The Marvels Easter Egg Raises Questions About Kamala Khan's Origin

An easy-to-miss Easter egg in The Marvels is causing some confusion about Kamala Khan's origin as Ms. Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios caused a stir when it concluded its Ms. Marvel series on Disney+ by revealing that Kamala Khan is a mutant, a change from her comic book origin, where she is Inhuman. However, Kamala Khan's S.A.B.E.R. file lists her as being of Inhuman heritage, which would seemingly conflict with what the Ms. Marvel series established. This raises some questions about Ms. Marvel's true MCU origin and the status of the Inhumans in the MCU canon.

There are a few different possibilities here. One is that miscommunication or an oversight in confirming Ms. Marvel's MCU origin story led to an on-screen contradiction between Ms. Marvel and The Marvels. That seems unlikely, as Marvel Studios is typically pretty on top of its continuity. In-universe explanations include that S.A.B.E.R.'s files are incorrect or incomplete, perhaps because mutants haven't revealed their existence to the public in the MCU, or that Ms. Marvel is a mutant/Inhuman hybrid, which would match with her recently updated origin in the Marvel Comics Universe.

Is Ms. Marvel a mutant or an Inhuman in the comics?

Ms. Marvel's origin is complicated, even in the comics. As initially imagined, Kamala Khan was a mutant. However, at the time of her introduction in 2014, with 20th Century Fox still controlling the X-Men's film rights, Marvel Entertainment was trying to downplay the X-Men and push the Inhumans in their place. Thus, a decision was made to introduce Kamala Khan as an Inhuman instead.

Since then, the media landscape has changed. Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, taking back the X-Men's film rights and putting them under the purview of Marvel Studios. After the Ms. Marvel finale revealed that Kamala Khan is a mutant, Marvel Comics followed suit by revealing that Ms. Marvel is a mutant. However, they also kept Kamala's Inhuman heritage, revealing that Ms. Marvel is a hybrid and that her Inhuman powers somehow masked her x-gene and kept her mutant power from emerging. While her mutant power remains a mystery, it seems inevitable that Marvel will reveal that power eventually. It wouldn't be a surprise if Kamala's mutant power emulated her MCU construct powers, which differ from her "embiggening" abilities that came with her Inhuman awakening.

Are the Inhumans in the MCU?

The Inhumans were once planned to have a prominent role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An Inhumans movie was announced but never materialized, instead becoming a poorly received Marvel Television miniseries.

The exact status of the Inhumans in the MCU is unclear. They've been mentioned, and the Black Bolt of another timeline in the multiverse, played again by Anson Mount, appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the Inhumans have not made a prominent mark on the main Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

Ms. Marvel is streaming on Disney+. The Marvels just concluded its theatrical run as the MCU's lowest-grossing film ever. Ms. Marvel's introduction to the mutant side of the Marvel Comics universe has been told in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, co-written by MCU star Iman Vellani. A sequel series co-written by Vellani, titled Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menance, begins in March.