Marvel’s decision to have a Muslim girl pick up the Ms. Marvel mantel was a great forward step in growing the diversity that has always been lacking in our super heroes. The only problem is that they could have easily screwed it up by either trying to become too political about it, or worse, making her heritage be completely token.
So far in this first issue, Marvel is getting it right.
Kamala is a young woman who, like all young people, is having trouble figuring out who she is and where her place is. This is complicated by the fact that she is Muslim and, in the eyes of her classmates, “different”. Kids are cruel, and really, so are adults, whose bigoted nature can be very traumatizing. She wants to be herself, to fit in, but she also doesn’t want to give up who she is.
She’s a typical teenage girl, as she should be. Her family is also very typical in its dynamic.
One might think these were real people and not caricatures of a stereotype.
Go figure?
Now that she’s presumably gained powers, I can’t wait to see Kamala kick butt in wedged boots. She’ll have a few speed bumps on the road, that’s just natural, but she has the making of being a great super hero.
X-Men: The (fan fic) Series 