Is Ms. Marvel an Inhuman or a mutant? Powers in Marvel Comics & MCU explained

Is Ms. Marvel one of Marvel’s merry mutants or one of its bizarre Inhumans? A number of changes to her Marvel Comics origin have made her background all the more confusing, and her radically different MCU origin only complicates matters.

Ms. Marvel is finally making her big-screen debut in The Marvels, following up her small-screen debut in…well, Ms. Marvel. 

With that comes more exploration of her unique power set, though there is some contention about that. Ms. Marvel’s powers in the MCU are different from those in the comics, which were changed just as she made her MCU debut. 

It’s a bit confusing, but at the end of the day, all you need to know is she can make a huge fist no matter where she is. If you want to learn more, though, here’s a rundown of Ms. Marvel’s powers in the MCU and Marvel Comics. 

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan’s powers in Marvel Comics explained

Kamala Khan’s origin first established her as an Inhuman, but she has recently been revealed to be a mutant, too. Her original powers manifest after exposure to a terrigen mist cloud that blankets a dock in New Jersey. 

In the comics, the terrigen mists are a vapor that triggers Inhuman genes. For some Inhumans, this means receiving spectacular powers. Others may suffer a grotesque transformation or, in some cases, nothing at all. Kamala’s powers manifest as polymorphing, allowing her to grow, stretch and reshape her body. 

Kamala Khan’s Inhuman powers allow her to stretch her body and change size.

After Kamala is killed protecting Mary Jane Watson, the X-Men revive her and reveal she also has a latent mutant gene. The terrigen mists stunted the activation of her mutant gene; the mists are typically poisonous to mutants, but the dose she received only suppressed her x-gene. As a result, Kamala is a rare hybrid mutant/inhuman, of which only a handful have ever existed. 

Despite an offer from the X-Men, Kamala declined to have her mutant gene prematurely activated. As of this writing, Ms. Marvel’s mutant powers have yet to be revealed. 

Is Ms. Marvel a mutant or an inhuman in the MCU?

In the MCU, Kamala’s origin removes any reference to the Inhumans, instead tying her powers to a bangle that belonged to her ancestor. The bangle grants her an energy-based power that mimics the comics’ polymorphing but without actually stretching her body.

Kamala’s MCU powers replace her ability to shapeshift with energy projection.

However, the season 1 finale of Ms. Marvel reveals the bangle may not be entirely to blame. Kamala is revealed to be some form of mutant, though the x-gene itself is never mentioned explicitly. 

This does give the MCU Ms. Marvel a standout origin, as she is, for all intents and purposes, the MCU’s first mutant. That’s bound to change soon, though, with the future of the MCU pointing to the X-Men thanks to films like Deadpool 3. 

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