Muslim American superhero Ms. Marvel has become a real-world protest icon
In 2014, Marvel introduced its new comics iteration of Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan, the first Muslim American superhero to get her own Marvel solo title. A nerdy, Tumblr-reading, wisecracking Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey, devoted to justice and fangirling Wolverine, the new Ms. Marvel was an instant hit. As written by Muslim American writer G. Willow Wilson, Kamala Khan broke records and stereotypes: Her debut issue received a rare sixth printing, and the character quickly became a beloved cosplay staple at geek conventions.
But since her debut, Kamala has also become something more: a real-world emblem of protest against Islamophobia. Back in 2015, the San Francisco street art activist group Street Cred deployed her image in response to a series of racist bus ads that had been bought by an anti-Muslim group. The artists strategically vandalized the ads using Kamala’s image, encouraging passersby to spread love, not hate, for the Muslim community.
Now, amid the tumultuous political and cultural climate following the election of President Donald Trump and his recent “Muslim ban,” Kamala has emerged as the leader of a band of social-justice-driven superheroes. Claimed by protesters and wielded across social media, Ms. Marvel, along with iconic superheroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman, has become a symbol of resistance to the sweeping changes Trump issued during his first week in office.
Artist Phil Noto recently remixed one of his own comics covers in order to symbolize Kamala’s reaction to a Trump presidency. In the original, a variant of Civil War II, Issue #0, Kamala is depicting a falling-out with her idol and mentor, Captain Marvel. Here, she’s making a fiercely anti-Trump statement.
http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/2/14457384/kamala-khan-captain-america-protest-icon
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