New Ms. Marvel Video Clues Us Into The Big Change In Kamala's Powers

Within the world of Marvel Comics, Kamala Khan (aka the fourth Ms. Marvel) has abilities and powers that share many similarities with the patriarch of Marvel's First Family, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. This means that Kamala's skills often involve especially stretchy limbs, a skill usually referred to as 'morphogenetics.' According to Marvel, the character is also able to alter her size at will, allowing her to make giant fists and stretched-out arms to strike at distant foes. Her powers also mean that she has advanced healing, due to the plasticity of her biological cells, as well as incredible strengths that belie her normal size.

Ever since Marvel Studios released the first trailer for the Disney+ "Ms. Marvel" series, eagle-eyed comic book superfans have speculated that her powers appear quite different in live-action form. Indeed, it would appear that some changes to the character's original skills and powers have occurred. During an interview with Empire Magazine, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said, "[Kamala] came about in a very specific time within the comic-book continuity. She is now coming into a very specific time within the MCU continuity. And those two things didn't match."

Referring to her character's current combat prowess, Vellani told USA Today, "She doesn't really know how to fight, so she just copies everything that she sees online," while adding that she has been practicing her superhero poses since the age of 10. The comic book version of the character gains her powers from her lineage as an Inhuman, or a genetically altered subset of humanity, but it seems like her powers have gone in a different direction in "Ms. Marvel." In a new featurette, Vellani digs into the live-action character's powers.

In a behind-the-scenes snippet released to promote "Ms. Marvel," Iman Vellani explains the ins and outs of the new iteration of the character's powers. She says, "Kamala Khan discovers that she has super powers, and she can manifest light." A scene then plays that shows globules of light manifesting around her hand as she looks on in amazement.

This appears to be a significant change from her comic book origin. In many ways, this power actually seems more akin to DC Comics' Green Lantern characters, who are able to use willpower to create hard light constructs that are only bound by their imagination. This means, at the very least, we will probably see Kamala use this ability to create light constructs that emulate some of her more iconic moves, such as the giant fists often utilized in the comics and video games.

In the very first trailer for "Ms. Marvel," Kamala is shown donning an ornate bracelet, which immediately turns her eyes purple and ushers in her ascent into super heroics. Although not explained in the trailer, it seems possible that these could be a variation of Quantum Bands, which as elaborated by Marvel, are ancient artifacts that have been used by several different characters directly connected to Captain Marvel. Whatever the case may be, like many other Marvel Studios productions, the live-action version of Ms. Marvel certainly seems to set her apart from her comic book counterpart.

"Ms. Marvel" will debut exclusively on Disney+ on June 8.