Ms. Marvel Might Have Set The Stage For This Major Marvel Group's MCU Debut
Warning: major spoilers ahead for the season finale of "Ms. Marvel."
"Ms. Marvel" has managed to cement itself as a stunning, worthwhile entry into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the show's season finale wrapped up its storyline quite well. There are many questions yet to be answered — most of them revolving around the nature of Kamala's (Iman Vellani) powers and her connections to the Noor dimension — but as Ms. Marvel is set to return in the upcoming "The Marvels," we might get more insight into the same in the near future.
Episode 6 of "Ms. Marvel," titled "No Normal" brought home the themes of solidarity and acceptance that run throughout the show. With Kamran (Rish Shah) spiraling out of control due to his newfound Clandestine powers, the group, including Kamala, Bruno (Matt Lintz), Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), Kamala's brother Aamir (Saagar Sheikh), and even Zoe (Laurel Marsden) band together to keep the Department of Damage Control at bay. After the events that go down, Kamala and Bruno catch up, and the latter drops a major truth bomb about Kamala's identity.
This reveal is massive in terms of the future of the MCU, opening pathways for major retcons or additions to the still-unfurling mythology inherent in the interconnected storylines.
A mutation in the genes
Kamala's powers, along with her origins, are different than that of the comics, as she has been propped up as being related to the Clandestines through her bloodline (her great-grandmother, Aisha). In the comics, she is an Inhuman, and this dormant strain is activated after Black Blot releases the Terrigen Mists on Earth, activating the powers of those born of the Inhuman gene. The show, however, takes a different route when Bruno tells Kamala that her genes are "off" when compared to the rest of her family — there is a "mutation" in her genes that sets her apart.
This line alone clearly sets up Kamala to be a mutant, which is a major revelation, as this officially introduces this major Marvel superhero group into the MCU. When this reveal is dropped, you can hear a quick orchestral cue from the epic theme song for "X-Men: The Animated Series," which further cements the significance of the reveal. Combine that with the recent '90s-style iteration of Professor X from Earth-838 in "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness," and there's a lot of potential here.
Kamala's revelation is in line with how mutation works in the comics. Mutants are humans who have the X-gene in their DNA, which is activated around puberty, granting special abilities to them in the process. Bruno also reiterates how the bangle is only the key to unlocking Kamala's powers, as the powers do not stem from the bangle, but from within Kamala. This obviously hints at the fact that people with the X-gene have been officially introduced in the MCU, and there's no going back.
Just another label (with great possibilities)
Identity is at the core of "X-Men" — both the films and the comics — as they have often been targeted for their mutations by groups unaccepting of who they are. Kamala hints at this, stating that it is just another label people are going to define her by, and one has to rise above these labels and just be who they are. While there has been no official confirmation that the X-Men will be a part of the MCU soon, the upcoming Marvel panel at San Diego Comic-Con could usher in a reveal about a possible "X-Men" project in the near future. At the very least, we also have the "X-Men '97" animated series coming to Disney+ to keep the dream of the '90s alive.
This paves the path for a proper introduction of mutants in the MCU, and as "Ms. Marvel's" post-credits scene features Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) swapping places with Kamala, this teases a connection to "The Marvels," which might act as a set-up for the mutants, or even the X-Men, in the future. A team-up between Kamala and her idol Danvers is inevitable, and it is also possible that Kamala might team up with the X-Men at some point, wherein we get to see the MCU's iteration of standard characters of the group, including Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey.
This also posits questions about how mutants came to be in the first place, and whether the Kree had a hand in it (as they did via experimentation, leading to the creation of the Inhumans), which is an interesting premise worth exploration.
While Kamala is not an Inhuman, it is a refreshing retcon that she is now a mutant, allowing new or underutilized mutant characters to emerge (here's looking at you, Gambit), and chart their own respective paths that merge into a well-crafted, comprehensive whole.
All episodes of "Ms. Marvel" are currently streaming on Disney+.