Dropped today was a trailer for upcoming Disney series Ms. Marvel.

Based on Marvel's first comic book series to feature a Muslim character in the lead role - Kamala Khan - this trailer showcases some solid writing but also a few oddities.

Kamala or Kamala?

Near the beginning of the trailer Kamala corrects someone who mispronounces her name.

Having some familiarity with the languages in that region, to our ear it sounded like Kamala got it wrong and the girl she corrected had it right.

In English there's a tendency to stress second syllables and English speakers naturally misapply this when attempting to pronounce words from other languages.

For example, you might occasionally hear someone pronounce "Himalayas" as him-ahl-ee-ahs instead of the typical him-UH-lay-uhs.

The typical pronunciation is wrong.

There is more than one language in Pakistan where this character's family originated but when looking for a pronunciation video we found one for US Senator Kamala Harris whose name is so commonly mispronounced that she made a video for it.

We are not trained linguists so couldn't confidently nail Disney to the wall for this one, but this may be another embarassing instance of someone proclaiming to champion diversity while missing the mark.

Update on Kamala Pronunciation (March 18)

We later discovered that the issue of pronunciation had been explicitly addressed by G. Willow Wilson, writer of the comics, though questionably on multiple counts.

On August 12, 2020. The same day that Senator Kamala Harris released her how-to-pronounce-my-name video.

Since many people have asked: the standard pronunciation (at least among the Ms Marvel editorial team) is Ka MAH la (ie كمالة), not COMMA la (like Senator Harris). Different language group; coincidental spelling.

"COMMA la" is not how Senator Harris pronounces her name.

No syllable is stressed and the first syllable isn't COM, it's ca as in America.

Then ma as in anomaly.

And la as in gala. The only part of her name Wilson got right.

Wilson further goes on to say:

Kamala--envisioned as a feminized iteration of Kamal--is not a real-real name in Arabic or Urdu; the closest one can get and still be grammatically okay is Kamila, which has a slightly different (though related) meaning. The explanation is: I overthink names.

Kamala is a real Urdu name though (of Hindi origin) and also real is Kamala being the feminine counterpart of Kamal.

a Hindi version of the Hindu name of Sanskrit origin usually spelled Kamala for females and Kamal for males, meaning "lotus" or "pale red".

Americanized mispronunciation of names and words - in this case Kamala is both - from other languages is common.

We were pleasantly surpsised to hear her name pronounced properly by that other student.

Followed swiftly by shock at hearing her correct pronunciation being erroneously corrected.

Prior to finding these tweets from WIlson our best guess had been that Marvel had simply failed to check the pronunciation of Kamala's name.

And had tragically written the mispronunciation scene backwards, resulting in unintended insult to the associated cultures.

But it seems that American born and raised writer Wilson had been unaware of the correct pronunciation of her character's name and upon learning it, stuck to her mispronunciation.

That is her creative prerogative.

Freshly mangling the correct pronunciation of Senator Kamala Harris' name via Twitter though? That's embarassing.

And so we feel is this mispronunciation scene.

Think about it from the perspective of speakers of these languages.

Or... What Was That?

In the trailer Kamala cleverly quips to her school guidance counsellor:

Do I have to figure out my whole future before lunch or....

and we couldn't make out the rest which is mumbled.

Despite repeated viewings.

Do people sometimes mumble?

Sure.

But it's not very common in entertainment media because it's annoying and pointless.

Not Inhuman?

In the comic books Kamala is an inhuman.

Inhumans were the focus of several seasons of excellent Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and suitably short-lived (it wasn't great) superhero soap opera Inhumans.

Simply put, a long time ago aliens experimented with human DNA in an attempt to weaponise us resulting in some people possessing a dormant inhuman gene.

When exposed to a particular alien substance the gene activates and people become powered.

That doesn't appear to be what happens in this trailer.

We see Kamala don a fancy looking bracer and that's when things get interesting.

Disney haven't given us anything official on this point but Slash Film have identified them as nega-bands - which in the comics are an alien technology.

Their theory is that:

By removing her Inhuman ancestry and simply giving her an extraordinary cosmic weapon to wield, the folks behind the "Ms. Marvel" series are making it even more inspirational and universal. 

This would probably gel with Disney's politics, but it seems oddly timed with all things mutant about to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Like inhumans, mutant powers are genetic.

The only difference is that mutant powers don't require exposure to a material trigger.

So the MCU will probably soon be flooded with characters who are genetically "superior".

What's one more or less, i.e. Kamala?

And if Slash Film's theory about Disney's intent is true, it may be sadly misguided.

In the real world many characteristics are genetic and some, eg. intelligence, give people a significant advantage over others because of how meritocracies work.

Both the mutant and inhuman genes could be viewed as more pronounced representations of this and in the comics different groups have different takes on it.

Professor Xavier and the X-Men strive for equality - mutants are feared and savagely discriminated against - and also to use their abilities for the benefit and betterment of all.

We feel it's a more mature politics than simply pretending everyone is the same.

Though Slash Film might not be entirely right.

Her powers in this trailer are different from the comics and these bracers don't just confer powers on the wearer. They convert powers.

So perhaps she is a dormant inhuman and the bracers tap into that to produce these effects.

Ms. Marvel premieres on Disney+ on June 8.

[ Main Image: Ms. Marvel Trailer. Credit: Marvel via YouTube. ]

References

CBS Philly (August 12, 2020). Here's How To Properly Pronounce Kamala Harris. YouTube.

Marvel Entertainment (March 16, 2022). Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel | Official Trailer | Disney+. YouTube.

Ryan, Danielle (March 15, 2022). The MCU's Ms. Marvel Has Very Different Powers Than The Comic Version. Slash Film.

UrduPoint.com. Kamala Name Meaning in Urdu (Girl Name). (viewed March 18, 2022)

Wikipedia. Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell). (viewed March 16, 2022)

Wikipedia. Kamal (name). (viewed March 18, 2022)

Wikipedia. Kamala Khan. (viewed March 16, 2022)

Wikipedia. Ms. Marvel (TV series). (viewed March 16, 2022)

Wilson, G. Willow [@GWillowWilson] (August 12, 2020). Since many people have asked. Twitter.