When Kamala Khan was introduced as the new Ms. Marvel in February 2014, most of the reactions online were positive. Fatemeh Fakhraie, the founder of Muslimah Media Watch, a diversity advocacy group, praised the comic by saying that “she is going to be a window into the American Muslim experience."
Kamala Khan is introduced as a Pakistani-American teenager living in New Jersey trying to juggle her life as an American and as a daughter of conservative Pakistani parents, but also balancing her responsibilities as a superhero and a student.
She’s a sweet girl obsessed with writing fan fictions and superheroes and only comes into her powers after sneaking out to a party.
But what separates her from the superheroes we’ve known all our lives is the enthusiasm and willingness to take on that burden. She doesn’t have a tragic backstory. She's not estranged from her family nor is she distrustful of the government.
She’s just a girl with a desire to help and protect the people of New Jersey.
And that desire shines through in every interaction she has with friends, fellow superheroes, and villains alike.
Not only is she learning what it really means to be a Muslim-American teenager, but she’s also learning what it means to be a hero for the people.
Marvel’s Civil War II showed her the importance of sticking to her convictions even if the heroes she idolized and respected chose to follow an easier path.
Kamala has always chosen the people. Even after they called her a sell-out, even after she was hated and feared for being an Inhuman, she never stopped donning her uniform. She kept fighting.
Even fighting her fellow superheroes if it meant protecting their basic human rights.
Kamala is the role model we desperately need right now.
She’s the face of every American who embodies multiple cultures. As a person that straddles my parents’ Honduran culture and the American culture, it’s relieving to see the same struggles are reflected in her own life despite the cultural differences.
But never once has she tried to be something she’s not. She’s proud to be a Pakistani-American and that pride and love are woven throughout her series.
She’s the face of tolerance and kindness. Never once has she treated anyone with disrespect or vitriolic, not even the villain of the week. Even as a fellow classmate made ignorant comments towards her culture, even as police officers began to profile Muslims in her neighborhood, Kamala kept her head high. She continued to protect and serve because quitting was never an option for her.
Yes, she’s young and yes, she has a lot to learn about the superhero business, but Kamala Khan is a fresh of breath air in a world that is so bitter and mean and very very cold.
