Ms. Marvel's first episode has already given audiences some new MCU insight into how the Avengers are viewed by fans like Kamala Khan. Much like Spider-Man is portrayed in the MCU, Kamala spends her days marveling at the thought of becoming a young superhero. The debut installment of the streaming series also teased some future Marvel elements that fans can look forward to in future MCU phases, and it's already made Ms. Marvel out to be a big piece in Avengers' future.
WARNING: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Ms. Marvel.
The latest Marvel series shows off a unique animation style to accompany the live-action storytelling of Kamala Khan’s life as a Muslim girl from New Jersey with strict parents, making it all the more enjoyable to watch as Kamala daydreams about heroes like Black Panther and Captain Marvel. This makes Ms. Marvel one of the most unique MCU projects to date, but it doesn’t stop there.
Ms. Marvel also did something that Marvel hasn’t done with any of its Disney+ shows thus far; the new streaming series included a classic MCU post-credits scene in its debut episode, and it's already making huge implications for Marvel's newest star.
Department of Damage Control Wants Kamala Khan
Shortly after the credits begin to roll on Ms. Marvel’s Disney+ debut, fans were treated to an extra scene featuring Agent Cleary—an agent of the Department of Damage Control who was featured in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The stinger opens with a shot of a buzzing phone on a cluttered desk, presumably at a police station with the sticky notes and “WANTED” fliers scattered about.
The camera then pans to a woman named Deever, who picks up the smartphone and immediately shows it to Agent Cleary as it plays a video of “a teenage girl at AvengerCon.”
Played by Arian Moayed, Agent Cleary quickly dismisses Deever’s interest, claiming the girl is “just a teenager with too much time on their hands.”
It isn’t until Deever claims she’s “never seen powers like that” that Cleary takes a closer look.
It’s then revealed that the footage shows Kamala at AvengerCon when she puts on her mysterious bangles and loses control of the power that comes from it, causing panic and destruction at the convention.
Immediately after viewing the short clip, Cleary tells Deever to “bring (Kamala) in.”
The quick scene closes with a close-up on Cleary, teasing that he’ll be another player in the Ms. Marvel story that fans will have to watch out for.
What Agent Cleary Wants with Ms. Marvel
Few fans were expecting Agent Cleary’s surprise appearance in the Ms. Marvel series, which has presented a handful of new MCU questions. His inclusion adds a curious layer to the new Disney+ show as it’s still somewhat vague what his role in the show will be.
One thing the post-credits scene did make clear is that Agent Cleary is coming after Kamala—the puzzling part is why he’s doing it.
The last time Cleary was seen was in Spider-Man: No Way Home when he arrested Peter Parker. In the same sequence, Cleary also appears to be manipulating Peter's family and friends into giving him information about the wallcrawler’s superhero endeavors. Considering that’s the only experience that MCU audiences have with Agent Cleary so far, many fans are likely going to take his appearance in Ms. Marvel as a bad sign for the new high school hero.
While it’s possible that Cleary will be another problem for Kamala Khan to overcome, no one truly knows what Cleary is actually up to at the Department of Damage Control. Although he may have come across as a bit conniving in his last appearance, there are other MCU characters like Nick Fury and Maria Hill who give off a similar, “all-work-no-play” vibe when there’s something that they need from a hero. With that in mind, all fans have seen Cleary do thus far is gather information the same way SHIELD does: efficiently and effectively with a dash of intimidation.
Speaking of Nick Fury, it’s important to remember that Agent Cleary told Peter Parker in No Way Home that “Nick Fury has been off-planet for the past year.” Peter never found out that it was the Skrull, Talos, posing as Nick Fury throughout the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, so Cleary knows something that even Peter doesn’t. What other heroes is Agent Cleary interacting with, and what else does he know?
Is Agent Cleary Assembling the Young Avengers?
Nick Fury is notoriously known for compartmentalizing information, but it does seem unlikely that a federal agent like Cleary would know Fury’s secret whereabouts yet not be informed of Peter Parker’s innocence. With that in mind, Cleary could be working from a totally different angle than what fans took away from his appearance in No Way Home.
When Cleary says to “bring (Kamala) in” before the final credits roll, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s in trouble. Fans can gather from the post-credits scene that Cleary and his team were already on the lookout for super-powered people, but it isn't clear why. What business does the Department of Damage Control have looking into enhanced individuals?
If Cleary is affiliated with Fury closely enough to know his current whereabouts, then perhaps the DODC took notes from Fury on how to recruit new heroes in his absence. The DODC could be looking to form a new-age Avengers Initiative—one that follows all of the current superhero legislation. Getting to Kamala as soon as her superpowers surface is just how Nick Fury would assemble his team, and Kamala's inexperience as a hero can benefit the DODC since the adults are the ones taking issue with superhero laws like the Sokovia Accords.
With the Sokovia Accords still in place, perhaps the DODC's unique flair is only going after younger heroes that aren't as set in their ways as all the old, rebellious Avengers. In the current MCU, it may be easier to find newer supers that will be more inclined to operate in accordance with the Sokovia Accords. After all, the Department of Damage Control was founded by Tony Stark and is the world’s ultimate response team to global catastrophe—it makes sense that the DODC would be recruiting their own team of superheroes that would abide by the Accords more closely.
Perhaps Cleary and the DODC are looking to build their own response team, comprised of young heroes who can respond to threats and disasters of all kinds—a group of Young Avengers.
The first episode of Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney+.
