I've avoided writing about politics for a while now – pretty much since the early days of Trump's presidency. I just found that everybody else was writing about him and his regime, so I stuck to pop culture and comics. But comics and politics often go hand-in-hand, and what better comic to look at under a racist and Islamaphobic administration than the recent Ms. Marvel. The series, which started in 2014, is about Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim living in Jersey City. Almost the antithesis of what certain groups and certain high-ranking officials would consider an “American hero.” Ms. Marvel is currently one of Marvel's top selling comics, and is currently featured in the All-New All-Different Avengers, and considering the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be going through a world-shattering development in next year's Avengers: Infinity War and the 2019 sequel/Part II, it is very likely that we will see new characters to take the places of major hitters in the MCU. Among them should be none other than Ms. Marvel herself. However, such a film would be problematic, and not just because of the relatively young age of the title.

First things first, the film cannot even be put into production until after Captain Marvel premieres in 2019. Kamala Khan looks up to Carol Danvers, who was the original Ms. Marvel and currently the space-faring hero Captain Marvel. Danvers will be the one under the mask in the upcoming film, played by Oscar-winner Brie Larson. Once she has been thoroughly established in the MCU, then the Kamala Khan story would work. At the same time, she is also an Inhuman, a group introduced in ABC's television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and will be getting their own starring show this September after a limited IMAX presentation of the first two episodes. This again pushes the earliest release date to 2020, if not 2021 to allow for the show to pick up in popularity and keep the concept going without it falling to being a minor subplot in the grand scheme of things (i.e. the Netflix co-productions) On the comic side of this, there should be at least a couple of years worth of solo stories to base the film off of, and that could take another two or three years at the earliest. For a solo Ms. Marvel movie to come to the forefront, it would require the MCU to continue expanding their already large universe. However, this is not the biggest problem with producing this film.

The biggest roadblock to a Ms. Marvel movie is the political concerns over the character. With a growing anti-Muslim sentiment pushed by Trump and his administration, it would be extremely controversial to give a starring role in a major motion picture to a Muslim, especially when the MCU films are considered “family” events. As per the controversy over Beauty and the Beast, it would cause countless boycotts of Disney and Marvel – though of course the companies would do just fine. But beyond the cost or people saying they won't see a movie they probably wouldn't have seen anyway, the sheer concept would practically doom the film unless there was a new administration that would stop the normalization of racism and Islamaphobia. The Trump Muslim ban is praised by the alt-right, and some people are actually pushing for Islam to be banned from America, so a Muslim superhero would face massive political controversy and debate. With Marvel gearing up for the release of Black Panther, we can see how people react to this kind of hero – whether the alt-right/Trump supporter/conservative audience can deal with minority led films (though we all know there will be an uproar over the title). However, Black Panther is a completely different character. Kamala Khan goes to a mosque, her brother is studying to become an Imam, her parents immigrated from Pakistan. Not your typical white New Yorker superhero. It should also be noted that Ike Perlmutter, the reclusive CEO of Marvel Entertainment (who reportedly hates comics and just sees the company as an investment) and Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, are both major Trump supporters, with Perlmutter being Trump's personal nomination for Veteran Affairs aide. Assuming that Trump is still somehow in office by the time Infinity War comes out and the next phase of the MCU is announced, would Iger and Perlmutter allow for a pro-Islam and pro-acceptance film, knowing the commander in chief would support a boycott?

So with all that in mind, why should Disney/Marvel even consider making the movie? Well, given enough time passes between Trump getting out of office and the release of the film, it would allow for the public to see a positive portrayal of a Muslim in a major motion picture. However, once again, some groups may find this to be “pandering” or “showing an agenda.” But that is all the more reason to produce it – rise above the likely controversy and make the film without having to make statements about how they're not going to change to appeal to a small fraction of people. Children and teenagers need to see more positive Muslim characters and stories, because the news and the administration push an anti-Muslim agenda. While Fox News says all Muslims are evil, Marvel could show a Muslim saving lives. When the alt-right calls for mass deportation or internment, Marvel would have someone who fights injustice alongside Spider-Man and the Avengers. The film would also give representation to the young Muslims in this country – like how Black Panther will be with the African-American community. Even beyond representation, and into the business side, Marvel could have a new teenage character to work alongside Spider-Man and possibly RiRi Williams/Ironheart in a post-Infinity War saga. Ms. Marvel would make Marvel break even more ground, and create a new era for the MCU after 2019.

The superhero movie genre is going to need to progress more if they want to continue making money and not falling into becoming overly formulaic. From Power Rangers featuring both lesbian and autistic Rangers to Wonder Woman being the first modern superhero movie with a female lead, and as mentioned before, the primarily black cast of Black Panther. Politics can and will get in the way of a possible big screen adaptation, but Marvel must rise above it and let Kamala Khan exist in a world where she herself rises above the stereotypes and saves the city. It's a new era, and despite the efforts of Trump, most people know Muslims are not bad people in any way. Perhaps showing kids a character like Ms. Marvel will help combat Islamaphobia in future generations. Recently, when anti-Muslim hate speech-laden propaganda was found on subway stations, artists and fans covered it up with images of Ms. Marvel. Little by little, she is becoming a major icon for the company and for pop counterculture. Marvel should at the very least consider this character for a solo film, because if we need a hero to rally behind now, it should be Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel.