Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, who was created by Marvel in 2014, will make her debut in the video gaming space later this year, game’s publisher Square Enix announced.
The Muslim-American teenager of Pakistani heritage, who has shape-shifting abilities, is the latest character to adopt the Ms Marvel moniker. She will join the Avengers – Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America for a new video game.
The gaming community has welcomed this news with a few calling it “The representation in gaming I’ve waited for my whole life.”
Ms Marvel will be one the main playable characters and feature alongside Black Widow, among others. Co-created by Marvel editor and director Sana Amanat in 2014, Kamala Khan has created history becoming Marvel’s first Muslim character to lead her own comic book series and now a game. Khan, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. She has shape-shifting abilities and just so happens to be a fan-girl of the Avengers.
A Muslim-American herself, Amanat wanted to create a character young girls of similar background could identify with and look up to. “I think it’s absolutely insane that Kamala is in one of the biggest Marvel games that we’ve done. The fact that she’s the entry point character in this game makes so much sense. People from all backgrounds can relate to her,” she said during the promotion of the game.
According to No Brakes Games head of studio Sitara Shefta, Ms Marvel is far more representative of what young Muslims are actually like, and says the Kamala Khan character reminds her of her own niece. The significance of her inclusion in the game is a huge step for better representation in gaming.
“It’s very important, why shouldn’t Pakistanis and Muslims have characters and stories that inspire them? They are usually depicted as terrorists or the villains we fight against in the games. Now we have an empowering Pakistani Muslim character, and a role model for kids from this community to be inspired by, ” she commented.
The video game will feature an original storyline inspired by the comics, but won’t align with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ms Marvel is yet to be portrayed in a live-action movie and reports suggest that Marvel Studios is set to centre a Disney+ web series around the character, slated for 2022.
