Ms. Marvel’s Powers and Origin in the MCU Will Differ From Comics According to Kevin Feige

Early intel from Disney+’s eagerly-anticipated Ms. Marvel show are apparently right on the money, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character will be making some changes to the character’s powers. That’s according to Marvel honcho Kevin Feige who, in a new interview with Empire magazine, revealed that there will be changes made to Kamala Khan’s powers, which will more closely align her with the other members of the Captain Marvel family. In the comics, Kamala is inspired by Carol Danvers, but her powers come from being an Inhuman, whose powers were activated by Terrigen Mist.

Marvel’s The Inhumans was the studio’s biggest failure to date. The short-lived ABC series had a lot of hype going in, and even got a one-night theatrical release for a “movie” edited together from its first two episodes, but once it was over, it wasn’t referenced again until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

“We adapt the comics; it’s not an exact translation,” Kevin Feige told Empire. “[Kamala] came about in a very specific time within the comic-book continuity. She is now coming into a very specific time within the MCU continuity. And those two things didn’t match.”

It’s true: The Inhumans were being so hyped in the comics at the time, in part, because the X-Men and other mutants were unavailable for film and TV, so the comics were following suit. Now, the former Fox film properties (including the X-Men) are now under the Disney umbrella following Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Studios IP library.

In the comics, Kamala’s most identifiable power is the ability to “embiggen” herself, with her most iconic images all featuring giant, stretchy hands. In teaser footage, the character drew comparisons to DC’s Green Lantern, replacing the stretch effect with energy-based constructs.

“What we will learn about where those powers come from, and how they come about, is specific to the MCU,” Feige told the magazine. “You will see great comic splash panels in some of our action sequences. If you want big, giant hands and arms, well they’re here in spirit, if not in stretchy, plastic-type ways.”

And it’s apparently the disparities in her backstory that leads Kamala to find her place among the other “Marvels,” setting the stage for the 2023 sequel.

“It taps into the future of her story as it connects to her other friends that she will meet in the upcoming film The Marvels,” explained Feige. “She’s interested in knowing, ‘Great, does that mean I’m an Asgardian? Did I get hit with gamma rays?’ No, it’s seemingly none of those things. It goes to her own past and her heritage and lineage.”

Ms. Marvel is set to debut on Disney+ in June.