Ms. Marvel Producer Explains How Captain Marvel’s Thanos Fight Affects Kamala Khan

Ms. Marvel‘s co-creator explained how Captain Marvel’s fight with Thanos ended up influencing the younger hero. Sana Amanat spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Ms. Marvel’s big MCU debut on Disney+. During that conversation, the topic of Carol Danvers as an inspiration for a young Kamala Khan came up. In the comics, it’s completely understandable that a young girl would be drawn to the legend of a powerful Avenger who had been operating for years. In the MCU, a bunch of fans had been wondering how that would land. After all, Captain Marvel is relatively a newcomer on the scene. But, in Amanat’s eyes, that big moment in the battle for the world ended up making an impact. Carol Danvers really had the Mad Titan in a bad spot. (We know these stories have filtered down to the general public from other Marvel series and movies.) So, the spark of inspiration starts there.

“I think that is very, very similar to the comics. Obviously, in the Marvel comics, the story was different,” she notes. “[Carol] was Ms. Marvel in the Marvel comics, and she’s been around for much longer. But in this case, what’s unique is Captain Marvel is one of the few really well-known, big-time female Avengers, if you will.” 

“She had a pretty significant save in the battle against Thanos, and I think if someone who was young and looking out at the world, and she sees this really powerful, badass woman almost take down Thanos, what does that do to you?,” Amanat wondered. “How do you internalize that? I think that is a really important story to tell, not only about who your heroes are, but who are your heroes when you’re a young person of color? What does that do to your sense of self?”

Disney+ describes Kamala Khan’s big MCU debut: “Introducing Kamala Khan—a 16-year-old Pakistani American from Jersey City. An aspiring artist, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers—and one in particular, Captain Marvel. But Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel.”

Do you think we’ll see Captain Marvel in Ms. Marvel? Let us know down in the comments!