Summary
- Takeaway 1: Ms. Marvel's new costume redesign is missing her great-grandmother's wedding bangle, an iconic symbol of her heritage and connection to her family and culture.
- Takeaway 2: The absence of the bangle in Ms. Marvel's new look is a surprising omission, especially considering it was designed by Jamie McKelvie, her original designer.
- Takeaway 3: Sidelining Ms. Marvel's other identities in favor of her mutant status would be a mistake, as it diminishes her important cultural impact and makes her just another member of the X-Men.
With Ms. Marvel recently joining the X-Men, her latest costume redesign isn’t quite hitting the mark, due to the absence of one incredibly important component: her great-grandmother’s wedding bangle. Designed by none other than Jamie McKelvie – the fan-favorite artist who designed Kamala’s original Ms. Marvel uniform – retains much of her signature flair, with the notable exception of the bangle.
In the years since her first Marvel Comics appearance, Ms. Marvel has achieved the status of a beloved hero for the next generation. Whether it’s her relatable background, her charmingly quirky personality, or her iconic costume, there’s plenty to love about Kamala Khan.
With the recent revelation of her mutant status, Kamala has joined the X-Men, taking her character in a new direction, including a debatable new look, sans bangle.
Kamala’s New Look Is Marvelous – Except For One Thing
The golden bangle is an iconic part of the Ms. Marvel look, and not just for aesthetic purposes. Passed down through her family after her great-grandmother used it to smuggle money out of Pakistan during the Partition, the wedding bangle is an iconic representation of Kamala’s heritage. This ancestral accessory symbolizes her connection both to her family and her culture, and is a visual manifestation of so many of Ms. Marvel’s unique qualities. The X-Men themselves have long functioned as a metaphor for marginalized identities, but that metaphor's effectiveness has become scrutinized – especially in recent years, as readers have clamored for more diversity among Krakoa’s premiere X-Men lineup.
Ms. Marvel Can’t Be Just Another Mutant
Kamala Khan's bangle has also played a huge role in the character’s journey on screen, within the MCU. Ms. Marvel (2022) featured the bangle prominently. With Kamala's character undergoing major innovations, such as the reveal of her mutant/Inhuman lineage, many readers were hesitant, worried that her new role as an X-Man would be disrespectful to the Ms. Marvel character. The lack of her signature bangle is a surprising omission for the character’s new look, especially considering the new uniform was designed by Jamie McKelvie, her original designer. While it's possible that Kamala will regain her family heirloom, perhaps following a journey of self-discovery, at the moment, its absence is undoubtedly keenly felt by longtime readers.
Sidelining Ms. Marvel’s other identities in favor of her mutantdom would be a huge mistake for Marvel to make as they try to do something new with a much-loved character. The small, but significant lack of inclusion of Kamala Kahn's bangle is yet another misstep in what’s already a controversial year for the fan-favorite hero. Ensuring that such an important connection to Kamala’s heritage is maintained would go a long way to reassuring readers and critics alike, who fear that her important cultural impact will be discarded in favor of treating Ms. Marvel like just another member of the X-Men.