Marvel’s Avengers impresses our MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn with epic action, but also a surprisingly good story. This is mainly due to the heroine “Ms. Marvel”, whom Jürgen found the least interesting and rather silly beforehand.
Who is it about? When I first saw images and videos of Marvel’s Avengers, I was a bit confused. Because heroes like Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, and my beloved Thor were well known to me. But who is this strange girl with the embarrassing superhero costume and grotesquely oversized limbs?
This is why I initially thought Ms. Marvel was silly: This “Ms. Marvel” (what a stupid name!) did not fit at all with the other heroes, who, despite the typical Marvel exaggeration, were still somewhat relatable.
But Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel looked with her cheap costume and silly eye mask just as if a character from a slapstick superhero parody had been quietly smuggled into the new AAA Marvel game by a malicious troll.
And then there’s her superpower! She can stretch and bizarrely bend and deform her body parts. Yuck! It looks weird and awkward. I was absolutely sure: “I definitely won’t play this freak!”
A wonderful start to the game
This is why I had to play Ms. Marvel: I quickly abandoned my resolution because as soon as Avengers started, I had to explore the big Avengers fan fest on A-Day with a youthful Kamala Khan.
I really wasn’t looking forward to it, but after just a few minutes, I grew fond of little Kamala. Kamala is just a delightfully nerdy fangirl who is about to burst with excitement. And then there’s her father Yussuf, who accompanies her dutifully and provides a wonderful counterpoint to Kamala’s exuberantly bubbling enthusiasm with his deadpan style.
It was so nice as a fangirl: After just a few steps with Kamala, I completely immersed myself in her role and felt like a little girl who can hardly believe she finally gets to meet the real Avengers live!
The following scenes were all highlights of the game:
- Kamala meets Thor and it’s a wonderfully awkward moment when two absolute big kids meet
- At Captain America’s booth, she out-nerds a few thugs and is personally praised by Cap. She is bursting with pride
- Black Widow has no desire for little Kamala at all, but Kamala is so enchanted that she doesn’t even notice
I would have liked to stay much longer as Kamala at the fan fest and do even more nerdy things with her. But then the story takes off far too quickly and ends with widespread devastation.
The bitter end: As a stark contrast to the appearances of the Avengers, whom I embody in fast forward, a scene appears at the end in which a frightened Kamala is nearly trampled by a panicking crowd and barely escapes with her father. She is crying bitterly because we both know that in the game, the era of the Avengers as superheroes has just come to an end.
Kamala on the run
Here’s how it went on: The game makes a time leap, and I play Kamala again, who is now 5 years older but still a huge fan of the Avengers, even after they have been declared outlaws.
Rubber arms are okay: Kamala finds proof of the Avengers’ innocence in the catastrophe online after receiving an anonymous tip but must quickly flee as her computer has been hacked by A.I.M. In her escape to her secret hideout, Kamala’s strange rubber limbs come into play for the first time. I still find them somewhat strange, but since I now know Kamala so well, I can overlook them somewhat.
Subsequent scenes show Kamala stumbling from one mess to another with a lot of enthusiasm but little skill. She is largely defenseless and must evade A.I.M.’s robots for a long time until she is finally cornered and must fight back.
The first fight: And how she fights back! Because Kamala’s grotesque rubber arms function in combat like wrecking balls, and with frightening efficiency, the delicate girl smashes an entire group of A.I.M. bots. Wow, I didn’t expect that. Kamala’s gameplay is really fun, and by now, I really don’t care about the rubber limbs. Those things hit hard!
If only I had known beforehand how to make the fights much more intense:
A hero for everyone
Kamala and the Avengers: Later in the game, Kamala meets various other Avengers. Especially the encounter with the enraged Hulk, from whom she first has to flee in a truly disturbing scene, is strong here.
Overall, Bruce Banner and Kamala share a special bond, as both feel ostracized due to their grotesque powers and are often misunderstood. Therefore, it is also wonderful to see that Kamala restores morale in the team after a big fight between Hulk and Iron Man and no longer sees herself as a freak.
Ms. Marvel is the heart of the Avengers: She becomes the link between the hopelessly quarrelsome heroes and ensures that with her enthusiasm, optimism, and simply lovable nature, the Avengers can ultimately unite again and defeat A.I.M.
Therefore, it is also fitting that Kamala a.k.a. Ms. Marvel defeats the final boss at the end and thus concludes the story. A story in which she was repeatedly at the center of the action. The fact that the youngest and least experienced heroine in the setting was given this role makes the story so accessible.
For while everyone knows Hulk or Thor, Ms. Marvel is almost an unwritten page and with her fangirl enthusiasm not unlike many Marvel fans – like me. Furthermore, the developers have managed that although Kamala always seems clumsy and awkward compared to the Avengers, she never turns into an annoying sidekick. Ms. Marvel always retains a certain dignity, and she can be taken seriously despite everything.
I personally have rarely been able to identify so well with a pre-defined character as with Kamala Khan. Therefore, I still enjoy playing her and otherwise have her as a AI hero.
As unexpected as my sympathy for Kamala Khan was in the end, so did my aversion against a heroine surprise me, who I actually think is very cool. Black Widow and I, however, have a quite unpleasant relationship in Marvel’s Avengers.
