The mystery of Kamala Khan’s powers and her family’s past was in the spotlight in Ms. Marvel Episode 2. So far, the series has done a great job at keeping this aspect of Kamala’s story in suspense, and the most recent episode certainly ended in a cliffhanger that will surely take the series in a new direction. But while the show itself has not made much overly obvious to fans, we might have an idea as to where it is headed. The tail end of Episode 2 might have given us our first glimmer at one of Kamala’s main adversaries, and it is a group you may have never heard of.
Throughout Episode 2, Kamala finds herself with a hardcore crush on the new senior, Kamran. The two have a lot in common and he seems to show a lot of interest in Kamala in return. At the end of the episode, however, it becomes clear that he is more than a new kid in school. He helps Kamala escape the Department of Damage Control, making it clear he knew she was the super-powered person who dresses like Captain Marvel. Even more, he introduces Kamala to his mother who just so happens to be the lady Kamala kept seeing in her visions when her bangle would act out.
In the comics, Kamran was an Inhuman who gained Kamala’s trust in order to recruit her to a faction of Inhumans that, because of a superiority complex, was trying, essentially, to destroy Earth’s non-Inhuman population. But considering Inhumans are not likely at play in Ms. Marvel, Kamran may be a member of a different kind of superhuman group. The fact that his mother is already involved speaks to how genes and lineages are still important to the character and to his connection to Kamala.
Once it became known that Kamala’s powers and origin were being changed for Ms. Marvel, rumors circulated that Kamala, her powers, or something major in the series were related to Djinn. Djinn, or Jinn, are spirits in Islamic mythology and theology. Anglicized as “genies”, these spirits are recognized in Marvel comics as an ancient race with powerful magical abilities. Ms. Marvel has off-handedly mentioned Djinn or “evil Djinn” multiple times so far. Going back to the importance of family, heritage, and genes in Kamala’s origins, Marvel has a super-powered family that descends from a powerful Djinn, and that may be what Kamran is a member of.
The comic book super-family Clan Destine is a family of super-powered individuals that spans centuries given the immortality of the patriarch, Adam Destine, which came from the magic of the mother of all the children, the Djinn Elalyth. Clan Destine is not particularly well-known, and the group is neither a superhero nor supervillain one, but instead, certain members have taken on their own roles. But considering the super family is not popular and a bit odd, why would Ms. Marvel feature them as an adversary?
Technically, we do not know that Kamran and his mom are villains, but considering Kamran’s comics history and the general tone at the end of Episode 2, it is probably a safe bet that they will ultimately not be on Kamala’s side. Kamran’s mother looked to be from a very different time period when she would appear in Kamala’s visions, so it looks likely that she may be the immortal leader like Adam Destine is in the comics. But using Clan Destine as a template or inspiration would allow Kamala’s story to still take the Inhuman-like structure but without Inhumans.
Whether or not Kamala would be related to the Clan Destine-type family in Ms. Marvel is an interesting question. On one hand, it makes a lot of sense considering the Djinn connection could explain her powers and fill in the gaps in her mysterious family history. Kamran’s role as a distant relative would also be preserved from the comics, and his motivation in recruiting her to supposedly advocate for the larger family could similarly make its way into the live-action series.
Whether Kamran and his mother are part of “Clan Destine” or a family group that resembles it is yet to be seen. But it would be an interesting way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to keep Kamala’s traditional origin story relatively intact while avoiding the concept of Inhuman if they choose to go that route.
The first two episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.
