With the Clandestines in custody of the D.O.D.C., this week’s Ms. Marvel found Kamala Khan headed to Pakistan at her grandmother’s behest, where she learned more about her unique powers.
Nani is a fierce storyteller and artist whose drawings — including one of Aisha — are displayed throughout her cluttered but cozy home. When Kamala shows her the bangle, Nani casually reveals that she knows the teen superhero is a Djinn because it runs in the family.
She then explains how she left India during the Partition of India — in which British-ruled India was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947 — and was separated from her father. However, she followed a “trail of stars” and reunited with him on a train — the same one both she and Kamala see in their visions.
In case you were wondering, the inscription on Kamala’s bangle reads, “What you seek is seeking you.”
While out exploring the city of Karachi, Kamala is attacked by Kimo, aka Kareem, who senses the Noor in her. But after realizing she is not a Clandestine, he takes her down a secret pathway and to the Red Dagger’s hideout. It’s here that she meets Waleed (played by Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar), who explains that the Djinn (including Aisha) are from another realm that is connected to Earth-616 but is hidden behind the veil of the Noor, which separates both realms. If the Clandestine complete their mission to tear down that veil, they’ll unleash that realm powered by Noor onto Earth-616, which doesn’t sound like a good thing.
Meanwhile, at the D.O.D.C. supermax prison, Najma and the rest of the Clandestines stage their escape but leave Kamran behind because he helped Kamala.
One of the episode’s most poignant moments comes when Nani explains to Kamala that she doesn’t have it all figured out. “Even at my age, I’m still trying to figure out who I am,” she tells her granddaughter. “My passport is Pakistani; my roots are in India. And in between all of this, there is a border. There is a border marked with blood and pain. People are claiming their identity based on an idea some old Englishmen had when they were fleeing the country. How is one to deal with that?”
And in another scene, Muneeba has a frank conversation with her mother about why she went to America rather than remain in Pakistan. She explained that she needed a change from being shunned by the neighbors because of her “crazy mother and her wild theories.” With that, we have a better understanding of why Muneeba is so insistent that Kamala stop living in her “fantasy world” and focus more on what’s real in her eyes.
After bonding with Kareem around a campfire with his friends — do we sense sparks between them? — Kamala spends the next day practicing her powers at the Red Dagger hideout.
Waleed believes the teen’s genetics may explain why she can shape the Noor on Earth-616; that her humanity links her to the matter of this world, which is what makes her abilities so unique. But before he can further pontificate, their session is interrupted by the Clandestine, and a chase ensues. At one point, Waleed distracts the warriors to help Kareem and Kamala escape and is stabbed by Najma. But is he really dead? That remains to be seen.
Kareem and Kamala are then cornered in an alley and decide to take on the Clandestines together. Adaam is killed during the commotion, and Najma stabs Kamala’s bracelet. The young hero is transported 75 years in the past, and now finds herself at that Karachi train station and witnessing the chaos of the Partition firsthand.
How did you feel about this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.