17 Times Ms. Marvel Reminded You How Awkward It Is Being A Teenager
It's been a little over year since we were first introduced to Kamala Khan, a second generation Pakistani teenager living in Jersey City with awesome shape shifting powers. Since then, Marvel Comics' new Ms. Marvel has become an unstoppable powerhouse of superhero awesomeness -- her series has broken through to the top spot digital comic sales more times then you can shake an Avenger at, and she's become one of the publisher's breakout female characters.
But Ms. Marvel isn't just great because she can punch bad guys into the next town over with her giant Inhuman fists -- even if you don't share her Muslim faith or her urban upbringing, Kamala's experience navigating the modern world as a fandom-obsessed teenager is infinitely relatable. If you're the type of person that gushes over OTPs and still has a hard time understanding your place in the world, you need to start reading her story.
But don't take our word for it! Check out all the times Kamala tried to make her way though being a teenager that really spoke to us:
That time her body started going through weird changes.
Puberty is a weird time for everything, but it's probably even weirder when you've been hit with a terrigen mist that causes you to spontaneously shape shift in the middle of class. Can't exactly ask your girl friend for a tampon to make that go away, know what I mean?
That time nobody understood her but her dog.
Keep up, Bruno. Lockjaw knows exactly what's going on, and he has a lightning rod on his head.
That time she had to explain the Internet to her family.
A thousand upvotes is nothing to sneeze at, guys.
That time she didn't know what adults were talking about.
Face it, Coulson, the world has changed since you were a kid.
That time she realized that the whole world is against her.
Don't even get her started on those old guys who complain about young women who take selfies. Cool it, dudes! Maybe we like feeling confident about ourselves for once!
That time she spent all night picking out an outfit.
Cosplay, superhero costume... same thing, right? Either way, everyone's gonna want her picture at Comic Con.
That time she met someone from her fandom and totally lost it.
Two years from now she's going to be telling her college friends about that time she hung out with Wolverine and she'll be mentally kicking herself for having NO chill.
And then that other time she lost it even harder.
We sympathize, Kamala. Meeting somebody in your OTP would be tough for anybody to handle.
That time she had to deal with some creep.
Loki's pretty tame compared to the guys who catcall you on the street, of course, but it's still pretty jarring when you have to start worrying about gross adults who might take advantage of you because you're a teenager. Ick.
That time she had to deal with a crush.
As if that isn't bad enough, Kamran is a family friend who her parents wanted to set her up with! You know what's worse than having a dude foisted on you by your mom and dad? Proving them right by actually being into him.
That time she got in trouble with her mother.
Parents just don't understand, you know?
That time she really wanted to turn to her mother.
But sometimes, when YOU don't understand, they're really good at making you feel better.
That time she realized she was turning INTO her mother.
Okay, to be fair, she did it literally and not in the way where you say something that sounds like what your parents would say to you. But be honest, the very first time you catch yourself telling your friend to bring a jacket because it's cold outside, you might as well be switching bodies with your mom.
That time she wanted to be someone else.
What girl hasn't wished even for a second that they could look more like the impossibly gorgeous models and actresses who pose on the cover of fashion magazines, instead of just a dweeby teenager who doesn't feel comfortable in their own skin?
And then that time she realized being somebody else doesn't solve all your problems.
One day you figure out that all those magazine spreads are photoshopped and being a different person isn't all its cracked up to be.
That time she realized that being true to yourself is important.
Things don't magically get easier when you decide to go down your own path, but as long as you keep pushing, you'll figure out the kind of person YOU are. That's what being a teenager is all about, right?
Finally, that time she got sent to detention for accidentally breaking school property with her superpowers.
What, that never happened to you growing up?