. Marvel" will fall neatly into that latter category, finally giving the MCU its first Muslim superhero in the form of the fan-favorite Kamala Khan. Expectations have remained high for this new series, ever since the project was announced and especially after we received our first official look at the footage.

Finally, however, the time has come for some lucky critics and journalists to get a taste of the first episodes of "Ms. Marvel" for themselves. With the social media embargo now lifted, reactions are pouring in and fans will be pleased to hear that it's nothing but good news.

Ms. Marvel early buzz

Ms. Marvel Marvel Studios

Breathe easy, Kamala Khan fans! By all accounts, Marvel's highly-anticipated adaptation of the beloved comic book character seems to have gone over incredibly well. With the first two episodes made available to the press (out of 6 total), many lucky individuals have a greater sense of how this series will unfold. The early returns, apparently, are quite reassuring. /Film's Jeff Ewing weighed in, leading the charge with praise for young actor Iman Vellani's "wonderful performance." Expect to hear a lot more where that came from, folks.

Prominent South Asian writer Preeti Chhibber echoed those sentiments, at least based on the series premiere. Led by a creative team of Pakistani artists, "Ms. Marvel" appears to have done right in terms of proper representation. In fact, you can check out a full thread of responses from South Asian and Muslim writers here.

Drew Taylor of The Wrap makes the first of many comparisons to "Spider-Man," lauding Vellani along with the emotions of the story.

Collider's Perri Nemiroff calls attention to a few minor instances of VFX and set design shortcomings, but gives plenty of credit to the show's "charm" and Vellani's "charisma" in making up for those quibbles.

Saloni Gajjar of The AV Club specifically singles out the family dynamic at the heart of the series, which strikes the perfect balance of grounding it in Pakistani/Muslim culture without making it the sole focus.

Elsewhere, several other critics have nothing but positive things to say about "Ms. Marvel" as a low-stakes coming-of-age story, its stylistic flourishes, and, of course, Vellani's fantastic lead turn.

"Ms. Marvel" debuts on Disney+ on June 8, 2022. 

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