I still remember where I was when I first heard the news of Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan’s possible inclusion into the MCU: sitting on my bed in my PJs, mindlessly browsing Twitter. A Pakistani-American superhero? In mainstream American movies? I screamed. I laughed. I cried.
And then I froze, and the anxiety hit. Hollywood’s entire history of miscasting, misrepresenting, and butchering any small Muslim/Pakistani representation on-screen railroaded me all at once. Suddenly, I found myself apprehensive instead of excited, bracing myself for the inevitable disappointment of it all. I thought back to the fact that Hollywood has never once been able to portray a Muslim character without falling into an Islamophobic trap of their own making. And the fact that Hollywood has never really quite understood what being Pakistani means, let alone portrayed one thoughtfully.
So why is it so important for Kamala Khan to be portrayed by a Pakistani-American actress? The answer is simple: our experiences are unique to us in a way that cannot be shared by people who haven’t lived their life as us, whether they are a marginalized minority or not. Furthermore, we have little to no representation in mainstream media, and the minuscule representation that we do have is clearly presented from an outsider’s lens, never quite hitting the mark on portraying us realistically and respectfully without falling into misconceptions and stereotypes.
Muslims on-screen are either nameless, faceless terrorists, or characters trying really hard to prove that they’re not terrorists. They are either stereotypically and overzealously religious or trying really hard to entirely distance themselves from their religion and “oppressive” upbringing to fit into the “normal” Americans image. They are never allowed to just be. And Pakistanis on-screen? Forget it. When they are not non-existent (which is almost always), they are made into being either Indian or Middle-Eastern by American creators who have no idea who a Pakistani really is.
Yes, the majority of us are Muslims. No, we are not Middle-Eastern or Arab. Yes, we are South-Asians. No, that’s not the same thing as being Indian. Pakistan is its own country with a distinct culture and experience (an experience that is neglected almost entirely by mainstream American media) and to lump it together with the Middle-East or other South-Asian countries is ignorant and disrespectful to everyone involved.
Similarly, Muslim-American kids growing up in the post-9/11 America have had to live in a world that, when not completely dehumanizing and excluding them, is always judging them and trying to fit them into unreasonable boxes. They have had to answer countless racist and ugly questions, explain everything about themselves to everyone around them, and watch themselves be portrayed and labeled in offensive, false stereotypes on a daily basis.
Enter: Kamala Khan. A character who is allowed to be Pakistani and Muslim and American and a teenager all at the same time, while also coming to terms with having superpowers and all that entails. A character who is allowed to be “regular” without erasing her heritage and religion. A character just like us.
So when the talk starts of Kamala finally being adapted into the MCU, of course, Pakistani-Americans across the board want to see her be portrayed by a Pakistani-American Muslim girl who “gets it”. Because the truth of the matter is, you cannot mimic experiences. You cannot understand and portray the lives of marginalized minorities that you have never experienced. You cannot even begin to comprehend the oppression and the feeling of exclusion and apprehension we have lived through our entire lives. No amount of research or talent can give voice to those depths that you simply do not have a grasp of. You would not, as an outsider, understand the very essence of the character you portray and why she is necessary and so dear to us in today’s world.
Furthermore, Pakistani-Americans who have been deprived of real representation their whole lives deserve to see themselves on screen, not just someone who looks like us. Because believe it or not, all brown people are not interchangeable. Pakistani-American actors who have been robbed of opportunities because they don’t fit the look for “American” characters deserve a chance to portray this very special character that was written for them.
If they aren’t allowed to portray non-Pakistani characters and they aren’t allowed to portray Pakistani characters then what are
It is important for Marvel to not fall into the trap of performative diversity to pander to the current trend of diversity but instead promote real diversity with the inclusion of the diverse voices it intends to portray. This can be done with the inclusion of diversity not just in characters, but also in the actors that portray them as well as the people involved in the development of these characters and their stories behind the scenes.
So could they do it? Could Marvel finally break the vicious cycle of terrible Muslim and/or Pakistani representation on-screen? I wanted to believe they could, but with Hollywood’s track record, all I found were anxiety and apprehension. But surely, with women such as Sana Amanat and G. Willow Wilson at the helm of creating her character, we could expect Kamala to be treated respectfully and properly in an MCU adaptation? But my hopes were left deflated when as a reaction to the news, Twitter started fan-casting Ms. Marvel and listing off people who should be involved in her MCU adaptation.
Names such as Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kaling, Kumail Nanjiani, and Riz Ahmed started circulating, only two of which had any connection to Pakistan or Islam, none of which were Pakistani/Muslim women, and one of whom had already been criticized heavily by many South-Asian women for his offensive portrayal of them. Because naturally, Hollywood audiences have a very, very limited list of brown celebrities they know who they automatically associate with any and all brown characters whether in any way accurate or not.
But when several Pakistani-American women took to Twitter to voice their concerns regarding this, they were treated by many as vicious, angry gate-keepers who didn’t know how to share. They were silenced and tone-policed. They were asked to be grateful for the crumbs they were being granted and to quit asking for more. No one (except for Riz Ahmed, who I grew to respect immensely from this) bothered to investigate or even listen to the source of this backlash. You would think that people would be more receptive to the voice and concerns of the demographic that is most represented by the character in question, but alas, that was not the case. Sadly, this particular demographic is used to being ignored, excluded, and talked down to, no matter the arena.
This entire ordeal only goes to prove the immense need for female Pakistani-American and Muslim voices to be heard and included in such discussions and the fight for diversity. And for this reason, if Marvel ever officially decides to bring Kamala Khan to the MCU, it needs to ensure the inclusion of Pakistani-American women and their voices in the adaptation. That is the only way to guarantee that Kamala’s portrayal will not only be realistic and respectful, but also be celebrated and successful among the demographic it strives to portray, and hopefully start a trend of effective diversity as opposed to the current trend of performative diversity.
As to the argument of Kamala being a relatable character for teenagers and marginalized minorities across the board and catering to that: there is no reason that Kamala’s adaptation can’t address marginalization and identity issues on a macro scale while still focusing on and staying true to the specific demographic it set out to portray. We don’t have to sacrifice a very underrepresented and misunderstood, extremely marginalized minority to cater to everyone. The two things are not mutually exclusive. Just like people have been able to relate to Kamala’s character in the comics even if it’s written from a very specific point of view, they can learn to relate to and appreciate her specific identity issues and struggles with marginalization and translate it to themselves.