‘Ms. Marvel' Finally Revealed Kamala’s MCU Origins
As of Episode 3 on Ms. Marvel, we've finally started to get Kamala’s superhero origins established. And we now know that it's setting up to be way, way different than her original comic book origin. Kamala’s MCU background not only changes who she is as a superhero, but also fundamentally changes another character in her life from a comic book villain to a hero.
At the end of Episode 2, Kamala narrowly saves a boy from falling. Afterwards, though, Damage Control tries to capture her. Kamran and his mother, Najma, save Kamala just in time and take her home, where Kamran’s mother explains Kamala’s powers.
It turns out Kamala isn’t an Inhuman, like her comic book origin, but a Djinn. In the past, Kamran’s mother explains, they’ve also been called Clandestines, among other names. Djinns are from a different dimension—the Noor Dimension—and the ones in our version of Earth (that’s Earth-199999 for the MCU, while the comic book Earth is Earth-616) were exiled and need a way to get back home.
It turns out, back in 1942, Kamala’s great-grandmother found a way to get back home along with Najma: the bangle Kamala has now. Those bangles are actually a relic which could help the Djinns get back home and return to their full power, as right now all they really possess is slowed aging.
Kamala and Bruno research interdimensional travel and find out using the bangles might cause catastrophic damage to the city and decide to think things over. Najma doesn’t give them much time, however, as she crashes Kamala’s brother’s wedding and attacks Kamala, Bruno, and Kamran to get the bangles. Kamran, his mother, and her friends are all arrested by Damage Control while Kamala and Bruno barely get away. Despite their detainment, we’re sure to see Kamran’s mother and her friends again. So, what are the comic book origins of the Djinn and the Clandestines? And where does Kamala's great-grandmother Aisha fit into all this? Scroll down to find out.
What is a Djinn?
In Arabic mythology, a Djinn (also known as jinn, jinni, or the anglicized genie) is a spirit unseen by humans with immense power, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Djinn can also take on human or animal form and can possess inanimate objects. Much like humans, they can die, but Djinn aren’t beholden to any physical form.
Who are the Djinn in Marvel Comics?
Marvel sticks to a similar description of their version of Djinns. In the comics, some Djinns exist in usually human form, while others are trapped in inanimate objects (like how Western media usually shows a genie trapped in a lamp). Their powers vary, and there aren’t many consistencies across their abilities beyond transcending a physical form.
In Episode 4 of Ms. Marvel, Waleen, a member of the Red Dagger, clarifies the Djinn in the show aren't like those Kamala has read about in any religious texts or heard in folklore. It's a clear message to us audience members to forget what we may have heard and pay attention to Marvel's new take on this ancient term.
One Djinn in Marvel, though, has a direct connection to the term Clandestines.
Who are the Clan Destines in Marvel Comics?
Elalyth, a djinn, became trapped by an evil sorcerer in a supernatural stone. A hero named Adam Destine came upon the sorcerer, killed him, and freed Elalyth. The two began a relationship, Adam became immortal, and the pair had a number of children who became known as the Clan Destines. The children have a number of abilities, including manipulating gravity and psychic abilities. Most of their adventures in the comics concern their reluctance to become full-blown superheroes, and their inter-family dynamics.
It looks like Marvel merely took the name Clandestine and used it for Ms. Marvel as a callback to this comic family, without directly adding them into the fold.
What is the Noor Dimension?
When Najma explains Kamala’s origins, she also mentions the Djinn are from the Noor Dimension. We get even more information about this mysterious place in Episode 4 when Kamala goes to Karachi.
There, she meets Kareem and Waleed, two members of the Red Dagger. We learn that Noor is both an energy that flows through Kamala and other Djinn, and also the name of a dimension. Kamala's great-grandmother and other Clandestines come from the Noor realm, which is hidden from our reality behind a powerful veil.
As Waleed explains, this veil is the only barrier protecting our Earth from the hidden realm. If Najma gets a hold of Kamala's bangles, the Noor Dimension will be revealed, and with it, our dimension will be destroyed.
There’s not much more we can find about what the dimension is, but we know it’s where Djinn can access their full powers, so we’ll have to see if Kamala ever gets to go there, or if it’s just a dimension we only know by name.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has already begun to dive into some dimensional hopping, so that could represent something of the future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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