The following contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel Season 1, Episode 2, “Crushed,” now streaming on Disney+.
A best friend is hard to come by in superhero movies and television shows. Usually, the hero’s companion is a love interest, but in rare cases, there’s a friend who is strictly there to provide moral support. In Ms. Marvel‘s case, Nakia is the friend that both Kamala Khan and the audience need the most.
Technically speaking, Nakia is Kamala’s “close friend,” whereas Bruno is her “best friend.” But seeing that Bruno is secretly in love with Kamala, he’s lost his title until they figure out their feelings for one another. The slight gaze Bruno gives to Kamala in the premiere episode was disappointing reveal. It seemed like Marvel was finally going to let a friendship be just that — not a romance or a “will they, won’t they” situation. But as unfulfilling it is to know that Kamala and Bruno have a flirtatious relationship, that opens up an opportunity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to finally do justice to a friendship between two women.
The last time the MCU attempted a female friendship was between Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel. While it was nice to finally have a superhero film without a love interest, Carol and Maria’s friendship fell flat since there was so little screen time between them and their relationship was only shown in flashbacks. Black Widow resurrected the power of female friendship, but Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova were raised as sisters for a few years, so it was no wonder they grew a special bond. The relationship between Kamala and Nakia feels natural and unrelated from her status as a superhero.
Ms. Marvel Season 1, Episode 2, “Crushed,” slows down on the superhero story for a bit to focus on Kamala’s personal life — including her friendship with Nakia. It’s refreshing to see two young women get along so well in this show, considering Kamala’s strained relationships with her mother and “mean girl” Zoe. On the surface, there are no negative qualities about Nakia. She can sense when something is wrong with Kamala, offers an unlimited amount of advice and wants to change how women are treated at their mosque (which a major upgrade in the MCU’s diversity department).
Her support as a woman is what particularly stands out about her. When Kamala’s unique MCU powers become uncontrollable, glowing through her nose (a not-so-subtle metaphor for the embarrassing pains of puberty), Nakia offers Kamala a tampon, believing she’s on her period. But she also offers a pad because she knows how funny her mom is about tampons (likely owing to a still common misconception that tampons induce hymen destruction). Nakia’s consideration builds a comforting safe space for Kamala — one that eases Kamala to let up on her feeling of loneliness.
While Kamala is going through a different kind of growing, and possibly even dangerous, pain, Nakia has a personal relatability to her that Bruno doesn’t have. Having grown up as a biracial girl — often deemed “too white” or “too ethnic” for certain people — Nakia understands the struggle of finding identity in a world where women and Muslims stand out in the crowd. Nakia may not be able to relate exactly to what Kamala’s going through, but she finds a way to understand and make Kamala feel like she’s not alone. Really, that’s all anyone wants in the ever-changing environment of Gen Z high school, and that’s what makes her an incredible friend.
To see more of Kamala and Nakia’s friendship, watch Ms. Marvel every Wednesday on Disney+.