On June 8, Marvel Studios' seventh Disney+ series will debut, introducing audiences to another new hero: Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. Unlike Moon Knight or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel is a grounded, coming-of-age tale that's expected to lead into 2023's The Marvels, which not only stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan but also Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris.
Granted, it's unusual for Marvel audiences to know when a character will return before their own origin story premieres; however, that fact is one of many first Ms. Marvel is bringing to the MCU.
In addition to the series being Iman Vellani's first acting role, Ms. Marvel is also the franchise's first Pakistani American superhero. It's also worth noting her superpowers from the comics have been altered for the Disney+ series in order to better suit The Marvels.
While Ms. Marvel is somewhat of a departure from the Multiversal and mythological tones of recent MCU projects, and despite the controversy concerning her new power set, the first critical reactions to the series have been positive. And now, audiences have an idea of how long the show's first two episodes will be.
How Long Is Ms. Marvel?
As reported by The Direct's Julia Delbel, the first screener episode of Ms. Marvel had a 47-minute runtime, while the second clocked in at 49 minutes. However, these times may not be what fans see on Disney+ come next month...
It's expected that these times for Episodes 1 and 2 will be different once they're listed on Disney+ in the U.S. This is because Moon Knight's final runtimes, which were also revealed via advanced screeners, were 2-3 minutes longer than the screener times due to the final subtitle/dub credits that weren't included until the show publically debuted.
Since fans can expect the same thing with Ms. Marvel, on US Disney+, they'll likely be listed as follows:
- Episode 1: 49-50 mins
- Episode 2: 51-52 mins
The titles and other episode lengths have not been revealed.
What is the Target Runtime for a Marvel Disney+ Show?
In comparison to Marvel Studios' previous Disney+ shows, Ms. Marvel's runtimes appear to be consistent with its predecessors.
Hawkeye, Loki, and Moon Knight have all hovered just under that 60-minute mark. In fact, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first and second episodes were both 51 minutes long, while Loki's runtimes were 52 minutes and 55 minutes respectively.
In late 2021, Hawkeye's debut - which also introduced new MCU heroine Kate Bishop - was 50 minutes with its second only being two minutes longer. Finally, Moon Knight's introductory episode hit 48 minutes before increasing to 53 by Episode 2.
Even though these numbers vary, it's never by much; and since Ms. Marvel is keeping to similar lengths, this now appears to be the target runtime for the MCU's Disney+ shows.
To date, both WandaVision and What If...? have been the lone exceptions. However, this can be attributed to their mediums and format. For instance, WandaVision's sitcom-centric first episode was only 31 minutes before ending with a traditional MCU episode finale that clocked in at 51 minutes.
Being an animated series, What If...?'s premiere episode was only 37 minutes and roughly maintained that average length throughout its first season.
While audiences will have to wait and see what Ms. Marvel's actual episode lengths will be, Moon Knight may be the show to keep an eye on in terms of comparing episode lengths throughout its six-episode season.
This is due to the fact that the Oscar Isaac-led Moon Knight was the first Marvel Disney+ show to introduce a new character without the presence of a pre-existing MCU character; and now, Ms. Marvel looks to be the second.
The first episode of Ms. Marvel premieres June 8 on Disney+.
