Ms. Marvel introduced Kamala Khan into the MCU. The series focused on the hero as she unlocked her mysterious powers and learned about her lineage, all while fighting off of the Clandestines, a group of other-worldly beings wanting to open a doorway into their dimension. While in Marvel Comics, Kamala is an Inhuman with stretching powers akin to Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, the MCU iteration of the character established her as a mutant able to project hard-light shapes.
Realistically conveying such an ability while also dealing with the series' many special effects was likely a challenge. Now, there's a window into the behind-the-scenes process of the series. One of the visual-effects companies that worked on Ms. Marvel, RISE Visual Effects Studios, shared with ComicBookMovie a reel of its work on the Disney+ series, which shows the fascinating journey to create Kamala's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
RISE has worked on several Marvel Studios projects over the years, including Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Eternals and Hawkeye. The company also worked on the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There are different highlights in this reel, including Kamala's fight with Red Dagger and her using her powers throughout the series.
There's something curious about special effects. CGI is able to create awe-inspiring worlds and fight sequences that, if done well, can fully immerse audiences in the stories they're watching. Ironically enough, however, it's often the more "every-day" special effects that are the most astounding, because, depending on how well they're developed, they can be challenging to spot.
An example of that in this reel is the scene of Farhan Akhtar's Waleed bursting through the security door at the Red Daggers' headquarters. The breaking glass may not be something immediately associated with CGI, but as shown by RISE, it was fully created using special effects; yet, it was so well done, that it wasn't really evident.
Ms. Marvel was one of Marvel Studios' most visually unique projects. Speaking with /Film, Ms. Marvel co-director Bilall Fallah discussed creating the show's distinctive aesthetic and special-effects usage:
"[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. We were a bit afraid that Marvel wouldn't do that because it's totally different than all the other shows, so we really tried to present this presentation to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige to show that with this with animation, we can go inside her head, her fantasy land, and her imagination. That's why we got influences from [Into the Spider-Verse] and Edgar Wright movies like Scott Pilgrim. And eventually, he liked it. He said, 'Very good. Don't go overboard, don't do too much, but stay true to the character and go on with it.' So that animation really comes from the comic book."
Ms. Marvel is streaming on Disney+. Kamala Khan will return to the MCU alongside Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau in The Marvels, scheduled to release theatrically on July 28, 2023.