Kamala Khan's MCU superhero origin is revealed in Ms. Marvel episode 3, and inconspicuous
Easter eggs connect it to the main plot of Phase 4.
Ms. Marvel is an Inhuman in the comics; she is a teenage girl whose exposure to the Terrigen
Mists activated her Inhuman gene and gave her superhuman abilities.
The MCU has adopted a very different strategy, completely disregarding the Inhumans and rewriting
Ms. Marvel's abilities and origin story.
The true origin story of Ms. Marvel is finally revealed in episode three, but her new abilities
remain a mystery.
Kamala Khan is expected to use her new abilities on behalf of people she has just met, and
Bruno cautions her that there are significant risks involved based on his research should
she do so.
The explanation comes with a heavy burden of expectations.
Sadly, it soon becomes clear that Kamala's new extended family is not someone you can
refuse when they crash Abu's wedding.
The best superhero stories often see secret identities collide with a hero's personal
life, and Ms. Marvel has wasted surprisingly little time exploring that trope.
Ms. Marvel episode 3 is lore-heavy, avoiding depending too much on the kind of MCU Easter
eggs seen in Ms. Marvel episode 1, and instead, the ones that are included serve as pointers
to the show's connection to the MCU.
Here are all the major Easter eggs.
Ms. Marvel episode 3 begins to reveal the truth about Kamala's new powers.
It seems her great-grandmother Aisha was a Djinn, one of a group known as Clandestines,
Djinn exiles from another dimension 100 years ago.
They possess the ability to manipulate an energy called Noor, although their ability
to access this power in this dimension is limited; Kamala seems to be able to tap into
it in a stronger way, however, because she was born in this dimension and yet has inherited
Noor all the same.
Ms. Marvel's mysterious bangle is somehow tied to the Djinn, one of two objects they
sought to allow them to return to their home, the Noor dimension.
The Clandestine are a deep cut into Marvel Comics lore, although they've been switched
up somewhat.
In the comics, the members of Clan Destine are the super-powered children of Adam of
Destine and Elalyth, a Djinn, and each possesses different abilities.
They're a little-known group who starred in a handful of comics back in the '90s, crossing
paths with the X-Men in one miniseries with Marvel hoping to boost them based on the mutants'
popularity at the time.
Ms. Marvel's Clan Destine appear to be original characters, although Aadam's name is a nod
to the originals.
Apparently the Clandestines have been known by many other names in the past - one of which
ties to Marvel's Watcher, the multiversal observer who drives the narrative of Marvel's
What If...?
They are called the "Unseen," a name claimed in the comics by beings who could avoid the
Watcher's sight, acting without his knowledge.
The other names are rooted in the real world; "Ajnabi" means "Foreigner, stranger, exotic,
other," while "Majnoon" refers to someone who is considered mentally ill.
A flashback to 1942 reveals the origin of Ms. Marvel's bracelet, with several members
of Clandestine - including Aisha - discovering it in an ancient temple.
They were actually looking for two bracelets, but the other is assumed to have been looted
by the British at some point.
The temple appears to be dedicated to the Ten Rings, the powerful group established
by Wenwu that operated in the shadows for centuries and was of particular importance
in Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Wenwu had discovered other ancient artifacts of tremendous power, the fabled Ten Rings
themselves, and it seems at one point he possessed the two bangles as well.
Marvel has claimed their rewrite of Kamala Khan ties into the wider story being told
in the MCU, and this may well be an important clue to point to Kamala Khan's place in the
MCU.
Ms. Marvel's "bangles" were found worn by somebody with blue skin - likely meaning Clandestine
found them on the severed hand of an alien Kree.
It's unclear why a Kree was at a Ten Rings temple, or why the hand was sliced off in
the first place, but this does likely indicate the bracelets are Kree Nega-Bands.
In the comics, these possess a link to the other-dimensional Negative Zone, and they
were worn by the Kree hero Mar-Vell.
This Kree connection should be seen as important setup for The Marvels, given Captain Marvel's
Kree ties.
Ms. Marvel episode 3 sees Bruno begin to research the possibility of interdimensional travel,
and he name-drops Dr. Erik Selvig - a key supporting character in the Thor movies.
This is more than just an Easter egg, because there's a sense in which Erik Selvig is the
MCU's true multiverse expert; he was last seen in Thor: The Dark World, already using
terms that are now becoming foundational to the MCU's approach to the multiverse.
According to Bruno, Dr. Selvig suggested it is indeed possible to travel between the dimensions
- but you would need the base energy of the sun.
Amusingly, Ms. Marvel is releasing shortly after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of
Madness, which introduced America Chavez - a character who can punch holes in spacetime,
jumping between the dimensions.
It seems Ms. Marvel episode 3 reveals just how powerful America Chavez really is.