The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has just concluded the first season of its latest series Ms. Marvel with Iman Vellani finally making her debut as the titular character and one of MCU’s youngest superheroes. Aside from Vellani, the cast also features several The Walking Dead alum Matt Lintz and veteran actors Zenobia Shroff (Madam Secretary, The Resident) and (Hostages, Crime Next Door)
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A hit among critics and viewers, Ms. Marvel is essentially an origin story, delving into the transformation of Kamala Khan into the popular comic figure Ms. Marvel. And while Vellani’s Kamala will next appear in the upcoming MCU film The Marvels, fans are also left to wonder if her solo series would return for a second season for now.
Ms. Marvel Is An Origin Story
In Ms. Marvel, Vellani’s Kamala discovers her superhero abilities after she discovers a bangle from a box of random stuff sent over by her grandmother (Samina Ahmed) from Pakistan. This ultimately leads her to discover her true identity as well as what happened to her grandmother and great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat) during the Partition.
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The main twist in the story is that Kamala does end up doing a little time-travel to save the life of her grandmother who was just a toddler at the time of the Partition. The last time the MCU took up time travel was back in Avengers: Endgame and Ms. Marvel showrunner Bisha K. Ali just knew that no one would see this coming.
“I don't think anybody suspected the direction we were going in, as the show was coming out, and it was very hard for me to sit on the fact that we were,” she said.
In the end, however, the time travel did more than save Kamala’s Nani (grandmother), it also led her on a journey of self-discovery. At the same time, it brought her closer to her family who ultimately helps her transform into the Ms. Marvel that fans can readily recognize from the comics.
“She's actually wearing the symbols of the people that love her, and that are a part of who she is, and she draws her biggest powers from,” Ali also pointed out.
Will There Be A Ms. Marvel Season 2?
In some ways, the post-credit scene from the final episode of Ms. Marvel gives fans a sneak peek at what’s to come when Vellani joins MCU veteran Brie Larson in the upcoming film The Marvels. As fans may recall, Kamala suddenly disappears from her bedroom and Captain Marvel (Larson) unexpectedly takes her place.
What happens next is anyone’s guess for now but Ali is sure that Kamala is ready for just about anything.
“She starts as a teenage girl living her life in Jersey City, but by the end of this show, she better be ready to do whatever it is they're going to do in The Marvels,” she explained. “That maturity across the arc of the show felt like something that was really needed. That was the key piece.”
As for the future of the Ms. Marvel series itself, that’s currently up in the air as well. Recently, Marvel’s Kevin Feige unveiled several confirmed MCU shows and films for both Phase 5 and 6 at the San Diego Comic-Con, and Ms. Marvel wasn’t mentioned here.
Is Marvel Studios Canceling Ms. Marvel Due To Low Viewership?
While Feige didn’t reveal all the scheduled shows for Phase 6, it is also worth noting that Marvel Studios was quick to renew Loki and the animated series What If...? for a second season in the past. At the same time, fans may also recall that Ms. Marvel was initially pitched as a limited series (much like Hawkeye and Moon Knight) although theoretically, Marvel can always bring it back if it feels right (although the show’s relatively low viewership may also affect that decision).
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Ali (who previously worked on Loki) also admits that there have been no discussions about returning for a second season so far. “I don't know the answer at the moment, I think because the finale just ended on Wednesday and, you know, it's 2022, and I first met on the show in like March 19, 2019, that's a long old chapter of one's own life in real time,” she explained.
That said, if a second season were to happen, Ali believes it would be better if someone else would serve as its showrunner. “So, I don't know that I am necessarily the right person to tell more stories for Kamala. I'd love to come back to direct an episode or two, I'd be more than happy to do that because that's the next thing that I really want to be doing with myself and my career, but I don't know right now,” she explained.
“I would be happy for someone else [to come in], because this the other thing [...] a community of people make this show and I'm more than happy for someone else to come and be like what's the burning story that you want to tell with this character?”
As fans wait for an update on Ms. Marvel, the MCU continues to move towards the end of its Phase 4 slate. Up next is the series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is set to premiere on August 17. As Feige had also confirmed at the San Diego Comic-Con, Phase 4 will end with the much-awaited sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
