Ms. Marvel: Who is the Red Dagger?

Ms. Marvel is introducing audiences to multiple new MCU characters, but who is the mysterious upcoming character, the Red Dagger?

Ms. Marvel – one of the newest MCU shows – has arrived on Disney+, and with it, so have many new characters.

There is Ms. Marvel herself, Kamala Khan, her family, her best friends Bruno and Nakia, and potential new love interest, Kamran.

However, there is still a character who is prominent in the comics but is yet to be officially introduced in the show: the Red Dagger.

SPOILERS FOR THE MS. MARVEL COMICS AHEAD…

Who is the Red Dagger?

Created by G. Willow Wilson and Mirka Andolfo, Red Dagger – also known as Kareem – is a vigilante similar to Kamala. In fact, his mother and Kamala Khan’s maternal aunt went to secondary school together.

When we first meet Kareem in the comics, he is living with Kamala’s grandmother in Karachi while studying for his university entrance exams. However, he is also masking up and protecting the people of Pakistan, all with the alias of “the Red Dagger.”

The Red Dagger is a self-taught hero, an expert marksman, amazing at parkour, and carries several daggers.

When Kamala, while suited up as Ms. Marvel, attempts to stop some thugs in Karachi, the Red Dagger is bothered about her overtaking his turf, and tells her that she should check with local heroes before charging in.

• Read More: What are Ms. Marvel’s powers, and how do they differ to Captain’s Marvel’s?

However, Kareem slightly goes back on his word, as when he transfers to Kamala’s home of Jersey City – he even lives with Kamala’s family – as an exchange student, the pair end up teaming up in their crime-solving exploits.

Is the Red Dagger in love with Ms. Marvel?

While they do not know of the other’s identity, they begin to grow closer, and the Red Dagger ends up developing feelings for Ms. Marvel.

He later makes his feelings known, but understands when Ms. Marvel states that she had too much going on to commit to a relationship. He ends up going back to Karachi, but the pair still have romantic potential.

• Read More: Who are the actual villains in Ms. Marvel?

Natacha Bustos, a comic creator who has worked on Ms. Marvel comics, explained: “I think of them as that kind of love relationship that some teenagers have in the summer, when they meet that person they like only once a year and everything is new and different from their usual routine.”

Clearly Kareem is a significant figure in the comics, but what will he be like in the show?

Will the Red Dagger be in the Ms. Marvel show?

Red Dagger will be in the new Ms. Marvel series, and has been spotted in the trailers, though he has yet to be officially introduced. He will be portrayed by Aramis Knight.

Viewers may have seen Knight in movies such as The Dark Knight Rises, Ender’s Game, and Runt. He had also been in a lot of other Disney properties, such as Hannah Montana, Santa Buddies, Hatching Pete, and Girl Meets World.

Knight seems to have made a favorable impression on Disney, so no doubt he will be great at bringing the Red Dagger to life on the screen.

The third episode of Ms. Marvel hits Disney+ next Wednesday, June 22. Read our review of Episode 2 here.