Kamala Khan loves Marvel. She’s obsessed with every costumed crusader, writes elaborate fan fiction of her favorite heroes, and openly gushes about superheroes at every chance she gets. If you imagine the average K-Pop stan, then multiply them by ten, you might get somebody as full of passion and zeal as Kamala.
The thing is, I used to be a lot like Kamala. From childhood and well into college, I was obsessed with Marvel. When I was younger, I idolized Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Punisher. As I got a bit older, I felt a tangible connection to She-Hulk and Elektra. Marvel was an ever-present staple of my life, and for years, I proudly called myself a Marvel fan.
So what changed? In a word, adulthood. As I started to look at the unique problems tied to the Western comic industry, it got harder and harder to geek out like I used to. That joy gave way to cynicism at the way Marvel treated its properties, not to mention the mistreatment of creators and constant capitulation to the worst sorts of fans. As my favorite comics became shadows of their former selves, and as I became more exposed to the woes of the creative community, I felt scared off from loving comics as hard as I used to.
One day, I just made myself stop. I didn’t pick up my hold box at my local comic shop. I cancelled all my comic app subscriptions. I stopped buying She-Hulk merch, especially after their ill-advised, kinda sexist reboot of the character. I just… gave up on not only Marvel, but on Western comics in general. For a few years, I stopped paying attention entirely - or tried to, at least.
But a little voice in the back of my head remained. The voice of me, as a little girl, babbling on about how cool Spider-Man is. I could still hear the exuberance I used to feel, and every once in a while, I’d wonder if I could ever get it back. In a way, I suppose that voice is what compelled me to pick up Marvel’s Avengers. I saw Kamala Khan, a longtime favorite, taking on a leading role in the campaign, and knew that I at least had to give this game a chance.
And even though I haven’t finished it quite yet, I’m glad I threw down the money. Sitting down with Avengers yesterday was some of the most fun I’ve had with a AAA title in quite some time, and I think a large part of that is due to Kamala’s role in the plot.
Kamala takes on the mantle of the proverbial “true believer” here. After a cataclysmic terrorist plot succeeds in killing and mutating millions, superheroes are outlawed across the board. The Avengers are disbanded, Stark Industries is liquidated, and public opinion of heroes sours almost overnight. On top of that, millions of people have new mutations thrust upon them, and if they show any signs of their newfound powers, the sinister AIM Corporation will snatch them up for unethical experimentation.
But Kamala, gifted with the ability to stretch her limbs out at will, wants to fight for a better world. She still believes in the righteousness of superheroes. She still idolizes her childhood heroes. She still decorates in almost exclusively Marvel paraphernalia. Despite the world telling her to move on, she refuses to give up her passion and resolves to restore the Avengers’ good name.
She does all of this with a smile and an arsenal of jokes. In a game that should, in concept, be a grim and dour muck of moral ambiguity, Kamala’s enthusiasm prevents it from becoming too much of a grimdark bummer. Her witty banter and boundless charisma both feel authentic, and because of that authenticity, it’s easy to buy into her worldview.
This worldview - a perspective that superheroes are the best thing since sliced bread - helped awaken some old memories. Being seven and excited beyond belief for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man - the first big blockbuster I remember seeing in theaters. Being nine years old and obsessed with Ang Lee’s Hulk, and constantly badgering my parents for toys, posters, and trading cards from it. Being seventeen and discovering She-Hulk for the first time, and realizing that she was the kind of woman I wanted to be in my day-to-day. Shopping for comics at a local store, and bonding over comics with somebody who would go on to be one of my biggest role models.
Seeing Kamala’s unshakable enthusiasm for and faith in superheroes made me reflect on when I used to feel that way. And upon reflection, well, I’ve started to wonder why I don’t try and get back into comics. There’s a constant glut of them coming out, so there’s bound to be something there if I give it a chance. Sure, I hate Marvel’s new direction under Disney. Sure, I don’t think the comic industry is the best place for a trans woman. And sure, I’m still bitter about what they did to She-Hulk.
But why let that get in my way? It didn’t before. There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, after all, and if I let the worst parts of an enterprise weigh me down too much, there’s arguably not a point to liking anything ever. I’m realizing that it’s possible to love something and still ask for it to be better. I’m realizing that I can still love corporate comics in addition to the small press stuff I enjoy, just in a more informed way than before.
It’s all thanks to Kamala Khan, and in particular, her stellar depiction in Marvel’s Avengers. Thanks to her love for masked vigilantes and caped crimefighters, and her unshakable faith in superheroism as an enterprise, she truly earns the name Ms. Marvel.
