With every new hero added to the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a small army of friends, family, allies, and enemies. Among Kamala Khan's supporting cast, most characters made their role somewhat clear, but one masked figure was more teased than revealed, provoking excitement from only the most devoted fans.

Kamala Khan is a teenage superhero with all the classic high school storytelling tropes mixed in with some fun secret identity foibles. A ton of her comic book storylines center around her romantic life in between the struggles against villains, and this masked figure is one of the most interesting figures in both plot lines.

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Red Dagger is a masked vigilante created by G. Willow Wilson and Mirka Andolfo in 2018. He was introduced during a rough period in Kamala's superhero career, immediately after the notorious Second Superhuman Civil War event. The young Ms. Marvel travels to her parents' native land of Pakistan, where she discovers a hero without superpowers fighting crime in the night. This hero wears a scarf and mask to hide his face while taking down villains with a set of red throwing knives. The Red Dagger is introduced as a hero first, then the comics dig into his sparse backstory.

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Red Dagger's real name is Kareem, no last name given. He's a teenager from Badin, Pakistan, and his family has a friendly relationship with the Khans. Kareem's mom and Kamala's aunt Ayesha were childhood friends, and Kareem briefly lived with Kamala's grandmother in Karachi. There is a ton of Kareem's life that has not been made clear, but at some point, he took to defending the people of Pakistan, and his secret identity remains well protected. While in Pakistan, Kamala hears the stories of Red Dagger's actions and is impressed by a powerless hero taking the initiative to do what's right. When Kamala returns to her home in New Jersey, she's surprised to find a new exchange student attending her school and living in her house.

Romance is a huge part of Ms. Marvel's comic book stories. Of course, almost every comic book hero has a love interest and some have several, but Kamala Khan is constantly in and out of high school love triangles. Even in the limited trailer footage, the series has already introduced three potential love interests for Ms. Marvel, each of whom will likely have some romantic intrigue. The most obvious one is Kamran, portrayed by Rish Shah, the boy she harbors a poorly disguised crush on. Kamran is popular and Kamala's parents love him, but he's hiding some secrets that could lead to some interesting plot points in the series. Kamala also has a longtime will they/won't they relationship with her best friend Bruno, portrayed by Matt Linz. Bruno is an important part of her supporting cast, his scientific genius regularly solving huge problems for Kamala, so he'll be important whether their relationship blossoms or not. Finally, Red Dagger is a big player in the romance subplot, but only when the masks are on. Kareem and Kamala don't seem to have much chemistry, but Red Dagger and Ms. Marvel are something of a power couple.

The Ms. Marvel series is clearly set to be a coming-of-age story, and young love is undoubtedly going to be some part of that. Kamala is an avid reader and writer of fan-fiction, notably writing about real people in her universe to the discomfort of many. A costumed romance competing for attention with her traditional high school flirtations and rejections would be a dream for Kamala. Some aspects of Red Dagger's romance subplot will likely make it into the TV adaptation, but it remains to be seen exactly how Kareem will be portrayed. When Red Dagger appears in New Jersey, he's given universal approval from the public, most of whom are sick of the collateral damage caused by superheroes. The idea of Kamala feeling shown up by a powerless hero, or of average people growing to distrust those with superhuman abilities, are interesting narrative details for the series and the larger MCU.

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It's hard to know exactly how Ms. Marvel will handle elements from the comics, as Disney has already changed a great deal. Red Dagger could be more of a sidekick, a Bucky figure to the new hero. Or he could be the more established hero who teaches Kamala how to handle her double life and new responsibilities. He could even be the Punisher to her Daredevil, using more extreme methods and sparking a rivalry. Kareem hasn't been given a ton of character in the comics, but the series could rectify that and grant him greater depth. The changes made to Kamala's origins change a large portion of the narrative directions before the show even drops. Whether he's an ally, a rival, a mentor, or a potential boyfriend, Red Dagger is set to be an interesting part of Kamala Khan's on-screen debut.

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