Is Ms. Marvel a mutant? Finale teases X-Men in the MCU

Ms. Marvel’s finale finally dropped on Disney+. There’s a lot to unpack, but there’s now one question on everyone’s minds: is Ms. Marvel a mutant? Spoilers to follow…

Ms. Marvel has been an extraordinary leap forward for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Amid Phase Four fatigue, it’s restored some level of faith in the franchise’s direction with its smaller – though not small enough – scale and mainstream Muslim representation.

Throughout the first series, we’ve seen Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) wrestle with the reality of her newfound “cosmic” powers, fall under the spell of Kamran (Rish Shah), and tangle with the Clandestine and her family heritage.

However, the finale raises a major question about Kamala, one that has serious, exciting implications for the MCU going forward: is Ms. Marvel a mutant?

This is your final spoiler warning for the Ms. Marvel finale…

Ms. Marvel’s finale features a major X-Men tease.

Is Ms. Marvel a mutant?

Going by the finale, there’s a clear answer: yes, Kamala, aka Ms. Marvel, is a mutant in the world of the MCU.

Towards the end of the episode, Bruno (Matt Lintz) tries to explain to Kamala how her lineage isn’t as simple as we previously thought.

“I went back and looked at your genetic makeup again… I think we might have had it wrong the first time around. We know why you can access the Norr [dimension] and how you can wield it. But when I compared you to the rest of your family, something seemed off,” he tells her.

“Kamala, there’s something different in your genes… like, a mutation.”

At this point, the X-Men ’97 theme briefly plays – as confirmed by the credits, if your nostalgia hadn’t already done so – but Kamala brushes it off, saying: “Whatever it is, it’s just going to be another label.”

Ms. Marvel finale teases X-Men in the MCU

After Patrick Stewart’s neck-snapped appearance in Doctor Strange 2, it was only a matter of time before the MCU started to dabble in mutants. While there hasn’t been any discussion of the X-Men we know, such as Wolverine or Storm, Ms. Marvel appears to be the first formal acknowledgment of mutants in the universe.

Some fans had their suspicions this would be the case back in Episode 2, when Bruno told Kamala: “Your power isn’t coming from the bangle, it’s coming from within you,” suggesting the bracelet is a vessel for the powers of her mutation, rather than being the source of her abilities.

There’s also the D.O.D.C.’s use of the term “enhanced individual,” a catch-all descriptor that may be foreshadowing the introduction of mutants mixing with superheroes.

Ms. Marvel fans react to Kamala being a mutant

Ever since that reveal, Ms. Marvel fans have been losing their minds on social media, with one writing excitedly: “Why is nobody talking about that Marvel just full-on said that Kamala is a mutant?”

“Kamala is a f**king mutant X-Men fans stand up,” another tweeted. “THE X-MEN THEME PLAYING WHEN BRUNO SAYS MUTATION??? Kamala being a mutant is way better,” a third wrote.

“They played the X-Men ’97 theme in ms marvel bc we find out that both the Inhumans and mutants were created by the Celestials like the Eternals were which ties into the next big event,” another speculated.

Ms. Marvel is available to stream in its entirety on Disney+ now.