After originally being slated for a late 2021 release, Ms. Marvel will now introduce Kamala Khan into the MCU in 2022. Leading actress Iman Vellani briefly shared her excitement for the series, saying that her involvement alone is "inspiring."
Little is known about the project thus far, though the series will pave the way for Ms. Marvel to crossover into Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris' The Marvels. Kamala Khan isn't the only character on her show to make the jump to the films, though, as some of her supporting cast will be along for the ride as well.
Many wondered how Marvel Studios would adapt Ms. Marvel's powers to stretch and 'embiggen' into live-action, with a leaked promotional image raising more questions about its approach to the MCU's incarnation.
Now, a new rumor indicates that Ms. Marvel's powerset will be getting a visual overhaul in her debut series...
Ms. Marvel's Green Lantern-Like Powers
According to movie insider Daniel Richtman, Kamala Khan's embiggening powers will reportedly be adjusted for the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series.
Instead of having stretching abilities akin to Mr. Fantastic, Ms. Marvel's powers are rumored to instead resemble the light constructs that Green Lantern is able to conjure.
The MCU's Take on Kamala Khan
Though this alteration may seem superfluous at first, it is sure to be controversial among comic purists. In the comics, Kamala Khan's ability to embiggen fed into her own arc of overcoming self-consciousness. Altering the visuals of her powers would potentially do away with this, which may result in the MCU either altering Kamala's arc in the series or finding a different angle to tackle these themes.
Marvel Studios likely made the call to alter Ms. Marvel's powers due to a few key factors. Giving Kamala abilities that are more in line with Green Lantern would help differentiate her from Reed Richards, allowing the stretching to be saved for Fantastic Four when it finally rolls around.
Perhaps there is also an issue of budget, with the CGI for light constructs potentially being more achievable than creating convincing skin stretching effects for television. The light-based abilities also put Kamala more in line with Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau's powers, creating more of a tangible link between the heroes.
The MCU has done a relatively good job at adapting its source material and staying faithful to the cores of its original Marvel Comics characters, but this wouldn't be the first time that the film adaptations went through a major overhaul. Even looking back at the film that started it all, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is a major departure from how the character was portrayed in the comics prior to the release of Iron Man.
Inevitably, there are going to be changes when adapting to the screen, so hopefully, Marvel Studios' latest alteration will pay off like the ones it made before.
Fans will get to see how exactly Kamala Khan's powers are adapted when Ms. Marvel hits Disney+ in 2022.
