Ms. Marvel #14 is currently available to read right now as its release date was on April 15th, which continues the brief story arc about a growing group of hostile Inhumans. It is obvious that this new origin story in the mainstream Marvel Universe may have played a role in creating an origin story for the Inhumans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where Skye and Raina have that sort of DNA.
The previous issue had left off when Kamran, the son of family friends, revealed his Inhuman secret to Kamala. It was infatuated love at first sight because Kamala has found someone she can relate to on many different levels, which concerns her protective older brother. It turns out that Kamran is Kamala’s ideal man because they are science-fiction geeks, avid online gamers, Pakistani-Americans raised in conservative households, and Inhumans.
It was either by fate or coincident that Kamran came in contact with the Terrigan Mists.
Kamran came into contact with the Terrigan Mists when he was busy cleaning out his house after moving back to Jersey City. I had my suspicion about Kamran after he revealed himself to Kamala after she defeated Kaboom, one of the hostile Inhumans trying to take over Jersey City.
I’m not surprised at the ending because Kamran, the “golden boy” in his family, is encouraging Kamala to break rules and traditions. I obviously understand where this is going on a sociopolitical standpoint because Kamran also feels the family pressure.
What did I think about Ms. Marvel #14?
I loved it, enough said.
This issue was mostly character-driven rather than plot-driven because everybody else is getting taken along for the ride. Kamran surprised me at the end when he revealed himself, which led to him to start breaking all sorts of Islamic social taboos.
That obviously has Kamala concerned out of fear that she’ll get punished by her parents. Kamala’s 16-years-old, which means that she’s still a minor. It is obvious that Kamala has head-over-heels for Kamran.
They show off their abilities to each other and Kamran surprised me because he’s like the second coming of Gambit. I know Gambit is perhaps the one person in the mainstream Marvel Comics universe with the ability of bio-kinetic charging, but Kamran’s body takes on a crystalline appearance when the power is activated.
As they are about to kiss for the first time, security guards spot them on the building.
It leads to the next day, where Kamala is barely awake and is greeted by Bruno, one of her best friends.
That turns into an awkward situation when Kamran drives up in his expensive car and offers to take Kamala to school. Bruno is shocked that this is the same “dreaded Kamran” that Kamala and her brother have been talking about the whole time.
I feel bad for Bruno because he doesn’t really have a chance with Kamala.
Bruno points out that he does share a few things in common with Kamala. They are second-generation Ethnic-Americans as their parents were immigrants. Kamala’s family immigrated from Pakistan and Bruno’s family emigrated from Italy. They both were raised in conservative religious households, but Bruno’s defense is shot down by Kamala’s brother even though he’s beloved by the Kahn family.
This brings up a valid point on what it’s like to be raised in a conservative Muslim household.
I doubt that this is the last time that Bruno will try to make a play for Kamala’s affections, which can be added to the growing list of problems in her life. Being the new Ms. Marvel has proven to not be easy because there are plenty of obligations.
My suspicions about Kamran, which I pointed out in the last issue, are proven when his duplicity is shown during the car ride. He finds that being an Inhuman is a blessing because it allows him to break free from the shackles of conservative Muslim society, which he insists that this “destiny” is bigger than school.
He gives the implication about willing to blow off going to MIT.
They get into a heated argument as Kamran insists that the Inhumans are better than regular humans, where he implies that Kaboom was right all along. He insists that Kamala stop protecting the “weak” and “defensive.”
I found that this mirrored Skye’s current story arc in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If you are keeping up with the second season, then you’ll easily draw commonalities between this issue of Ms. Marvel and the latest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D because Kamala and Skye do have things in common.
Kamran subtly reveals his allegiance as he knocks out Kamala with a bio-kinetic tap to the back of the head, which shorts out her brain.
Kamala wakes up in a secret facility, where she tries to escape only to be incapacitated by Kaboom.
She meets the group’s ringleader, Lineage, who has Kaboom and Kamran standing by his side. It is obvious that Lineage is going to force Kamala to join his side, but I wouldn’t be surprise if Medusa kept a close eye on her.
This shows that Jersey City is going to be the ultimate battleground between Inhumans.
I find Kamran to be a complex villain because he’s not that different from Kamala. In fact, they do have strong feelings for each other. They live under constant pressure from their families to uphold the traditions of Pakistani culture and Muslim society. Kamran obviously wants to use his power to enjoy his freedom and Kamala found her calling as a superhero.
I give Ms. Marvel #14 a grade of A+ because this “romantic drama” is getting interesting.
