Tales From The Land of Tigers

I was 13 years old when I first watched The Avengers with my family, which of course, was a global phenomenon that would shape the future of cinema. And with any piece of fiction that hooked me, I'd scour the internet for the latest fanart, discussions, speculations, and theories.

What I found was that the comics had far advanced beyond the MCU. Ironheart, Speed, Mighty Thor, and of course — Kamala Khan. Sitting there in awe of the events that would unfold, I wondered "Man...I'll probably be 30 when we see these on the big screen". 

What ensues is Kamala's parents blaming her driving instructor for not teaching her properly before cutting to the show's intro. 

Oh and the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal! Composed by Laura Kaupman, who also did some tracks for What If?, Ms Marvel's tracks feel like your aromatic blend of classic Marvel cinematic goodness with Pakistani spice. 

So, we find out that Kamala and her pal, Bruno, wants to go to AvengerCon, which man, would be SO COOL to have in real life. Ok anyway, Bruno is pretty much Kamala's Ned Leeds, being the guy behind the chair who's awesome at tech-stuff. I was worried he'd be written off as "generic tech best friend", but he's got a lot of heart to him, being super kind and supportive of Kamala as well.

We also got a brief introduction of Nakia, another one of Kamala's close friends. We see that she's friends with Kamala, but not much else than that. They'll probably flesh that out in later episodes. As the trio made their way through the clamour of high school, Kamala bumps into the main "villain" of the episode. Zoe, your resident material girl. 

She didn't do much of 'bullying' per se, but they're pretty much setting her up as Kamala's rival. Zoe along with Kamala's family and teachers, believe that Kamala spends too much time in fantasy land instead of thinking about her future. But the future will have to wait, as Kamala and Bruno have been planning a wonderfully-made DIY Captain Marvel cosplay for the con! We really get to see their tender friendship here, as Bruno helps her put the costume together, from spray painting the suit to creating LED gloves later on in the episode. 

As they bike across the streets of New Jersey, planning what final piece they should add to the costume, we're treated to fun comic-like animations in the background that complement the on-screen narrative. More on this later, but it's done so in such a subtle, yet striking way that's such a treat to view.

Back at home, Kamala receives a box from her Nani (grandma) full of supposed junk. Among the precious spoils is a particular bangle of sorts. If the musical cue (or trailers) told you anything, it's that Kamala is holding the very source of the powers she has yet to receive. But, her mom tells her to put it away and get ready to do some shopping for her brother's wedding. 

Oh, I gotta praise the cinematography here cuz there's this one tracking shot that they totally did not need to do, but it made the scene all the more interesting. So far all the shots in the episode were really well done! They went above and beyond for otherwise generic looking scenes like biking or walking from point A to B. 

We cut to a montage of a colourful district, rich with desi culture and sights. It's a small moment, but seeing that, along with Kamala's mother's gossip with her aunt really brought out the beauty of Pakistani culture, not just through traditional clothes or food, but also through their mannerisms and conversations. 

At home, things aren't quite as whimsical as Kamala has to face an Avengers-level threat; getting her parents' permission. She musters up every bit of courage to ask her parents' permission, to which we get:

I gotta tell you man, I related to this scene so much. I'm a con-going, cosplay-loving, geek as well and explaining the appeal of pop culture events like a convention to parents' is not an easy thing to do. Also, after watching her in her DIY costume, I couldn't help but feel like "wow...so this is how I look geeking over cosplays huh". Hahaha but that's the best part, I saw myself in her, which hasn't happened before in previous Marvel films or shows. 

They handled the scene quite well. You got the "once-in-a-lifetime teen event vs parents' safety concerns debate which did not feel one-sided at all. Or maybe cuz I'm an adult now. Yikes!

Anyway, what follows is an INCREDIBLY creative way of depicting two friends texting each other. I've never been this impressed with a texting scene since the ones they did on BBC's Sherlock. 

So beard brother enters the room to find a bummed out Kamala, complimenting her bravery. He even offers to convince their parents for her, which y'know, awww super sweet. Best brother award goes to Aamir (sorry Pietro). And wouldn't you know it, it worked! 

The next day, we see Kamala solemnly trying on her cosplay with doubt across her face. She even considered tying a sash around her waist to cover up more. Growing up with a sister myself, I understand the struggles of balancing your aurat with what you wanna wear, so mad respect. 

Boom, Kamala's mom enters and — gives her the greenlight! But that's not the only green around. Her conditions for allowing Kamala to go is that she can't wear her Captain Marvel cosplay as she deems it too inappropriate. Instead, she has to wear a scrappy 'mini' hulk costume her mom made herself AND go to the con WITH HER DAD, to which he barges in the room, face completely green, wearing own green-dyed hulk kurta. 

This scene was hilarious. It perfectly depicted parents doing genuinely thoughtful things for their kids, thinking they're gonna burst with happiness, only to make them facepalm with dread.  It's an unfortunate thing that I think every parent (including me one day) will face. 

But then, Kamala dropped the H bomb. "It's h-u-m-i-l-i-a-t-i-n-g". OOF. I was surprised how quickly they managed to shift tones. It didn't feel like your typical sad music = sad scene. It really felt like an unfortunate tragedy that everyday families face. I mean she must've been grateful that her mom gave her permission, but...you can't explain "cool" to parents. Tt's the kid dilemma. Like being embarrassed to hug your parents in front of your classmates at school, stuff like that. Parents feel hurt. Child feels bad. Feelings left unconveyed. 

The next day at school, Kamala devises a master plan for her and Bruno to make it to AvengersCon undetected. This perhaps, was my favourite sequence of the entire episode. It summed up how young adults plan stuff so well AKA badly. Time management out the window, complex steps that could've been way more simple, it was hilarious and unfortunately relatable.

One important note is that Kamala decided to use her Nani's mysterious bangle from before as the final flourish for her cosplay. Through some rigorous biking, they manage to make it in time. Turned out AvengersCon was held at Camp Lehigh of all places! OG fans should recognize the place, and it really made me feel super old seeing it turned into a place for a convention.

To Kamala, it was a dream come true! Cosplayers, merchandise, music, figures, it's everything a die-hard Marvel fan could ask for. But it was time for the main attraction; the cosplay competition. Several Captain Marvel cosplayers lined up on stage, and among them, was Zoe. Her cosplay of course, being more sleek and expensive than Kamala's, to which she pointed out wasn't even accurate to the actual suit. 

She puts on the bangle and a cosmic purple mist flows across her body, briefly causing her to witness another dimension with mysterious figures. Kamala scurries onto the stage, trying not to panic as she strikes a pose. Things go awry, as she conjures crystal-like structures that zoom across the crowd. One of it strikes an Ant-Man statue that causes a 'final destination' chain reaction, destroying the entire convention. 

Amidst the chaos, Zoe is struck with a giant Mjolnir prop and is about to have a fatal fall. Kamala leaps into action, extending her arm. To her surprise, a crystal projection of her hand zooms in and catches Zoe just in time!

Shocked and ecstatic at the fact that she has powers, Kamala and Bruno quickly rush home, a whole two hours later than their initial plan. As she carefully creeps into her room, mom was already waiting there. Yikes. 

Kamala's mother tells her to wake up and start focusing on who she wants to be, which to me, is more painful than grounding or scolding. She leaves the room, after asking Kamala whether she wants to be someone good or someone cosmic, to which Kamala, enamoured by her new glowy hands, replies "cosmic".

And that was episode one! I was surprised with how much they packed into a single episode. You had creative cinematography, drama, character establishment, world-building, it was an unexpectedly thrilling treat. Every character has been endearing so far. In fact, the episode wasn't even action-packed, but they somehow manage to put so much life into every scene. 

They managed to strike a perfect balance between comic-book like animations with real-life shots to not give you sensory overload. A lot of this was owed to the good colour grading as well that didn't make it seem too cheesy or 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'-like. 

I guess I should address the elephant in the room. Kamala's powers are different than the comics. They clearly did not go with the Terrigen Mists route and Mr. Fantastic-style embiggening. But from what we got so far, I'm totally fine with it. That "embiggening" scene on the stage made me giddy all the same as it was so surreal seeing Kamala Khan in the MCU. 

Overall, Ms Marvel was a charming, grounded, and colourful delight to dive into. It evoked a lot of latent passions I had when I first started the blog. In fact, it got me writing again as you can see! 

So, that's one out of six episodes done. See you next week for Episode 2!