‘Ms. Marvel’ “Time and Again” – All About Aisha, Mothers, & Daughters
This week’s Ms. Marvel reveals what really happened to Aisha that day on the train platform out of India – and Kamala’s identity.
Last week’s episode of Ms. Marvel “Seeing Red” brought us to Pakistan and introduced us to the Red Daggers. After a battle with the ClanDestines, their leader is killed and it seems like Kamala Khan is cornered. When it’s time for the bangle to open the doorway to the Noor dimension, it blasted Kamala into the past.
There are spoilers for ‘Ms. Marvel’ past this point!
The Story of Aisha
The episode kicks off with the story of how Aisha established her family and found herself at that train station in Karachi. We meet Hasan, the rose farmer who takes her in when she’s alone and starving. The two fall in love and eventually give birth to Kamala’s grandmother Sana. “Time and Again” takes us through the couple’s experience escaping the religious discrimination and violence sweeping India at this time, including abandoning their farm and making their way to the train station where Aisha disappeared.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
But before they leave for the train station, Najma arrives on the farm in the night. Aisha tells her the bangle is hidden, buying her family time to escape. Unfortunately, Najma follows them, and she stabs Aisha, leaving her to die in the streets.
Time-Warp Kamala
Do you remember the story about Sana getting lost at the train station, and finding her way back to her father by following a trail of stars? It turns out that it was Kamala using the bangle to keep Sana safe. Using the last of her power, Aisha channels her power through the bangle and calls to Kamala, creating a pathway in time. Not sure how exactly this vibes with Marvel’s various fictional sciences, but it’s possible that will be explained one day.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
When she jumps back to the present day, ClanDestine has begun to open the portal between worlds. One of them tries to walk through and gets turned into rock candy with a skeleton inside. So this door is spitting out bad energy all over the place, and Kamala is using her powers to shield the people in the marketplace around them while Kareem leads people to safety.
Meanwhile, Kamran…
Najma, who very recently ditched her son in the D.O.D.C. lockup, is determined to get back to the Noor dimension. She insists that she can get through, but Kamala tries to persuade her to stay for Kamran. She admits that she abandoned him, but Kamala tries to prevent her from continuing the cycle of broken families. But in her son’s name, Najma uses her powers to close the door, dying as she does so.
After she dies, a blast of energy appears to float into Kamran as he’s approaching the building? Still in New Jersey? Not really sure where he’s supposed to be, but the power that he gained seems to give him powers like Kamala’s. He seeks out Bruno, believing him to be the closest thing to an expert on the subject. And Bruno finally gets to correct Kamran, who keeps calling him “Brian”.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
Muneeba & the Power of Generational Healing
And then, using a phone tracking app, Muneeba finds Kamala costumed and all! Delightfully, she’s a little more suspicious of Kareem than she is of her superhero daughter. Kamala then has the opportunity to give her grandmother the picture of Sana’s family Aisha gave her when she died. Together, the three generations of women share in Aisha’s story, Kamala’s identity, and the legacy they share. Not gonna lie, I had a good little cry at that moment.
Was This the Big Boss Fight?
At the end of this episode, it feels like a lot of the season’s storylines have wrapped up. But there are still a few loose ends – like those pesky drone things that comic fans suspect have something to do with the Inventor. We catch a peek at another one as the episode wraps. Poor Bruno is now on the run with Kamran, who never even got to taste Nonna’s lasagna.
