Now that Marvel Studios has formally ventured into television, new questions arise about the future of characters and plots that debut in the Disney+ series format. While we know some series—such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier—lead into feature films, the announcement of Loki’s second season has made fans interested in other series getting the same treatment. While no show besides Loki has been confirmed for a Season 2, there are many signs that Ms. Marvel could be the next.
To be fair, we know we will see Kamala Khan in The Marvels, so it would be easy to say that Ms. Marvel’s follow-up will be in that film. But The Marvels is a sequel to Captain Marvel and will feature, from what we know, three main leads. To think that Kamala’s individual story will be able to fully continue without her own solo project is brave. With only the finale to go, Ms. Marvel has left quite a lot of story on the table. Even a strong finale—which Marvel Studios is not known for—cannot reasonably wrap it all up. And that may very well be part of the plan to give Ms. Marvel a Season 2.
First, Kamala’s entire high school-level plot has taken a backseat for the second act of the series. The last time we saw Nakia, she had just learned that Kamala was the masked hero and was no longer speaking to her. Bruno was jealous of Kamran and also told Kamala he was going to leave to attend CalTech. Kamran is clearly integrated into the superhero side of the plot, but the love triangle there is still up in the air. Many of these plot strings, particularly Nakia and Bruno, seem to come straight from Ms. Marvel comics and are nowhere near a resolution. Kamala’s personal life—the one she had before the bangle—has been set up for a longer journey than what the finale could handle. There is a very strong chance that the last episode will specifically leave these stories open and ready to explore in the future. And they would not make much sense in The Marvels.
If Episode 5 of Ms. Marvel made anything clear, it is that the full extent of Kamala’s powers might not be explained in the series (or the first season). While we have come a long way since Episode 1, there are so many questions remaining about Kamala’s heritage and powers. The finale will without a doubt answer some of these. To be fair, it could answer them all. But when Kamala’s grandmother cut off the questioning as to how and why Kamala can do what she does to suggest it is all about how two people fell in love and made something bigger than themselves, it seemed like a way for the series to say, “don’t worry about it.” Regardless of what we learn in the finale, the implications of the Noor Dimension and Kamala’s bangle are surely things that cannot adequately be resolved yet. That’s where The Marvels may very well help out, but something even bigger remains elusive.
Kamala has not yet become Ms. Marvel. She almost certainly will in the finale, but we will not have seen her be the masked hero of Jersey City in Ms. Marvel. The series has received high praise from critics, and audiences and Marvel Studios alike love Iman Vellani. The character will be part of future team-ups in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the idea that they would not explore her solo adventures more is both laughable and sad. Unlike Moon Knight, which does not appear to have plans for a second season, the lead character in Ms. Marvel has not actually been the titular superhero during the series. Also unlike Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel is based on much more beloved and popular comics. Kamala is relatively new to Marvel, but her stories of heroism in Jersey City have a broad audience and can likely be relatively easy to adapt into (more) series-based content.
MCU series have a troubled history with resolving their own stories by the end of their runs, but the many-lingering plots in Ms. Marvel might be by design. If, like Loki, a Season 2 has been part of the bigger plan, the series is free to set up ideas that will continue to be explored. The points surrounding Kamala’s teenage life and relationships are, arguably, a very clear sign that this is happening. In particular, her and Bruno’s long will-they-won’t-they romance is set up for the long haul. Kamala also deserves to spend time in the spotlight as a solo hero, Ms. Marvel, in a way that team-up films and events are suited for. So, don’t be too surprised if a Ms. Marvel Season 2 announcement comes soon.
The first five episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.
