Ms. Marvel has just landed on Disney Plus, and if there’s one key takeaway to draw from the series, it's that it’s like nothing the MCU has done before. Sure, that might be down to very self-apparent reasons, but only one seems to really jump out of the screen and that is none other than the show’s unique animation style.
In that regard, it’s Ms. Marvel and not What If…? that comes closer to achieving a tame MCU version of what Sony did with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, albeit in very different doses, considering Kamala Khan’s adventures are not animated but live-action instead. Nevertheless, that only makes what directing duo Adil & Bilall pull off in the pilot episode even more impressive. Ms. Marvel dares to imagine what it feels like for a teenager to live inside their own comic book world.
Setting The Tone For Ms. Marvel
Such a drastic change cannot be put in place so suddenly, which is perhaps why Ms. Marvel opens up with an imaginative montage made by Kamala for her own YouTube channel, Sloth Baby Productions. It's a creative recreation of the events that unfold in Avengers: Endgame, with the admitted bias of a Captain Marvel stan. More than anything, though, it's the best insight to Kamala's Marvel fangirl world, what really drives her, and a glimpse at how animation will be used in the show.
Into the Spider-Verse was such a hit because it is, after all, a very good movie, yet it's impossible to imagine it existing without that distinctive art style that makes viewers genuinely feel as if they've been thrown into a comic book. Ms. Marvel does this more casually. It's not the series' biggest selling point, but having entire sequences play out as comic book panels does the show and Kamala a lot of favors.
Why does the show need to do this? Well, contrary to most other Marvel properties, Ms. Marvel — at least the Kamala version on Disney Plus — is a very recent comic book, only coming out in 2014, thus making her a character that's really evolved into who she is in the MCU era where comics are more mainstream than ever. Directors may want to turn this teenager into Spider-Man, yet the difference is that Kamala isn't bound by as many of the traditions or mainstay plot points that fans have seen for decades countless times.
If every Marvel show on Disney Plus tends to tackle a different genre, then Ms. Marvel is a mixture of teen comedy with superheroes. It's a series that has to take itself way less seriously, and that alone makes it perfect to be seen through the eyes of a Marvel-obsessed teen.
Why Animation Works In Ms. Marvel
Kamala is the archetypal daydreamer. It’s the single most puzzling characteristic about her in the eyes of her conservative Muslim parents, and it’s important to convey this divide as her relationship with her folks is a defining aspect that needs exposition in Ms. Marvel’s quest for representation. It doesn't really take much for Kamala’s imagination to run off to her comic book world to come up with plans for sneaking out of her house. Even her best friend Bruno can’t even keep up at times.
In a way, Ms. Marvel’s use of animation might remind some viewers of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The subtle but crucial difference is that Scott and company exist in a comic book realm, while Kamala wishes to live in one — the Marvel one, to be specific. Every piece of comic book text that shows up on screen is a stark reminder of Kamala’s own artistic inclinations and, ultimately, the decision to become a cosmic girl in the MCU’s space phase, rather than just the normal overprotected teenager her parents want her to be.
Ms. Marvel is far from the first or only series to use message bubbles; by now, this has become a mainstream practice. However, its singular animation style is what makes them such a gorgeous part of the overall shot composition, which is what truly gives the show a ton of personality. This is even more special because the Ms. Marvel comics also put their own spin on Kamala’s creative nature. In the MCU’s case, it’s a first for any show to lean in so heavily into such a style.
It’s hard to argue whether Ms. Marvel is either a flop or a success after just one episode, and the fact alone that Disney decided Kamala could share the spotlight with Obi-Wan Kenobi does say a lot about the tame expectations the studio could have had for the show. Regardless, the MCU’s first teen comedy does enough to distinguish itself from almost every other superhero. Whatever it may lack in terms of story or substance becomes easier to forgive due to its showcase of pure style.
Ms. Marvel is currently available to watch on Disney Plus.