With the djinn, kinda sorta defeated by their own hubris and Kamala’s family all set to Support, the only (obvious, because let’s face it Kamran is definitely sus) enemy thread left is the DODC. It’s great to see the whole community come behind Kamala in this episode, certainly a change from other super hero movies, most notably Spiderman No Way Home which centers prominently on the public reaction to super heroes. It reminds me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3 The Prom episode where the other students publicly admit they know Buffy is a super hero of some kind and they appreciate her.
The fight with DODC and the students at their high school is an absolute classic scene to all teenagers versus authorities storylines, made better by this series acknowledging themes of oppression. There’s not just fighting against the corruption of adulthood going on here, it’s also fighting for what is morally right. And that in the end Kamala chooses a defensive fight, rather than an outright violent take down of the people attacking her, signals a new phase of super hero interactions with the public.
While I enjoyed other Marvel shows for their portrayal of PTSD and struggles of mental illness, I enjoyed this one for being a more hopeful and positive take. Like Civil War flavored the older, harder heroes who had shouldered too much with the newer and more excited Ant Man and Spiderman, the progress of Ms. Marvel in the timeline of MCU releases allows the writers, characters and viewers to acknowledge the heaviness of the past, but also embrace a sense of new excitement toward the future of the IP.