Over the past day and a half, Ms. Marvel has been trending, ever since Disney+ aired the season finale of the show. Another term that has been trending is “Inhumans,” but if you’re not a Marvel fanatic, or an expert on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you may not have understood the conversation. So, here’s a bit of context (this is a minor spoiler for the show, so if you haven’t seen the finale and don’t want anything spoiled, come back when you’ve finished the series).
Throughout the series, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) has wondered about the true nature of her superpowers. They were activated by an ancient bangle that she inherited (and which reminded us a bit of the ten rings in last year’s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). As her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) told her in a recent episode, the bangle wasn’t the actual source of her powers, but it did unlock them. Her powers come from within her. But how and why?
In the comic books, Kamala’s powers come from the “terrigen mists,” which is also the source of power for the Inhumans. So, let’s talk about them a bit: the Inhumans were introduced to the MCU (sort of) in the ABC show Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. One of the main characters, Daisy Johnson (played by Chloe Bennet) was an Inhuman. At one point, Marvel announced an Inhumans movie.
Here’s where business issues in our universe affect the story: Kevin Feige is Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, overseeing all aspects of the MCU. But at that time, he only handled the films, not the TV shows. And for some reason, The Inhumans went from being a feature film to a TV series on ABC. (Allegedly, Feige didn’t want a film franchise to start in a TV show that he had no control over.)
Anyway, The Inhumans series, which aired in 2017 was a rare flop for Disney/Marvel: it was canceled after just a few episodes and was not referenced again in the MCU. There was even a debate over whether the ABC Marvel shows (The Inhumans, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter) are actually part of the MCU’s “canon.” But when Black Bolt — the leader of the Inhumans — made a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans felt that the MCU was recognizing the Inhumans. Black Bolt was played in the film by Anson Mount, who also played the character in the series.
Which brings us to the Ms. Marvel season finale, where Bruno uses “the m-word.”
#MsMarvel Finale SPOILERS
— Evan | PME 🎬 (@0fficialPME) July 13, 2022
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
I was honestly not expecting THIS kind of TWIST to the character. But if they never want to acknowledge the Inhumans again. This was probably the safest route. I'm honestly still surprised by it! pic.twitter.com/OLIvMTb1Jv
He tells Kamala that there’s a mutation in her genes; in other words, she’s a mutant. The MCU had previously been legally barred from using the term “mutant” because the X-Men are mutants, and the X-Men property was owned by Fox, not by Disney. But since Disney recently purchased Fox studios, Marvel now owns the X-Men and all of their characters and storylines. And now it looks like Kamala’s story, which will continue in next year’s The Marvels, will be tied to mutants. She may somehow lead to the introduction of the X-Men into the MCU; this also seems to signal that we won’t be seeing any more of the Inhumans. Fans had a lot to say about this, and about Mr. Feige. Check out some of the reactions below.
