She's Their Biggest Fan

A Marvel-worshipping show about a Marvel-worshipping teen that somehow rings true.

- By Roxana Hadadi

WHAT STAGE OF CAPITALISM is it when the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten so big that its latest content is about worshipping itself? (“Economists, assemble!”) And how pleasant a surprise is it that Ms. Marvel, despite being a product shaped by that self-adoration, is actually a pretty good time? Very!

The six-episode Disney+ miniseries about Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Pakistani American Muslim teenager who discovers she has superpowers, is a vivid reminder that once upon a time, before they became the monoculture, these stories were primarily for adolescents. It has been a long while since the MCU had a proper coming-of-age tale— as soon as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man met Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, his youth was over—but that’s exactly what Ms. Marvel seems to be. Driver’s-license tests, college applications, first crushes: In the show’s opening episodes, the high-schoolset high jinks are so far a refreshing return to small-scale storytelling, with production design that incorporates daydreams during class and doodles in notebook margins. Yes, it’s odd that these high-schoolers reference only other Disney IP, like Darth Vader and Mulan. But there’s an enthusiasm to Ms. Marvel that feels genuine and is easily sold by Vellani’s winning half-grin.

Vellani’s rebellious, goofy, nerdy, and loyal Kamala shares a bit of DNA with the observant Cher of Clueless, the imaginative Tina Belcher of Bob’s Burgers, the emotive Mei Lee of Turning Red, and, most important, the determined Jess of