At New York Comic Con, it was announced by Marvel and Square Enix that Ms. Marvel would be a playable character in the upcoming release of Marvel’s The Avengers.
Fans of the 2019 movie Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson, should not get excited. While Larson’s character, Carol Danvers, may have once been called Ms. Marvel in the comics, it is not the Ms. Marvel who will be appearing in this game.
The current Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan, a young woman with the power to “embiggen” her body to fight crime. Khan may have seemed an odd choice when fans think about Avengers like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and even Captain Marvel herself who are not in this game as of yet. However, developer Crystal Dynamics believes that Khan is the obvious choice to be the protagonist of this game.
“When Marvel brought Kamala Khan up as a possibility for us, we were super excited to about her because she’s a fangirl like us,” senior producer Rose Hunt said. “She’s a fan of the Avengers like the whole world is, so we thought that she would be a super relatable character to be our protagonist.”
Hunt went on to note that another benefit of using Khan was her lack of a longstanding comic book legacy.
“Another advantage of her is that she doesn’t have 80 years of history, like Captain America or some of the other Avengers. And that allows us to actually tell more of an original story with her, because her story has just begun, and we can build on that in very interesting ways.”
When you look at the longstanding history of iconic characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, or The Hulk, Khan is barely an infant in comparison. She did not receive her first regular book until 2014, and since then has become a critically acclaimed addition to the Marvel Comics universe.
Khan has not been featured in any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as of yet, however, rumors have been swirling that Khan might become the subject of a new television show on Disney’s upcoming Disney+ streaming service.
Whether that series ever actually happens or not, Khan’s first mainstream appearance will be in the upcoming game, where she serves as a central figure who tries to unite the Avengers after they break up due to a tragic incident.
This game also features several playable heroes, including Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk.
Marvel’s The Avengers releases on May 15, 2020, on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google.
