Ms Marvel Season 1 Review

Ms Marvel is a production of Marvel Studios starring Iman Vellani. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, this series has touched on some sensitive and hidden themes.

Kamala is an American-Pakistani teenager who loves superheroes and comics. A confused and failed girl who believes in herself and follows her dreams. She found a golden bangle which gave her superpowers, making her a superhero. It is her journey of finding out about her origin and fighting with a group of Djinn to save her world. In the end, she also fights with Damage Control agents to save her friends and her identity. 

Though this series revolves around supernatural elements, it has realistic themes in it. As I have discussed in my previous reviews, this series has grabbed my attention just because of these realistic elements.

Kamala and her family are immigrants, residing in America. Their conversations and scenes do show the issues which immigrant families do face. In this series, they have focused more on the Muslim community's issues.

It has highlighted how much hatred Muslims are facing in America. Damage Control agents coming into the Masjid and not even giving a damn about the Holy Place's respect portrayed the hatred which Muslims are facing in the world. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has brilliantly portrayed it in a light tone but has emphasized it by repeatedly showing it.

There are scenes of Eid and Marriage celebrations in the series. This shows the bright side of the Muslim and Pakistani communities. How they are related, how much respect they have for each other, and how harmless they are; these scenes rejected Pakistani phobia or Muslim phobia.

Another major theme is present in episode 5 of this series. This episode is in Pakistan where Kamala went back into the 1940s to find the truth about her lineage. It shows the time when the Subcontinent was in the British Raj and Pakistan, India was going to be separated.

In just a few scenes, by adding some romantic elements, this episode fully portrayed the pain our ancestors go through. It tells us about the pain and horror of that time.

Aisha, a role played by Mehwish Hayat, and Hassan, the role played by Fawad Khan, were the only Muslims residing in the Hindu village. First, they fight against the British for their rights. And then, they faced the hatred of Hindu neighbours.

But, a scene in the episode told us that some extremists burned and killed Muslims, and some wanted peace and wanted to live together. There were both parties, but due to extremists, fear was at its peak. This drove a lot of people to leave their houses and migrate.

The scene at the railway station is an epic one. It shows how desperate people were to flee from the horror. And, how they were leaving their friends, relatives and houses behind. This is the result of extremism and hate prevailing in the subcontinent.

This series also speaks of motherhood. Kamala's parents were overprotective because of society and their love for their daughter. Aisha sacrificed everything just for her daughter. In the end, Najma also sacrificed for her son. This shows how strong a mother and a female are.

Another lovely theme of this series is friendship. The whole last episode revolves around this theme. It tells the power of friendship and what are the qualities of a true friend. Though the last episode is full of war, this beautiful theme is also embedded in it. 

But, despite all these amazing themes, there are some negative points in the series too.

There are a lot of actions which are against Islamic teachings. This series doesn't portray Islam, but a real image of second-generation Muslim immigrants. Viewers shouldn't mix both of them. 

Take care of this element while watching this series, and you will learn a lot while enjoying this series.