When the show first began filming, Ms. Marvel's plot was a mystery, as many initially speculated that Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan and Matt Lintz's Bruno Carrelli were sneaking out to go to a Halloween party at one point in the narrative. Soon after, it was revealed that they were actually sneaking off to AvengerCon and that the two of them worked together to make Kamala's Captain Marvel costume.
Evidence began to pile up that it was likely that the costume was for some contest at the convention, which Kamala even imagines winning in the trailer. As marketing continues to ramp up in the lead-up to the release of the Disney+ series, new stills have confirmed that Kamala's indeed competing in a cosplay contest.
Notably, one contestant in this scene can even be seen wearing a classic costume that Carol Danvers once wore in the comics.
Cosplay Contest at AvengerCon
Empire Magazine has released several new stills, as shared by @MsMarvelNews on Twitter, in their latest issue for the upcoming Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. The most interesting of these is a scene depicting what appears to be a cosplay contest for Captain Marvel at AvengerCon, in which Kamala Khan is participating.
If you interpreted this emoji string as a Captain Marvel cosplay contest… you would be correct https://t.co/S37gcSpqUS pic.twitter.com/dlleWn4UJh
The most noticeable part of this scene is that one of the participants, behind Kamala to the left, is wearing a variation of Carol Danvers' second classic superhero costume from the comics.
While not the same black and yellow color scheme, she's seen adorning a classic domino mask, leotard, and her red sash tied around her hips.
According to @MsMarvelNews on Twitter, one of the contestants will be Laurel Marsden's Zoe Zimmer, who could be this very contestant.
This MIGHT be Zoe, not 100% positive what her costume looks like. pic.twitter.com/KMhmlAbadK
Ms. Marvel Grappling With Self-Esteem Issues
When Kamala first gained her new powers in the comics, she shapeshifted into Carol Danvers in her classic, more sexualized leotard outfit. But, despite Kamala (literally) becoming the person she wanted to be, it didn't help her feel stronger, more confident, or beautiful; it just made her even more uncomfortable in her own skin.
However, this scene is now impossible, because Kamala no longer has her original powers from the comics. But, seeing this same costume could mean that the MCU show still intends to use it to help depict Kamala's self-esteem issues from the comics.
Suppose this contestant is indeed Zoe Zimmer, the mean girl from Kamala Khan's school who mocked her for her adoration of superheroes. In that case, it's easy to imagine Zoe winning this cosplay contest over Kamala, potentially playing into the hero's insecurities in the series.
Again, merely speculation, but this body issue that Kamala dealt with was key to her origin, so it would be great if the series kept some semblance of it in the series. Even if it's likely to mostly be regulated to dialogue between Kamala and another character rather than using Kamala's powers as a metaphor for these issues, keeping some of the DNA of the original comic run will be sure to please fans.
Fans will find out who will win this contest when Ms. Marvel is released on Disney+ on June 8.
