Ms. Marvel’s second episode introduces a new potential love interest for Kamala Khan. But who is this new boy Kamran?
The second episode of Ms. Marvel – one of the newest MCU shows – has finally arrived on Disney+, and with it, so has a new character.
Episode Two, titled “Crushed,” sees Kamala Khan – AKA Ms. Marvel – meeting a new boy at school called Kamran, who she instantly gets a crush on. However, he isn’t quite as he seems…
SPOILERS FOR MS. MARVEL AHEAD!
Who is Kamran in Ms. Marvel episode 2?
Kamran – played by Rish Shah of soap-opera Emmerdale fame – is a new boy at school, who has arrived from England. He is charming, funny, and has abs, so Kamala instantly gets a crush on him.
She meets Kamala at a party in Episode 2 after she watches him dive into a pool, and then he gives her and her friends Nakia and Bruno a ride home once the party gets busted by the cops.
The pair bond over Bollywood movies, and he later helps her practise her shoddy driving. Kamala is completely smitten, imaging illustrations around him, and doodling him in her school notebooks. Kamala’s actor – Iman Villani – may arguably acting a little bit too over-the-top in these moments, but it’s definitely funny to watch.
Bruno, who seems to harbour feelings for Kamala, is also funny in these scenes, as he and Kamran constantly exchange passive aggressive comments as Bruno’s jealousy arises. Granted, as we covered in our Episode 2 review, this trope may be a little dated, as is the seemingly burgeoning plot-line of Kamala being too blinded by love to see that there is clearly something suspicious about Kamran.
Kamran’s arrival and immediate interest in Kamala – along with his talent for putting on new accents and identities, as shown by the scene with Kamala’s brother – is unsettling from the get-go, and thankfully the show doesn’t assume that the audience is also too blinded by Kamran’s charm to sense that something’s up.
At the end of the second episode, Kamala is fleeing from D.O.D.C agents, and she manages to escape when Kamran pulls up in his car to rescue her. But how did he know she was there? And who is the ominous woman in the backseat, claiming that the has been waiting to meet Kamala?
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Well, the comics manage to answer a lot of these questions. MORE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Who is Kamran in the Ms. Marvel comics?
Anyone who is suspicious of Kamran in the show can prepare to feel validated, as it turns out he is a full-blown villain in the comics.
As stated by CBR, in the comics “One of Kamala’s early enemies was Kamran, a friend she had developed a bit of a crush on. Kamran was also an Inhuman like Kamala, and the pair initially bonded over their shared circumstances. Kamran possessed the ability to transfer stored energy from his body into objects, creating what he called a “biokinetic charge.””
Since Kamala is not an inhuman in the show like she is in the comics, and her powers are different, we can assume that Kamran’s identity and abilities may also be changed. But his role in the show’s story will likely remain the same.
As CBR continues, “Later it was revealed that Kamran was in league with Ms. Marvel’s enemy Lineage, and Kamran’s friendliness was all a ploy to gain her trust. The former friends battled it out in Ms. Marvel (Vol. 3) #15.”
Unlike Kamala, Kamran looks down on non-super humans, and wants Kamala to quit being a hero and join him alongside major villain Lineage. At one point when they are in his car, he knocks her out and kidnaps her, taking her to Lineage’s lair. Since the second episode of Ms. Marvel ends with them both in a car together, things aren’t looking good for Kamala. Perhaps the woman in the backseat of Kamran’s car is even the series’ version of Lineage.
However, Kamran has yet to reveal his super identity in the series, so fans will probably have to wait a few episodes before his true motives are realised.
The third episode of Ms. Marvel hits Disney+ next Wednesday, June 22. Read our review of episode 2 HERE.