Avengers' Kamala Khan Is This Year's Most Important Hero (Eurogamer)

[NeoRaider]

When it comes to superheroes, for the majority of people the immediate characters that always come to mind are the classics such as Superman, Iron Man, Captain America and the like. Sadly it's rare that a superhero who isn't a straight white male will ever be mentioned. However, the team at Crystal Dynamics decided that they're going to flip the script when it comes to Marvel's Avengers. Despite this being an Avengers game, not a single one of them is truly the lead in the campaign. The hero of this story is Kamala Khan, a.k.a Ms Marvel, the first Muslim American-Pakistani hero in the Marvel universe - making this game pretty huge for Muslims around the world, including myself.

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Representation is something that people of colour and folks from different faiths have been wanting in video games for as long as I can remember. It's something that we've started to slowly see an increase of in recent years with the likes of Overwatch adding Ana Amari, an Egyptian character who wears a hijab, and even Call of Duty: Modern Warfare attempted to break away from its stereotypical representation of Arabs and Muslims by letting you play an Arab soldier called Farrah in the singleplayer campaign.

However, we've never really had a triple-A game where being Muslim was a core part of a lead character, so when I started playing the campaign of Marvel Avengers, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Kamala Khan wasn't just a side character to the Avengers, in fact it was quite the opposite! The Avengers were the side characters to Kamala Khan's story. This was very much a Ms. Marvel story.

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In the very first hour of Marvel Avengers that authentic perspective that Amanat wanted immediately comes into play. Within minutes I instantly started to feel that representation that I very rarely get from games. The moments where Kamala refers to her father as Abu and when her father calls her Beta instantly made me connect with her. I had flashes of my aunty calling me Beta whenever she'd come visit me, and memories of seeing her call her father Abu whenever we had massive family gatherings for Eid. But it doesn't stop there, as there's another moment later in the opening where Abu is asking Kamala if she wants to go to the Mosque with the family, and it just made me think of my own mum every Friday asking me whether I'd like to go with her for the Friday prayer. It's just all these small moments that really bring forward the representation that Muslims like me have been craving to see in a video game.

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More: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-09-07-avengers-kamala-khan-is-this-years-most-important-hero

 

[CaptainKashup]

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

Edit : Looks like it just flew over my head. I need to pay more attention lol

 

[Menome]

I've loved Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel ever since she was introduced back in 2014, and I urge anybody who has been introduced to her by the game, to go and read her series from its beginning. It's one of the few "New Heroes" Marvel has gotten 100% on-point, on level with Miles Morales.

 

[Karlinel]

I think it's lovely people get representations of their daily life, besides inclusivity it does make for a better, more interesting narrative if you get to make your characters feel like real people with their routines and chores.
That said, as a spaniard, I'd love it if spanish representation had no churches nearby.

 

[Ravelle]

Sandra Saad was on Kevin Smith's Fatman Beyond and they casted the right person, she's fantastic and is very much like Kamala.

Starts at the 28 minute mark.

I would be down if she played the live action version as well, if she's interested.

 

[Kemono]

I like her very much so far.

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

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Her talking about the burkini her mom gave her (because muslim women use them for sport (she explains in the game)) was the first time they talked about it directly imo.

 

[JeffJeff]

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

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They talk about it right after the intro mission, just before she sneaks out to her secret base.

 

[Gold Arsene]

"But she's not in the movies and no one knows her!"

Or whatever dumb shit people were composing about when she was announced as the lead.

Love Kamala and can't wait for her D+ show.

 

[Niceguydan8]

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

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I knew next to nothing about her outside of seeing pictures of her and I found out by playing the game.

 

[IHaveIce]

I've loved Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel ever since she was introduced back in 2014, and I urge anybody who has been introduced to her by the game, to go and read her series from its beginning. It's one of the few "New Heroes" Marvel has gotten 100% on-point, on level with Miles Morales.

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I would argue that Kamala is even better written than Miles

 

[CaptainKashup]

They talk about it right after the intro mission, just before she sneaks out to her secret base.

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I guess the French dub made some changes then because I really don't remember ?

 

[Menome]

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

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She calls her father "Abu", the post A-Day section starts off with her father asking if she wants to join her friends going to a Prayer-Camp weekend held by the local mosque. She talks about the fact her costume incorporates a burkini. This is all in the first few hours. 🤷‍♀️

I guess the French dub made some changes then because I really don't remember ?

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Okay, can't speak for the French translation/localisation. They might have not carried it across quite as well?

 

[Yuntu]

Sandra Saad was on Kevin Smith's Fatman Beyond and they casted the right person, she's fantastic and is very much like Kamala.

Starts at the 28 minute mark.

I would be down if she played the live action version as well, if she's interested.

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Yeah. She was a great choice for casting. I hope they continue this with Black Panther etc.

 

[CaptainKashup]

She calls her father "Abu", the post A-Day section starts off with her father asking if she wants to join her friends going to a Prayer-Camp weekend held by the local mosque. She talks about the fact her costume incorporates a burkini. This is all in the first few hours. 🤷‍♀️

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I've never heard any of my muslim friends call their father Abu so I thought that was a Pakistani thing.
If the character resonated with the right people, then that's all good. I was just trying to say that it didn't feel obvious when I played.

 

[Magneto]

I guess the French dub made some changes then because I really don't remember ?

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I play in French and it was clearly obvious within the first 30 minutes.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

The disrespect for Squirrel Girl tsk tsk /s

 

[BY2K]

The RV scene with her and Banner was goddamn hilarious and there isn't a single line of dialogue in it.

 

[CaptainKashup]

Okay, can't speak for the French translation/localisation. They might have not carried it across quite as well?

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Just looked again at the cutscene, they do say Mosque in french too. So it's just a case of me being not attentive enough.

 

[Khanimus]

I would argue that Kamala is even better written than Miles

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If we're talking comics, she's drastically better written than Miles. In no small part to the fact that she was written by a muslim woman vs Bendis trying to write a kid in a biracial household to replace Peter came out extremely fucking flat with no truly driving stories. Even in the PS4 game, he felt so blandly underwritten. Spider-Verse was the best thing that could have happened to that character, and brought so much life and idealism and power to him.

 

[TheGhost]

I didn't care about her before the game, now I do.

i think it stemmed from me thinking I had to play as her the whole game. She definitely has some great moments and lines. Her abilities and move set are great.

 

[Hakimy]

I don't know why people in Western media use the word "Abu" in a wrong way. In arabic "Abu" usually means the "father of". My name is Mohammed so people give my father a nickname of "Abu Mohammed". If I had a son called Omar people will call me "Abu Omar" and so on. Sometimes it used to to describe things related to a certain person like if he is known for doing good deeds we call him "father of the good deeds" or like he is so generous so we say "father of generosity" or in our language "Abu Al Karam" but nobody is called "Abu" just like that. Not sure if Pakistanis use it this way but since the word is actually Arabic this is how we use it in the Arab world. Using the word "Abu" alone doesn't make sense.

Edit: thanks to the people who corrected me 👍🏻

 

[Klyka]

Kamala reprenstation is great, even if I have my issues with the writing of the character.
But I gotta be honest, I played almost 10 hours of this game and if I didn't knew she was Muslim beforehand, I wouldn't have known playing the game.

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You wouldn't have known from her father saying she was supposed to go to the Muslim Girls retreat or from her DIY costume being made from a Burkini which she says (direct quote) "Is something Muslim athletes like to wear"?

edit: just saw you were playing in French, so yeah the translation might have been weird. They definitely mention her being muslim multiple times in the English translation

 

[Prine]

Yeah, so I've got alot of respect for this aspect of the game. Real good stuff from SE.

 

[Deleted member 13101]

The article is pretty good, until the very end at least. What is it with gamers and having to be so "fair-minded" when it comes to evaluating their art? Why was it necessary to bring up that the game has issues and jank, when closing out perhaps one of this year's most important arguments? Is the singular focus and celebration of seeing representation realized in a game just not allowed?

 

[Magneto]

edit: just saw you were playing in French, so yeah the translation might have been weird. They definitely mention her being muslim multiple times in the English translation

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French dub mention that fact too

 

[Spine Crawler]

Id say the superhero of this year is black panther and we all know why.

 

[Klyka]

French dub mention that fact too

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huh I guess the poster just wasn't paying attention then

 

[Fezan]

As much as I like seeing Kamla in high profile game I also wish they should have chosen the right voice actress for the role. Not every brown Muslim character is Arab

 

[Spiderman]

She is awesome.

 

[Arkestry]

I like her very much so far.



Her talking about the burkini her mom gave her (because muslim women use them for sport (she explains in the game)) was the first time they talked about it directly imo.

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Her dad talks about a retreat with the girls from the mosque too. It's there but it's not at the forefront. Which isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 51789]

The article is pretty good, until the very end at least. What is it with gamers and having to be so "fair-minded" when it comes to evaluating their art? Why was it necessary to bring up that the game has issues and jank, when closing out perhaps one of this year's most important arguments? Is the singular focus and celebration of seeing representation realized in a game just not allowed?

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I agree that it doesn't need that caveat but I'm guessing it's a pre-emptive argument ahead of the comments that a game doesn't have to be seen as the best thing in the world when it comes to design and technical issues by someone to have elements of it that are worthy of high praise.

 

[Kemono]

Her dad talks about a retreat with the girls from the mosque too. It's there but it's not at the forefront. Which isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

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They made the dad pretty likeable.

I hope he stays this way. I'm only 4 hours in...

 

[The Masked Mufti]

I don't know why people in Western media use the word "Abu" in a wrong way. In arabic "Abu" usually means the "father of". My name is Mohammed so people give my father a nickname of "Abu Mohammed". If I had a son called Omar people will call me "Abu Omar" and so on. Sometimes it used to to describe things related to a certain person like if he is known for doing good deeds we call him "father of the good deeds" or like he is so generous so we say "father of generosity" or in our language "Abu Al Karam" but nobody is called "Abu" just like that. Not sure if Pakistanis use it this way but since the word is actually Arabic this is how we use it in the Arab world. Using the word "Abu" alone doesn't make sense.

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Yes, that is how we use it. In Urdu (and various languages in the country) it's an Arabic loanword which only means father. So it's not a case of people in Western media using it wrong; it's a case where the word exists in many languages and they're using it correctly here for their character (Kamala is of Pakistani background).

 

[Musubi]

Kamala is easily the most likeable character I've seen in a game in quite some time. It's a pretty huge thing for a Pakastani woman to be the main protagonist in a AAA game like this. She really is the driving force of the narrative. The final action sequence of the campaign nearly had me jump out of my chair in excitement. Campaign is legit so good. And that is due in large part to Kamala. If this campaign was just 10 hours of the Avengers being dysfunctional and yelling at each other. I'd probably have tapped out.

 

[Mandalorian]

I wholeheartedly agree this. I am not Muslim. I am a Brazilian PoC that knows exactly what it means being poorly represented in the mainstream media, and I can't stress enough how much of a powerful character Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan is. And I am not talking just about power levels, although she is pretty powerful in the game. I'm talking about how precious her character arc is, how important and bold it is that they have made Kamala not just one of the Avengers, but the heart of this story and, well, this iteration of the Avengers. We can discuss power levels, Metacritic scores and GOTY lists all day, but trust me on this one: I'm happy to know that one of my favorite games of the year features a Muslim girl that reminds a lot of myself growing up, a nerd just trying to do good because that is the right thing to do, regardless how corny that is.



Representation matters.

And Crystal Dynamics, if you are listening, my guy Sunspot could use some love as well:

 

[Klyka]

They made the dad pretty likeable.

I hope he stays this way. I'm only 4 hours in...

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Her dad is absolutely fantastic from start to finish

 

[Ser_Luke]

Very slightly off topic but, I can't wait for her series on Disney+ I hope the rumors about Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel for it and acting as a mentor for her are true.

 

[Helix]

Quite a lovable character, Kamala and Her dad are well cast in the game and don't fall into those very south asian stereotypes, I'm glad that they did justice to that. I was honestly very worried!

 

[Kaivan]

Absolutely.

A Muslim, South Asian, and a woman as the lead character in a AAA Marvel game, it can't get any better than this. Kudos to Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix for greenlighting this.

 

[Zapages]

I don't know why people in Western media use the word "Abu" in a wrong way. In arabic "Abu" usually means the "father of". My name is Mohammed so people give my father a nickname of "Abu Mohammed". If I had a son called Omar people will call me "Abu Omar" and so on. Sometimes it used to to describe things related to a certain person like if he is known for doing good deeds we call him "father of the good deeds" or like he is so generous so we say "father of generosity" or in our language "Abu Al Karam" but nobody is called "Abu" just like that. Not sure if Pakistanis use it this way but since the word is actually Arabic this is how we use it in the Arab world. Using the word "Abu" alone doesn't make sense.

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It is mostly a south Asian thing. I'm also American Pakistani so I can corelate with things.

In Urdu, Abu became father. I call my Father just Abojan and my Mother Amijan. The jan/jaan is just an endearing way to call someone. Folks use variety of Abu, baba, daddy, and Dad for Father. While for Mother, I have seen it as Ami, mummmy, Mom, Mum, and etc...

What you are referring to in Urdu it will become Omar ke Abu. Urdu switches things around. The ke = of . Some old school folks still use that terminology when talking with their children. It usually will be the mother who talks to their husbands. Majority don't use it anymore as more English is being mixed into Urdu.

My Mother has masters in Urdu from Punjab university in Lahore so I found all these small differences in Urdu and reading about Arabic.

Anyway, back on topic kamala khan is a great for Muslim Americans from Pakistani origin... If I ever have a daughter, I'll try to give her some of her comics to get her into marvel.

It's like how my cousin's son who is going to a Islamic school went on a field trip to go watch star wars episode 7...

 

[Hayeya]

Wow, never knew anything about ms. Marvel and her back story before this game, and as a Muslim myself, i am so happy of what they did.
Muslims (or other ethnic/color minorities) stereotypes in games/movies/media must end.

 

[The Masked Mufti]

I wholeheartedly agree this. I am not Muslim. I am a Brazilian PoC that knows exactly what it means being poorly represented in the mainstream media, and I can't stress enough how much of a powerful character Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan is. And I am not talking just about power levels, although she is pretty powerful in the game. I'm talking about how precious her character arc is, how important and bold it is that they have made Kamala not just one of the Avengers, but the heart of this story and, well, this iteration of the Avengers. We can discuss power levels, Metacritic scores and GOTY lists all day, but trust me on this one: I'm happy to know that one of my favorite games of the year features a Muslim girl that reminds a lot of myself growing up, a nerd just trying to do good because that is the right thing to do, regardless how corny that is.



Representation matters.

And Crystal Dynamics, if you are listening, my guy Sunspot could use some love as well:

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Her dad is absolutely fantastic from start to finish

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Low-key the secondary protag of the game

Quite a lovable character, Kamala and Her dad are well cast in the game and don't fall into those very south asian stereotypes, I'm glad that they did justice to that. I was honestly very worried!

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This was one of my worries. I love that CD handled it so well.

 

[It’s Time To Go]

She rocks in the game, as does her 2014 series

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Despite all the games technical issues the game was worth the purchase for Kamala in the campaign alone.
She's about mid tier gameplay but story and characterization alone she destroys the other Avengers combined.


Never remotely got interested when I previously saw her character show up anywhere.
After the game her D+series immediately became the Marvel production I'm most excited about by far(way more than any new movie even)

 

[Jam]

Not a big fan of the character in general, but I'm glad she was chosen for the game and handled well for the representation it brings.

 

[Mandalorian]

Very slightly off topic but, I can't wait for her series on Disney+ I hope the rumors about Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel for it and acting as a mentor for her are true.

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I was talking about this the other day, but I kinda wish she ends up getting her own film instead. I did hear that the plan was to make a TV show with her by Marvel Studios but I am hoping that a conjunction of factors, the character breaking out in this game being one of them, make them consider going with a film instead. I just think it's important that she gets the big screen treatment, and the character already proved with this game that she can carry a big production with ease.

 

[Kaivan]

Scratch that "of the year" and make it "of the decade" or "forever".

Wow, never knew anything about ms. Marvel and her back story before this game, and as a Muslim myself, i am so happy of what they did.
Muslims (or other ethnic/color minorities) stereotypes in games/movies/media must end.

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Indeed. It's just heartbreaking every time I see a new game trailer with Arabian terrorists as the antagonists.

 

[Weltall Zero]

To add to the "abu" situation of being used differently in different countries / languages, I was playing the demo in Spanish and I thought she was calling for her grandfather, because in Spanish grandfather is "abuelo", sometimes shortened to "abu" by kids.

I was wondering if there would be an etymological connection (since Spanish inherits a lot of words from Arabic), but apparently it comes from "avus" which means grandfather in Latin.

 

[Weltall Zero]

poorly represented in the mainstream media

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As someone who owned the first few issues of the New Mutants, and clearly remembers DaCosta's literal page one introduction being beaten up for racist reasons during a soccer match (sorry, "soccar" match), which in turn awakened his powers, this is incredibly fucked up and killed most of my excitement for the movie. What. the. fuck.

 

[Patsy]

She's the reason why I now want to desperately get the game once I have some money to spare. Watched the intro of her @ A-Day and just couldn't stop smiling and giggling. Both her & her dad are wonderful & hearing that that never changes makes me incredibly happy.