Ms. Marvel Review

The visual language is the first thing you notice. Text messages bloom across brick walls, doodles animate over the pavement, and the whole show is lit in a saturated purple and gold that no other entry in the studio's output has tried. Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan is a genuine discovery, a superhero fan whose fandom is written by people who understand it, and the family around her, particularly Mohan Kapur and Zenobia Shroff as parents who are strict and loving rather than obstacles, gives the show its centre.

The Partition episode is unexpectedly serious and the strongest hour, connecting a teenager's powers to a real historical wound. What weakens it is everything imported from the wider franchise. The Clandestines are a group of interdimensional exiles with a vague plan, the government agency chasing Kamala is dull, and the powers themselves were changed from the source in a way that removes the character's best visual idea. The final confrontation is small and underwhelming. The hangout scenes are worth staying for.