While Ms. Marvel is an MCU show, it also stars an MCU geek, so naturally, there are tons of Marvel Easter eggs.
As it is a show in the MCU, it was inevitable that Ms. Marvel would be packed with MCU Easter eggs. From cameos to inside jokes, there are more nods to the world of superheroes than can even be imagined.
We’ve discussed some Easter eggs in depth here before, be it the finale’s end credits cameo, the mutant DNA X-Men set up, Avengercon and the Ant Man podcast, and even where you’ve seen Agent Cleary before.
However, there may be some smaller Easter eggs that you might not have spotted amidst all the fun and action. So here are some of the best of those.
The original Ms. Marvel
At Avengercon, Kamala – AKA Ms. Marvel – took part in a Captain Marvel cosplay contest, which is where she first discovered that she had powers. Her school’s mean girl Zoe was also there, though at first glance her costume may not be super accurate to the MCU Carol Danvers.
However, Zoe’s costume is actually a comic-accurate nod to the original Ms. Marvel costume, which Danvers first wore in Ms. Marvel #1 in the 1970s. So it seems like Zoe is a real expert on the hero, just like Kamala.
Whispered MCU mentions – Kingo and Selvig
As always, there are plenty of other MCU characters brought up in the show, either in cameos or in conversation. One you may have missed include Kingo from the movie Eternals, who is portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani. Kamala and Kamran discuss their love of Bollywood movies, including Kingo’s films. You may remember that Kingo has been reappearing in Bollywood pictures across decades, posing as different members of the same family to hide his true identity.
Furthermore, when Bruno is researching Kamala’s powers and their potential multi-dimensional origin, he brings up the name Professor Selvig, who you’ll know as Stellan Skarsgård’s character in the Thor movies. Seems like Selvig’s research is finally paying off.
Ms. Marvel kicks Black Widow while she’s down
We’ve talked about it before here, but it’s still a surprising moment worth mentioning again. In Ms. Marvel’s second episode, an Easter egg appears in the form of parody. When Kamala and Bruno are training the former’s powers, Kamala falls off a roof – with Bruno grabbing her hand and Kamala telling him to let go – in a joking recreation of Black Widow’s death in Avengers: Endgame.
At a press event for the show, Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani stated that while Ms. Marvel was growing in fighting ability, “she’s probably copying everything she sees. So we included a lot of Black Widow poses.” Seems like the show took that plan very seriously.
Ms. Marvel and the Ten Rings
Another Ms. Marvel Easter egg we’ve talked about, but one that you may still have missed is the reference to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. IAtn the beginning of Episode 3, we are shown a flashback to 1940s India, in which the Clandestine meet to check on the bangle and plan their return to the Noor dimension.
You may notice in this scene that there are ten rings in a pattern on the temple’s floor, which is in no doubt a reference to the other MCU film, and it actually leads to some pretty interesting theories.
Comic book QR codes
Fans may be aware of Moon Knight hiding QR codes for free comic books within its episodes, and Ms. Marvel has also gotten in on the action. In Episode 4, when Kamala is asking for directions at a photo stand, the stand has a QR code in front of it.
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This QR code will give the viewer access to a free copy of Ms. Marvel #12, the issue from which the episode borrows heavily, as both feature Kamala heading to Pakistan to visit her family. Fans are now currently on the lookout for any QR codes in the other episodes.
Ms. Marvel comic book recreations
While a lot may have been changed from the comics, the show’s creators made sure to honor the comic whenever they could. This includes recreating iconic shots from the comic, such as Kamala sitting on a lamppost, which is from the cover of Ms. Marvel #5. Furthermore, when she momentarily uses her powers to create giant fists, it is akin to her original comic book powers of being able to stretch and change size.
Executive producer Bilall Fallah stated in an interview with Slash Film that “we were so heavily influenced by the comic book and we really wanted to have the comic book aesthetic in the show, and it was not really present in the script so it was not really a concept; it was something we came up with.”
Nods to Marvel variants
The show continues this comic book style with its use of animation; we see recreations of the comic book characters – such as the Red Dagger – in the show’s credits, and the first episode features a ton of drawings and graffiti of distinguished Marvel characters.
This is not only a reference to Ms. Marvel’s history, it is also a reference to previous and future MCU shows. Specifically, the variants of Captain Marvel drawings that are shown – including a drawing of her as a zombie – are references to the MCU’s Doctor Strange, What If…? and the future show Marvel Zombies.
The greatest MCU cameo yet… shawarma
Near the end of the final episode of Ms. Marvel, the fight is over and our heroes are trying to catch their breaths. As they argue over who should get the car that Kamran left behind, Nakia wins and then states to Kamala and Bruno, “Get in losers, we’re getting shawarma.”
Not only is this a hilarious take on the Mean Girls meme, but it is obviously a call-back to the first Avengers movie, where the Earth’s mightiest heroes all get shawarma after their gargantuan battle in New York against Loki.
Paying tribute to Ms. Marvel’s creators
Outside Kamala’s high school, there is aplaque, which may go by unnoticed to the casual viewer. Howvere, on closer inspection, the plaque states the names G. Willow Wilson, Stephen Wacker, Adrian Alphona, Jamie McKelvie, Ian Herring, Takeshi Miyazawa, Joe Caramagna, and Nico Leon.
Turns out that all of these people worked on Ms. Marvel’s first comic run in 2014. Wilson was the first writer, Wacker the editor, Alphona served as the main artist, and Miyazawa and Leon also did art. Herring was a colorist, VC’s Caramagna was the letterer, and McKelvie did the covers.
America’s Ass
Last but certainly not least, we have a call-back to one of the franchise’s most iconic jokes. Captain America, AKA Steve Rogers, has been caught in the position of being “America’s Ass,” meaning that his butt is not only great, but it also represents the greatness of America.
In the show, we see Kamala walk through Avengercon, and at one booth there are cartoon drawings of Captain America and his behind being sold. We can only wonder how the public caught on to the joke which happened during Avengers: Endgame, but maybe by this point it has become a catchphrase of the super soldier.
Ms. Marvel is available to stream on Disney+
