What Comic Book Fans Already Know About Ms. Marvel's ClanDestine

After "Avengers: Endgame" wrapped up 10 years of storytelling back in 2019, many fans wondered where the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be heading next. But now that audiences have seen "WandaVision," "Loki," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," it's very clear that Marvel Studios is committed to exploring alternate realities and dimensions that haven't been seen in live action before. The "Doctor Strange" sequel even designates the MCU as Earth-616 — which stirred up some controversy from fans, since the comics already gave the movies their own number, Earth-199999. This is something that also annoyed "Ms. Marvel" star Iman Vellani, who briefly talked about the multiverse with Deadline, saying, "I like to say [the comic book universe] is 616. I don't think the MCU is 616. As much as Kevin Feige would have us believe it's 616, it's 199999." 

Vellani's genuine comic book enthusiasm is part of what makes her such a great fit for Kamala Khan, the star of the new Disney+ series "Ms. Marvel." Unlike the aforementioned multiverse epics, though, "Ms. Marvel" series dials the action down a notch to introduce its titular figure as an everyday teenager in New Jersey who winds up gaining powers thanks to a mysterious bangle that belonged to her grandmother.

"Ms. Marvel" focuses on Kamala's journey to becoming a hero in her own right, as she explores the history behind the bangle, and where her powers come from. In Episode 3, she meets the ClanDestine, led by Najma (Nimra Buchra) who hails from a completely different dimension — and who wants Kamala's help to get back home. 

But Najma's plans could have huge ramifications for the MCU as we know it ... and it might even be placing more dominos for the next huge crossover event.

When Kamala meets Waleed (Farhan Akhtar) and Kareem (Aramis Knight), they explain that Namja comes from another dimension powered by an energy called Noor — and this world exists on top of the MCU, but nobody can see it. The bangle allows Kamala to tap into that energy and bend it to her will — but Najma and the ClanDestine want to use it to bring the Noor dimension into the MCU, which would completely destroy the live-action Earth-616 (or 199999!). Essentially, they want to start an incursion so they can have their home back.

The word "incursion" might sound familiar to anyone who's seen "Multiverse of Madness," as Reed Richards (John Krasinski) explains that Incursions happen when two Earths collide: one either destroys the other — or they both cease to exist. This is essentially what Najma and the ClanDestine want to do with the Noor dimension and the MCU. This line in "Multiverse of Madness" — and the plan outlined in "Ms. Marvel" — are big teases for a classic Marvel Comics storyline called "Secret Wars," where the multiverse is battered by multiple universe-destroying incursions, until Doctor Doom reshapes the surviving chunks into his own universe, Battleworld.

The storyline delivers multiverse versions of Marvel heroes and villains all in one adventure, and many fans think a live-action adaptation is on the way. The Russo brothers previously told Brobible that a live-action version of "Secret Wars" could tempt them back to Marvel Studios in the future, saying, "It would be the biggest movie you could possibly imagine, so that's what really excites us about the story — the ambition of it is even bigger than the ambition of the Infinity Saga."

Maybe "Ms. Marvel" is the start of that.