Marvel's Avengers, the new action-RPG brawler from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, launched this week. The game is the first major title set in the Marvel universe since 2018's hit success, Marvel's Spider-Man, but unlike that title, which was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Marvel's Avengers represents the beginning of a new multi-game deal between Square Enix and Marvel.
This deal was first announced back in January 2017, with a cinematic trailer that teased a new game that the partnership would be collaborating on. While not showing any characters directly, the trailer made it clear that the title would be focused on the core Avengers, the group that came together in the first Avengers movie.
Avengers Reassemble
The trailer wasn't subtle in its hints. For The Hulk, it showed a broken door and a pair of discarded glasses, while for Thor son of Odin, it was his hammer Mjolnir crackling with lightning. For Iron Man. it was a discarded and damaged gauntlet, and for Captain America, it was his shield, scratched and half-buried in wreckage.
These images were accompanied by a female character's narration, defiantly opposing those who "say the time of heroes is over." At the time, almost everyone assumed that this was the voice of Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch. This was a mistake that Marvel and Square Enix had no interest in correcting, and it wasn't until much closer to release that the truth was revealed: The narration was in fact the voice of Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel.
Who is Kamala Khan
Kamala Khan is the protagonist of Marvel's Avengers and made her first appearance in the Marvel Comics in 2013. She's a young Pakistani American living in Jersey City and was the first Muslim character to headline her own comic book. In both the comics and Marvel's Avengers, she was given her powers by exposure to Terrigen Mist, which gave her the ability to stretch, enlarge, and deform her own body at-will.
Kamala is a dedicated superhero fan, with Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel being her favorites, and she even chose her superhero name Ms. Marvel in honor of Captain Marvel. As one of the youngest ever Avengers, Kamala has to work hard to prove herself to the more experienced superheroes on the team.
Kamala in Marvel's Avengers
Kamala is the main playable character for a large part of Marvel's Avengers, after gaining her powers at the start of the game. Following an accident that the Avengers are blamed for, Terrigen Mist not only affects Kamala, but also gives superpowers to countless regular people. These victims are later dubbed Inhumans, and are treated by society as both diseased and dangerous. As a new Inhuman and an Avengers super-fan, it's up to Kamala to clear their names and Reassemble the Avengers.
The alteration to the classic Avenger's line"Avengers Assemble!" is a clever choice of catchphrase. In the game, Kamala represents a fresh start for the Avengers team, just as Marvel's Avengers is the beginning of a multi-year collaboration between Marvel and Square Enix. Her narration during the Avengers Project trailer, with its hopeful outlook and determination to restore what has been lost, is reflected in her character's personality. Throughout the game, Kamala is the driving force behind the "Reassembly" of the Avengers.
With the multi-game, multi-year deal stretching ahead of them, it's almost certain that fans will see Kamala return in Square Enix's future titles. It's been twelve years now since the MCU officially began with the first Iron Man movie, long enough for a entire generation of fans to have grown up with the Cinematic Universe. Just like Kamala herself, a generation of young Avengers fans are now looking to the future of the franchise following the climactic conclusion of the team's story-line in Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel's Avengers is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.