Ms. Marvel — out now on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar — is a fresh addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, introducing its first Muslim superhero, the first Pakistani-American superhero, and the first superhero who was also an Avengers superfan. And the first episode of Ms. Marvel — released Wednesday at 12:30pm IST — delivers another first, as it’s the first time that we’ve had a post-credits scene attached to the first episode of a MCU series. Of course, post-credits scenes are nothing new to Marvel themselves, with the studio essentially responsible for making it mainstream. On Ms. Marvel episode 1, which is devoid of villains, it’s used to bring in a pair of adults who are no doubt going to stand in Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani) way.
Warning: spoilers ahead for Ms. Marvel episode 1. Proceed at your own risk.
Ms. Marvel episode 1 mid-credits scene
The first episode of the latest Marvel series culminates in Kamala and her best friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) attending AvengerCon, where Kamala inadvertently discovers that she now has superpowers. It seems the bangle she got in the mail from her Nani (maternal grandmother) might have something to do with that. Of course, Kamala isn’t used to having superpowers, so it’s only natural that she would create havoc at AvengerCon with her abilities. Though her powers initially wow the audience, things start to go downhill after she accidentally snaps the cables that are holding a giant (fake) Mjolnir aloft.
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As the Mjolnir starts swinging like a pendulum, Kamala’s school mate Zoe (Laurel Marsden) — who is also taking part in the Captain Marvel cosplay alongside her — is caught in the way of it. Zoe holds onto the Mjolnir for dear life, as a shocked Kamala gasps in disbelief. But Zoe ultimately loses her grip and is thrown into the air. Kamala swings into action — even though she has no idea how her powers work — and catches Zoe before she falls, with her right arm elongating (like Elastigirl from The Incredibles) and her palm expanding in size. This is on point for Ms. Marvel’s powers in the comics.
Given all of this happens at a big fan convention, Kamala’s antics — dressed in her Captain Marvel costume — are recorded and broadcast all over the Internet by those present. That’s where the Ms. Marvel episode 1 mid-credits scene begins, with a detective getting footage of Kamala’s doings at AvengerCon on her phone. After seeing a part of the video, Agent Deever (Alysia Reiner, from Orange Is the New Black) says to her partner Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed, from Succession): “Check this out. Teenage girl at AvengerCon.”
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This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Agent Cleary by the way. Moayed also had a minor role as the Department of Damage Control officer on last year’s interdimensional adventure Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he briefly interrogated Peter Parker, his friends, and his family after Parker’s Spider-Man identity was revealed to the public. He’s the first crossover MCU character on Ms. Marvel, in a similar fashion to how Randall Park’s FBI agent Jimmy Woo went from being in Ant-Man and the Wasp to appearing in the weird sitcom WandaVision.
Anyway, back to the Ms. Marvel episode 1 mid-credits scene. Glancing at the video he’s shown by Deever, Cleary says: “A cosplayer with too much time on their hands.” But it seems Cleary hasn’t got to the good part yet — where Kamala’s limbs are going to do what is impossible for the rest of us — as Deever replies: “Not this one. I’ve never seen powers like that.” As Cleary turns his attention to the clip, his attitude changes and he adds: “Whoa. Yeah, bring her in.” Deever nods and walks away, but the camera lingers on Cleary’s face, as if to suggest he might have an ulterior motive.
Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it. We will likely learn more as Ms. Marvel drops new episodes every Wednesday. Ms. Marvel episode 2 releases June 15 at 12:30pm IST/ 12am PT on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.