Ms. Marvel marks the live-action debut of Kamala Khan, but the incoming Disney Plus series will be making some big changes to the teen heroine from the comics. Her powers and their origins are being completely redefined for the MCU, something that’s proved to be unsurprisingly controversial with the fandom. But anyone upset about the alterations can rest assured that some things about Kamala are the same as this new promo image promises that she’ll still embiggen herself.
On the page, Kamala can change her shape and size, with her signature moves including growing to an enormous height and enlarging her fist to cartoonish levels. Speaking of cartoons, her comic book catchphrase is “Embiggen!”, a reference to the word The Simpsons invented. Although Kamala’s powers in the MCU are energy-based, this new image — as shared by Empire — teases that there will still be some embiggening in this beginning chapter of her MCU journey.
The pic sees Kamala showing off her abilities to best friend Bruno, who actor Matt Lintz has teased will act as the Ned to Kamala’s Peter Parker. He’ll be in on her superhero secret from the start and will aid her as she deals with her burgeoning powers, complete with Captain Marvel cosplay. Also starring in the show alongside Vellani and Lintz are Yasmeen Fletcher as Kamala’s other best friend Nakia, Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur as her parents, and Aramis Knight as fellow vigilante Red Dagger.
Marvel president Kevin Feige stressed to Empire that this image is the tip of the iceberg of Easter eggs and callbacks to comic book Kamala in the show. “You will see great comic splash panels in some of our action sequences,” he explained. “If you want big, giant hands and arms, well they’re here in spirit, if not in stretchy, plastic-type ways.”
All that’s left to know now, then, is whether Kamala will get to say her catchphrase in Ms. Marvel. Hey, The Simpsons on Disney Plus, too, so it could be a bit of nifty corporate synergy.