The Ms. Marvel Season 1 Finale Leaned On A Classic MCU Trope
From characters in discount-level disguises to cameos crammed in at the very last second, Marvel Studios has a handful of tropes they've made their own, some of which haven't always received a warm welcome. Thankfully, "Ms. Marvel" didn't fall victim to too many during her six-episode series on Disney+. Ignoring its weak villains and that there was too much squeezed into its overall story, the charm of Iman Vellani, along with the show's creative flair and cultural pride of its hero, saved the day.
Because of this, fans no doubt retained confidence in the quality of "Ms. Marvel," even when it did dare to use familiar formulas we've seen in previous MCU installments. The show's finale episode saw it indulging in one such trope — something that has been met with communal eye-rolls in the past. However, as "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" proved in its final act, despite the considerable risk involved, there is a way to pull off this particular trope with finesse. Good job, then, that Kamala handled it just as well and did so while keeping potential boyfriend material at bay in the process.
Ms. Marvel had a similarly powered showdown but still made it work
One thing Marvel audiences have become accustomed to over the years is watching a grand finale that sees the story's hero facing off against an equally super-powered antagonist. From "Iron Man" to "Black Panther," these climactic battles usually devolve into two hyperspeed CGI action figures clashing together, often in ways that make it nearly impossible to tell what is going on. An exception to this type of conflict was between Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and The Mandarin (Tony Leung) in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which cleverly used the titular trinkets in exciting ways on both sides. Thankfully, it seems that Kamala took notes, as her not-quite-a-quarrel with Kamran (Rish Shah) made sure to mix things up, regardless of how familiar it seems on paper.
Seeing Kamala face off against someone else with glass-making powers could've dampened what proved to be an impressive final episode. Instead, Kamran's green, glacier-like constructs were used differently from the ones from Kamala. While not going entirely over to the dark side after learning about his mother's death, Kamran still went on the offense, hurtling spires and pole-like structures at the Damage Control goons. It complimented Kamala's technique of playing things more defensively, deflecting or shielding Kamran's bursts of noom-based rage from law enforcement and the locals. Doing so helped push the show's big finale beyond the standard final battle we're used to seeing.