The following reveals spoilers for the first few episodes of Ms. Marvel currently streaming on Disney+.
Ms. Marvel drew comparisons to Tom Holland early on Spiderman Movies, mainly due to the age of their respective protagonists. Kamala Khan and Peter Parker are both high school students, and their respective stories are—at least initially—full of the mundane details of teenage life. This includes some more subtle hints that may affect the rest of Ms. Marvel’s Season and possibly an overall impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In particular, there’s Zoe Zimmer, Kamala’s de facto nemesis, who she seems to put down effortlessly wherever she goes. She bears more than a passing resemblance to Flash Thompson, Parker’s resident tyrant, who endured a singular irony while tormenting the hapless hero. Zimmer and Kamala appear to be set up with a similar dynamic.
Flash first appeared all the way back Amazing Fantasy #15, and was actually in the very first panel of the first Spider-Man story – admonishing his classmates to laugh at the nerd. It became a routine part of Spider-Man’s fake life. Even after gaining his powers, he could not use them on Flash without revealing who he was. Flash, of course, had no idea and – in one of Marvel’s most brilliant ironies – eventually became a huge fan of Spider-Man, unaware that his favorite target was the one under the mask.
The first few Spider-Man films downplayed Flash significantly, along with much of Peter’s high school life that Mary Jane Watson was not involved with. The MCU took advantage of this by focusing almost exclusively on high school – nearly jettisoning Peter’s life at the Daily Bugle – giving them a golden opportunity to bring Flash back. Tony Revoloris Flash is not a soccer player; He’s a shady influencer-in-training who likes to use his association with Spider-Man to his own advantage after Peter was outed Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Zoe is Ms. Marvel’s Answer to Flash, with a major update for the 21st century. In the comics, she is a white girl who bullies Kamala and her friends for being immigrants. Like Flash, she is the most popular kid in school and a top athlete. Of course, there’s a twist—she’s an immigrant herself. This ultimately leads to a change of heart once she realizes what kind of person she is turning into, and she eventually quickly befriends Kamala’s circle.
The show is also already leaning towards hero worship. Zoe shows up at the AvengersCon Cosplay Contest dressed as Captain Marvel – a nod to Kamala’s overt hero worship by Carol Danvers – only to be saved from disaster by Kamala by wielding her budding powers and then embracing an overt case of hero worship. How and where this goes may differ from the comics, but the parallels are strong.
Flash has had a long career as both a supervillain and a reformed hero, serving as host to the Venom symbiote for a time before joining the likes of The Thunderbolts. Though less flashy and powerless, Zoe has a similar fate in store, at least if the comics are any example. For example, she and Kamala’s other friends eventually become “Carol cadets” and help Ms. America keep New Jersey crime-free, so it’s possible to see that on screen.
New episodes of Ms. Marvel stream every Wednesday on Disney+.