'Ms. Marvel': Backstory leaves some Muslim fans unhappy

Updated 24 Jun, 2022

Disney+ has offered a departure from the storyline fans have read in the comic book series, leaving some fans confused and unhappy, reported The National.

Although the show, Marvel's latest offering, has proven a success, raking up an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, including popularity within the South-Asian diaspora, the latest episode reveals have left some fans in shock and dismay.

Ms. Marvel begins screening in Pakistan

In the comic book series, Kamala discovers that she’s an Inhuman, part of a group of superhumans created by extraterrestrial race, the Kree, whose dormant powers are activated after coming into contact with Terrigen Mist.

However, in the latest episode, her powers are attributed to being a Jinn.

The backstory in episode three explains how her great grandmother is a member of the ClanDestines, a group of jinn exiles from the Noor Dimension.

Fun fact and spoiler warning:

It was finally revealed that Kamala's grandmother is played by no other than Pakistan's Mehwish Hayat.

Kamala also learns that the bangle she finds, which belonged to her grandmother, helps her to channel Noor, a light power that all ClanDestines possess, but cannot unlock fully outside of their own dimension.

Kamala later tells her best friend Bruno about the discovery. "I found out what I am, and it's not Asgardian or alien, or anything cool like that. I'm, like, the stuff of my childhood nightmares," she says, referencing the Jinns' place in Islamic mythology. "See, there's, like, ghost stories, and then there's jinn stories, and the jinn stories are always worse because they're real."

This revelation about Ms. Marvel's past has left a number of Muslim fans feeling frustrated.

A sweep of Twitter revealed that maybe exploring a religious and/or supernatural theme may not have been the right way to go, especially when trying to introduce a Muslim identity to the world.

Now keeping in mind that there are still three episodes left to air, the storyline could change.

"I mean, it is laid out as a limited series for her to go off and do other things," said Ms. Marvel show writer Sana Amanat in an interview with Screen Rant.

"It certainly establishes her [as a] hero. She will be going into The Marvels next, so that's kind of there. I hope we get a season two is all I'm going to say. I hope we're a part of that."

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