The following article contains minor spoilers for Episode 2 of Ms. Marvel.
The second episode ofMs. Marvelhas arrived, and it was another dose of cultural representation for many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From conversations about Bollywood, the Indian film industry, to praying at the mosque, the episode covers the titular character’s South Asian and Muslim identity without any fuss. But, one particular dinner table conversation that the Khan family has sticks out in the episode for several reasons.
In the second episode ofMs. Marvel, Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khanexplores her powers further, while trying to find out the history behind the magical bracelet she found in a package sent by her grandmother. During this journey, she becomes a part of a conversation about the partition of India back in 1947, and it seems like that particular moment in history has a lot to do with how Kamala got her powers. It is interesting to note how Marvel Studios has decided to go with a real-life event to build Kamala’s story in the MCU.
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The topic of the India-Pakistan partition is an extremely political one, and for the studio to include it in an episode about a Pakistani-American teenager exploring her superpowers is a bold step. During the conversation about the partition,Saagar Shaikh’s Aamir Khanreveals that “every Pakistani family has a partition story, and none of them are good.” That statement stands true for many South Asian families. Considering the partition occurred only 75 years ago, many families have stories about an immediate member of their family, not an ancestor, struggling through that period. And it seems like Kamala’s family, though fictional, isn’t any different.
Using the partition, a life-changing event for many Indians and Pakistanis, aspart of Kamala’s narrativemakes her story instantly relatable to a large segment of the fan population. Zenobia Shroff’s Muneeba Khan seems to be harboring some negative emotions towards the partition, and how “the British left [the citizens] with a mess.” That is a sentiment shared by many individuals either living or originating from that part of the world, and while it might just seem like a family sharing its thoughts about the past, the political and emotional implications of that conversation are huge.
The partition has been represented in many films in both India and Pakistan, but to have it featured as part of a conversation in the MCU is definitely a unique experience. It is perhaps one of the more unbiased approaches to the subject, and focuses on the family’s pain, rather than animosity. Things get interesting whenMohan Kapur’s Yusuf Khanstarts narrating the story of Muneeba’s mother Sana, and her experience of the partition. Without going into too much history, he touches upon an extremely important moment during the partition of when families chose to migrate. They would get onboard inter-country trains, to reach their destination of choice, and many of those journeys did not end well. As soon as he starts talking about Sana being at a train station with her parents, fans who are aware of the history would have guessed that things were about to get messy. But, the conversation turns around into a magical one.
Sana, who was a toddler at the time, got separated from her parents at the train station when they were trying to get to Pakistan. Her father struggled to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen, until she magically returned “just before the train pulled out of the station.” When asked how she found her way, Yusuf reveals that “Sana followed a trail of stars right back to her father.” Sound familiar? It should, consideringKamala literally shoots cosmic beamsout of her hands earlier in the episode, and even manages to create floating platforms that she can stand on, all of which look like a starry trail. It seems like she isn’t the first person in her family to possess magical powers after all.
Sana’s mother, on the other hand, “disappeared that night, just like many others did.” Once again, not a lot of detailed history is offered at this point, and a lot is left unsaid. Millions of people migrated between both countries during the partition, and unfortunately, many families were separated, and many individuals lost their lives. Using this important moment in history as a basis for developing the plot inMs. Marvelis most definitely an interesting choice by the studio. To shift gears from talking about Bollywood’s biggest star to a moment in time that changed the course of history for two countries and their citizens shows the studio’s commitment torepresenting Kamala’s culturein every possible way.
In thefirst episode ofMs. Marvel, when a box full of her grandmother’s things arrives from Pakistan, Kamala is instantly drawn to a bangle. When she asks her mother about it, Muneeba quickly takes it away and refers to it as “junk.” In the latest episode, during the partition conversation, Muneeba constantly seems on edge as well, especially when Yusuf starts talking about her mother. She obviously knows a lot more, and is withholding the information, potentially even holding onto a dark secret. Perhaps she is aware of the powers that run in her family.
Based on the conversation, it seems like it could have been Sana’s mother Ayesha who cast that “trail of stars” to guide her daughter back, possibly with the help of the samebracelet that Kamala now wears. Or maybe Sana herself manifested the powers after being separated from her family. Or perhaps it was someone entirely different, cue Nimra Bucha’s Najma, a.k.a Kamran’s mother. Either way, Kamala’s great-grandmother is involved in the story in some way, and Sana’s experience during the partition wasn’t an ordinary one. When Kamala reaches out to Sana to discuss the bracelet, her grandmother refuses to talk about it. The story is bound to unfold moving forward, and a lot more will be revealed in the remaining four episodes.
