Marvel Magic: Thor: Love and Thunder & Ms. Marvel

Do you need a superhero fix for the summer? Never fear, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has you covered.  Whether you need a quick two-hour giggle fest, or a longer six-episode spectacle of a TV show where you will learn more about Pakistani-Americans than you knew before, you’re gonna be entertained for a good long while.

Thor: Love and Thunder: Directed and co-written by Taika Waititi, who also has a role as Thor's sidekick, Korg, this is a supremely silly film. The thing I love about Marvel versus DC is that they always lean into the comedy and don’t take themselves too seriously. But this movie leans all the way into that comedy in a way that may be off-putting to some people. I, of course, ate it all up with a big ol’ spoon. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the epitome of “pretty but dumb,” this lunkhead of a Nordic god who very accidentally became a good guy and can save people but has a lot of trouble with basic introspection and empathy. So this movie consists of watching him mostly whale on people and be dumb about his feelings until the very end.

The supporting cast are great, with Tessa Thompson getting to take on a meatier role as King Valkyrie and leaning into the queerness of that character with casual aplomb. She gets to kick some ass as well as knock some sense into Thor, particularly when Natalie Portman returns as Jane Foster/the Mighty Thor. Yup, she got an upgrade and has now become a superhero too. Much hijinks ensue and it’s great to see this alpha male flanked by two powerful women in fight scenes against Christian Bale’s villain, Gorr, who looks appropriately menacing (kudos to the makeup team). 

This movie is very random, but it’s never dull. It feels a bit like you’re watching a sketch show where actors are trying out various bits to see what sticks. There are cameos galore, and you have to keep your eyes glued to the screen for fear of missing out on any sight gags at any given moment. It looks gorgeous and has a banging soundtrack, all of which is very reminiscent of Thor: Ragnarok. Don’t expect high art, but if you expect a competent Marvel movie brimming with dumb jokes, you won’t be disappointed. 

Ms. Marvel: This may be my favorite Marvel TV series to date. Ordinarily I find the TV shows to be steeped in comic book lore and they lose me halfway through, but this show grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. Probably because the emphasis is much more on the cultural and familial background of the character rather than her superhero powers. And since she’s a South Asian woman, I was all in.

Iman Vellani plays Kamala Khan (who will eventually adopt the name Ms. Marvel) and she is wonderful. She is this nerdy kid who idolizes Captain Marvel, and together with her friends Bruno (Matt Lintz) and Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), she’s just an ordinary kid making her way through high school in Jersey City. Until she puts on a bangle that her grandmother sent her from Pakistan that gives her superpowers. Naturally, chaos unfolds. Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur play her wonderful parents, with Saagar Shaikh as her older brother, Aamir, and the joy of this show is less about the action sequences or watching Kamala figure out how to use her powers, and more about her relationship with her family, her mosque, and her identity as a brown woman in America.

All my favorite lines on this show relate to various Muslim characters sarcastically taking down law enforcement. The show's creator is Bisha K. Ali, a British-Pakistani comedian and writer, and every episode was either written or directed by someone of Arab or South Asian descent so they always stay true to this world and the lived experience of these characters. This show has an incredible soundtrack and every episode ends with a Pakistani or Indian jam that I needed to listen to on a loop right away. I felt like I was watching my own family on screen, with the same quirks and mannerisms so common to all South Asian households, and I was thrilled that the show took a whole deep dive into Partition. (Those episodes were directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a Pakistani-Canadian journalist who has won Oscars for her documentaries about gender inequality - what a perfect choice for this show and these episodes in particular.) The show reminded me a lot of Ramy, except I finally got the perspective of a Muslim woman, and it was fantastic. At six episodes, the show is a quick treat that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it certainly whetted my appetite for more Marvel adventures.