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Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel.
Ms. Marvel introduces many characters to the MCU, one of which is the Clandestine Kamran (Rish Shah), whose origins and potential powers are rooted in the original Marvel comics. Ms. Marvel episode 2, in which Kamran makes his first appearance, focused on the immediate aftermath of AvengerCon, as Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) attempted to learn more about her burgeoning superpowers. Kamala initially encounters Kamran as a cute senior at Coles Academic High School, which she also attends. The show set him up as a potential love interest, however, this quickly becomes complicated when it’s revealed that Kamran is actually a powerful Clandestine and the son of one of the series antagonists, Najma (Nimra Bucha).
At the climax of Ms. Marvel episode 2, Kamala’s attempts to rescue a young boy at the local mosque’s Eid celebrations draw the attention of the Department of Damage Control. On the run from their drones, she’s rescued by Kamran, just as she was when the police broke up Zoe’s party. When she gets inside the car, she’s introduced to Kamran’s mother, who has been dying to meet her. It turns out that Kamran and his mother are Clandestines, also known as Djinn – mystical beings from the mysterious dimension of Noor. This brings them into direct conflict with the Department of Damage control, and although the Clandestines don’t initially have Kamala’s best interests at heart, Kamran sides with Kamala by the finale and manages to reach the end of the show without becoming an antagonist like his mother (for now).
By the end of Ms. Marvel, Najma is dead and Kamran has absorbed her power. This allows him to manipulate light energy from Noor just as she could. He also has increased strength and speed compared to a regular human. Much like Kamala, his arc in Ms. Marvel is pretty different from his story and powerset in the comics, meaning it was difficult for even long-time Ms. Marvel comics fans to predict how his MCU counterpart would evolve as the show progressed. Both versions are powerful and potentially destructive, but there are several key differences between them. Here’s everything you need to know about Kamran from Ms. Marvel.
Kamran’s Marvel Comics Origin & Powers Explained
In the comics, Kamran and Kamala are childhood friends who lost touch, and his and Kamala Khan’s Marvel origins are both tied to the mutagen Terrigen Mist. Released by the Inhuman Black Bolt, the Terrigren Mist awakened the latent abilities of various people, including Kamran and Kamala, who later became known as Nuhumans. Kamran’s first comic appearance was in the three-issue Ms. Marvel arc entitled “Crushed,” which ran from March to May 2015. As in Ms. Marvel episode 2, Kamran also attracts the affections of Kamala while hiding his true intentions. He’s part of a plot by the villainous Inhuman called Lineage, who wants to rid the Earth of all non-Inhumans, and he wants Kamala to join him.
Interestingly, Kamran’s powers in the “Crushed” arc of the comics are aesthetically similar to those of Kamala’s in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ show of Ms. Marvel. In the comics, his body can emit bright, blue-white energy, not unlike the hardened, purple energy Kamala is capable of creating. Kamran is also able to use this energy to shock enemies or explode objects, differing slightly from how Kamala uses her own abilities. The fact that MCU Kamran’s method of introducing Kamala to his mother shares similarities with her introduction to Lineage in the comics suggests that there will be other similarities to the comics’ version of the character down the line, too.
By the end of Ms. Marvel’s six-episode run, Kamran demonstrates several abilities reminiscent of his on-page inspiration. For example, when fleeing the MCU’s Department of Damage Control, he accidentally blows up a bodega and takes out a subway line. This is pretty in line with the destructive potential of the biokinetic manipulation powers wielded by his comic book counterpart. Kamran in the MCU hasn’t had his full powerset for long (he acquired it during the show, whereas he’s introduced in the comics with his powers unlocked), so he hasn’t yet learned to harness and control it. However, given time, it’s highly likely he’ll be able to wield Noor energy in the same way comic book Kamran uses his Inhuman abilities.
Kamran’s Powers Are Destructive But He Isn’t The Villain – Yet
For the first half of the Disney+ series, it looked like Kamran and his mother might have been the villains in the MCU’s Ms. Marvel. In the end, though the racist, authoritarian bullies at the Department of Damage Control were Kamala’s true foes. However, that doesn’t mean Kamran or his late mother, Najma, were completely innocent. Kamala and Kamran team up against the DODC in the Ms. Marvel finale, but Kamran is driven by anger and a lust for revenge. These are classic villain motivators, and it could be that Ms. Marvel’s season 1 Kamran arc is an origin story for his place as an antagonist in season 2. Not only would Kamran as a villain be pretty in keeping with his comic origin, but it would also suit the clearly unpredictable and volatile nature of both his powers and his personality.
Once he inherits the Clandestines’ Djinn powers from his mother Najma after she crosses the Veil, Kamran attempts to take on the Department of Damage Control single-handedly. If Kamala hadn’t shown up to help, he could have inadvertently killed hundreds of civilians on his quest to get revenge. Kamala was there to rein him in once, but there’s no guarantee she’ll be present the next time Kamran lets his emotions push him over the edge. He’s the only Clandestine remaining, and without guidance from someone who understands his abilities, he could easily lose control again. It’s worth remembering that many MCU villains are actually sympathetic characters. Kamran doesn’t have to do an outright heel turn and become a sadistic monster to become the Big Bad of Ms. Marvel season 2 — a wayward and hurting Kamran who can’t control his immense abilities, similar to Wanda in Wandavision and Multiverse of Madness, would work just as well.
That being said, Kamran isn’t in direct opposition to Ms. Marvel/Kamala, so if he was the antagonist in future seasons, there’d have to be an event that realigned their relationship. At no point was Kamran trying to hurt Kamala, and she’s not the kind of hero that goes out of her way to beat down potential threats before they happen. At the end of the series, Kamran also gave Bruno his car, which is a pretty nice thing to do (and not the behavior one would expect from a villain). Still, both Kamran and Kamala are young, so it could be that by the time a potential Ms. Marvel second season debuts, Kamran has grown from a teenager into a young adult with a jaded, much more antagonistic worldview.
All episodes of Ms. Marvel are available to stream on Disney+.
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