"No Normal" | |
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Ms. Marvel episode | |
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Episode no. | Episode 6 |
Directed by | Adil & Bilall |
Story by | Will Dunn |
Teleplay by |
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Produced by | Bisha K. Ali |
Cinematography by | Robrecht Heyvaert |
Editing by |
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Original release date | July 13, 2022 |
Running time | 49 minutes |
Cast | |
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"No Normal" is the sixth episode and series finale of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel , based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan as she works together with her friends Bruno Carrelli and Nakia Bahadir to help Kamran escape from the Department of Damage Control and become the superhero "Ms. Marvel". The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Will Dunn, A. C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey, with a story by Dunn. The episode was directed by Adil & Bilall.
Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, alongside Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Laurel Marsden, Arian Moayed, Alysia Reiner, Laith Nakli, Azhar Usman, Travina Springer, and Aramis Knight. El Arbi and Fallah joined the series by September 2020 to direct two episodes.
"No Normal" was released on Disney+ on July 13, 2022.
While Bruno Carrelli and Kamran are on the run, Department of Damage Control (DODC) agent Sadie Deever orders the lockdown of Jersey City and wants to find Kamran alive. Meanwhile, Kamala Khan's family are accepting and supportive of her new powers. Nakia Bahadir informs Khan of the situation, whereupon Khan puts together her disguise with a gift from her mother Muneeba and the Red Daggers member Kareem's cloth. Upon finding Bruno and Kamran, Khan asks Kareem for help. Kareem tells her to get Kamran to the docks by midnight so his Red Dagger contacts can sneak him out of the country. They also get support from Nakia, Khan's brother Aamir, and Zoe Zimmer and devise a plan to stall the DODC agents.
Although fellow DODC agent P. Cleary tells them to retreat, Deever ignores the order and has the high school stormed, where Khan and her friends are hiding. Zoe posts a video on social media in which she begs for help, prompting the entire community to gather at the school and demand that DODC leave the teens alone. Despite the group's efforts, the DODC manages to arrest everyone except Khan and Kamran, who then learns of his mother's death and confronts Deever. When she fires at him, Khan protects him, using her powers to fight off the agents and allowing Kamran to escape to the docks. The community shields Khan from the DODC, enabling her to also flee. Deever is discharged by Cleary for her disobedience. Later, Khan becomes a beloved figure in the community and takes the superhero name "Ms. Marvel" through her father Yusuf. Kamran reaches Pakistan, where he is taken in by Kareem. A week later, while preparing to leave for Caltech, Bruno explains to Khan that he examined the family DNA to see if Aamir may also have powers. He reveals his discovery that she is different from her family and has a mutation in her genes. [lower-alpha 1]
In a mid-credits scene, Khan and her idol Carol Danvers swap places after the former's bangle emits a strange glow. [lower-alpha 2]
By August 2019, Marvel Studios had begun development on a Ms. Marvel television series for the streaming service Disney+. [6] In September 2020, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were hired to direct two episodes of the series, [7] [8] including the sixth. [9] Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum, in addition to Kamala Khan co-creator Sana Amanat, El Arbi, Fallah, and head writer Bisha K. Ali. [9] The sixth episode, titled "No Normal", [4] was written by Will Dunn, A. C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey, with a story by Dunn. [10] The title is a reference to the character's first comic book story arc. [4]
"No Normal" features Kamala Khan using her comics catchphrase, embiggen, which forms hard light around her body as a large armor, resembling her polymorph powers from the comics; [4] this implementation was suggested by visual effects supervisor Nordin Rahhali, with El Arbi believing this was a good "blend" between what was scripted and paying homage to the comics. [11] Fallah explained at this point in the episode, Khan is at the end of her energy, and then seeing her family, which he said was "where she gets her power", says "embiggen", becoming Ms. Marvel and the "full version of herself" in that moment. [12] Ali echoed this, noting how the entire series had been building to where "she could discover who she is on the inside so she could 'embiggen', essentially". [13] The episode also explains how she gets her Ms. Marvel name, with her father explaining how "Kamal" means "perfect" in Arabic, but more like "marvel" in Urdu. [3] [4]
The episode also reveals that Kamala Khan has a genetic "mutation", which implied she was a mutant through the use of a musical excerpt of the X-Men: The Animated Series theme. [1] [2] [3] [4] Star Iman Vellani confirmed Khan was the first mutant in the MCU, [5] despite other creatives being more reserved in what the line and musical excerpt meant. [14] [13] Ali said giving Khan this backstory, which helped explain how the other members of her family would not have powers if they used the bangle and made her special, "fit into the logic of the wider MCU". [15] This differentiates the character from the comics, in which she is an Inhuman. [1] Amanat revealed that discussions about making Khan a mutant had occurred "for some time" and that when she was helping to develop the character for the comics, she was originally planned to be a mutant. [14] Vellani added about not following the Inhuman path from the comics, saying the MCU is "in a very different place than the comics were", believing some aspects of the character needed to be reimagined for live action while staying true to her "core themes and the tone" from the comics. [5] The mutation reveal was kept from the script and actors, including Matt Lintz, who says the line, until late in the process. Vellani "freaked out" at the reveal, calling it "the biggest deal in the world", which made it difficult to capture the line during filming, because she and Lintz kept laughing. Lintz added that he was also excited by the reveal, and anticipated the viewers would be as well. [15]
There had been early discussions to have Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel appear earlier in the season. However, Ali realized such an appearance would have taken away from Khan's journey to come into her own and appreciate her community. To highlight this, Ali said the end of the episode of Khan looking at herself in the mirror, she sees herself, wearing a suit made by her friends and family, rather than someone imitating Captain Marvel, as was done in a similar scene in the first episode. [16]
The episode stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, Matt Lintz as Bruno Carrelli, Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Rish Shah as Kamran, Laurel Marsden as Zoe Zimmer, Arian Moayed as P. Cleary, Alysia Reiner as Sadie Deever, [4] Laith Nakli as Sheikh Abdullah, Azhar Usman as Najaf, Travina Springer as Tyesha Hillman, [17] : 42:52–43:25 and Aramis Knight as Kareem / Red Dagger. [4] Also appearing are Jordan Firstman as Gabe Wilson, Anjali Bhimani as auntie Ruby, Sophia Mahmud as auntie Zara, Nic Starr as Mr. Hillman, Tonia Jackson as Mrs. Hillman, Matthew J. Vasquez as Miguel, Iyad Hajjaj as Uncle Rasheed, Ishan Gandhi as Hameed, Paul Kim as Paul, Jesse James Locorriere as Richardson, Ethan McDowell as Agent Barrie, [17] : 45:02 and Kamala Khan co-creator G. Willow Wilson as herself. [4] Brie Larson has an uncredited cameo appearance as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. [18]
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The series' main-on-end title sequence was designed by Perception [19] who combined the footage from Jersey City and Karachi, "bouncing between the two cities". The location swapping represented the "blend and balance" of Khan's character while also showcasing the various murals, color changes, and patterns that were used in both cities. [20]
Filming took place at Trilith Studios, Blackhall Studios, and Areu Brothers Studios, [21] with El Arbi and Fallah directing the episode, [9] and Robrecht Heyvaert serving as cinematographer. [22] Establishing shots were also filmed in New Jersey. [21] The mid-credits scene featuring Larson's cameo appearance was shot by The Marvels (2023) director Nia DaCosta. [12]
Visual effects for the episode were created by Digital Domain, Method Studios, RISE, Stereo D, Base FX, SSVFX, Framestore London, OD Studios, Folks VFX, Instinctual, Moving Picture Company, Cantina Creative, and Trixter. [17] : 46:04–46:30 [23] The ending shot of Khan on a lamppost was entirely digitally created by Digital Domain. [24]
The following songs were featured in the episode: "CPT. Space" by Janoobi Khargosh, "Blowin' Out Speakers" by Tom Griffiths, Adam Zapel, Dayeaux, and Alex Nova, "Lightswitch" by Chaii, "Ko Ko Koreena" by Ahmed Rushdi, "Anthem" by Swet Shop Boys, "Indian Summer" by Jai Wolf, "Aavegi" by Ritviz, and "Hadippa" by Pritam and DJ Hot Americano. [25] An excerpt of the main theme from X-Men '97 by the Newton Brothers, which is an updated version of the main theme from X-Men: The Animated Series composed by Ron Wasserman, is heard when Kamala's mutation is referenced. For legal reasons, the theme is credited to The Animated Series music executives Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. [26] [27]
A QR code was included in the episode that allowed viewers to access a free digital copy of Ms. Marvel (2014) #19. [28] After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including apparel, accessories, Funko Pops of Aisha, Kamran, and Ms. Marvel, and the Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit trade paperback. [29]
"No Normal" was released on Disney+ on July 13, 2022. It featured a content warning at the beginning of the episode due to the similarities between scenes depicting law enforcement entering a school building and the Robb Elementary School shooting. [30] It was released in Pakistan as part of a special theatrical release through licenser HKC Entertainment, due to Disney+ not being available in the country at that time, on July 14, 2022 along with the fifth episode. [31] [32] The episode was digitally altered by January 2023 to update the design of the Statue of Liberty to match its deoxidized appearance following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). [33] The episode aired on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney , along with the fourth and fifth episodes, on August 12, 2023. [34]
According to Nielsen Media Research who measure the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, Ms. Marvel was the seventh-most watched original series across streaming services for the week of July 11–17 with a series high 357 million minutes watched, [35] which was a 21% increase from the previous week. [36]
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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 8.10/10, based on 19 reviews. [37]
Swara Salih at Gizmodo said, "while a decent finale for a good series, the episode encapsulates the issues of the show overall", wishing it highlighted more of Khan's self-discovery and acceptance as in the comics. He called the embiggening powers "a cool looking effect", and was glad the series did not make Kamran the villain, instead "playing with the idea of him being the 'radical' and her being the 'reasonable' one". He also thought it was "ironic" that implying Khan was a mutant instead of Inhuman or Kree "may have distanced her background even more" from Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau's. [4] Ryan Parker of The Hollywood Reporter called Larson's cameo "incredibly satisfying because it did not undercut the series", adding had Danvers "arrived too soon to save the day, it could be argued the cameo would have undercut what the entire series set up prior". [38]
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series that aired in the United States for five seasons from October 31, 1992 to September 20, 1997, on Fox's Fox Kids programming block. It was Marvel Comics' second attempt at an animated X-Men television series after the pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men was not picked up. Set in the same fictional universe as Spider-Man, Earth-92131, it was followed by a revival, X-Men '97, which began airing on March 20, 2024, on Disney+.
In American comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is a human being that possesses a genetic trait called the X-gene. It causes the mutant to develop superhuman powers that manifest at puberty. Human mutants are sometimes referred to as a human subspecies Homo sapiens superior or simply Homo superior. Mutants are the evolutionary progeny of Homo sapiens, and are generally assumed to be the next stage in human evolution. The accuracy of this is the subject of much debate in the Marvel Universe.
Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first major Muslim protagonist character and South Asian American personality with her own comic book. In the Marvel Universe, she is a teenage Pakistani-American from Jersey City, New Jersey with body-morphing abilities who discovers that she has Inhuman genes in the aftermath of the "Inhumanity" storyline. She assumes the mantle of Ms. Marvel from her idol, Carol Danvers, after Danvers becomes Captain Marvel.
Ms. Marvel is the name of several superheroines appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to the superhero Mar-Vell / Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. Marvel codename gain their powers through Kree technology or genetics. The first incarnation of Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #13. The second incarnation, Sharon Ventura, debuted in The Thing #27. The third incarnation, Karla Sofen, made her first appearance in Captain America #192. The fourth and current incarnation, Kamala Khan, made her debut in Captain Marvel #14.
Matthew Lintz, professionally known as Matt Lintz, is an American actor. He is best known for playing an older version of Henry in the AMC television series The Walking Dead (2018–2019) and Bruno Carrelli in the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022).
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Ms. Marvel is an American television miniseries created by Bisha K. Ali for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel. It is the seventh television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It follows Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old fangirl of the Avengers who struggles to fit in until she gains her own powers. Ali served as head writer with Adil & Bilall leading the directing team.
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Kamala Khan is a fictional character portrayed by Iman Vellani in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by her alias, Ms. Marvel. Kamala is a teenage Pakistani-American mutant from Jersey City, New Jersey who idolizes Carol Danvers and unlocks her dormant cosmic energy powers from the Noor dimension.
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"Generation Why" is the first episode of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan, a fangirl of the Avengers, particularly Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, as she tries to attend AvengerCon, only to gain her own powers. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by head writer Bisha K. Ali and directed by Adil & Bilall.
"Crushed" is the second episode of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan as she begins to control her powers and learn more about her family history. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Kate Gritmon and directed by Meera Menon.
"Destined" is the third episode of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan as she learns of the Clandestines. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Freddy Syborn, A. C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey, from a story by Syborn. The episode was directed by Meera Menon.
"Seeing Red" is the fourth episode of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan as she travels to Karachi, Pakistan to learn more about her mysterious bangle. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Sabir Pirzada, A. C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey, with a story by Pirzada. The episode was directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
"Time and Again" is the fifth episode of the American television miniseries Ms. Marvel, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Ms. Marvel. It follows Kamala Khan, who time-travels from the present to 1947, and her great-grandmother Aisha before and during the partition of India. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Fatimah Asghar and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Marvel Studios asked our team at Perception to help create a dynamic main on end title sequence for their newest series on Disney+, Ms. Marvel. For the final episode os Ms. Marvel, our team combined our Jersey City footage and our Karachi footage into one sequence, bouncing between the two cities throughout this unique sequence. This constant location shift represents the blend and balance in Kamala's character. It also showcases the different murals, the similar murals, and the changes in colors and patterns that we used in the two different cities.