Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Marvels.

In The Avengers, Nick Fury says the world (the MCU) is filling up with heroes. Starting with Phase 4, a new pattern emerged. While there are still plenty of adult heroes being introduced like Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Shang-Chi, there are also many young teenage heroes. Fans of the Marvel Comics will catch this, which could be leading to the assembling of the Young Avengers.

One of the important characters that was introduced to the MCU recently was Ms. Marvel / Kamala Khan, who is a teenage superhero who was not only the protagonist of the 2022 Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel, but also an important character in the recent film The Marvels. She is also one of the most powerful superheroes the MCU has recently brought into the universe, and it is safe to say that she is going to play a big role in the franchise moving forward.

After the release of the series and the film, it is safe to say that Kamala Khan is a very powerful teenager who is one to look out for, but she is not the only teenage superhero Marvel has. Fans have been wondering how Kamala’s powers will compare once the MCU finalizes the Young Avengers project and new teenage heroes appear, but for now, let us compare her powers to the existing teenage superstars of the MCU.

Update November 29, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of The Marvels and with recent developments for Ms. Marvel and other teenage MCU heroes.

Ms. Marvel Compared to Spider-Man
Marvel

The most famous teen superhero of all time, and the one that was introduced in the MCU before Phase 4, is Spider-Man. When Spider-Man entered the MCU, he was just a kid from Queens, but he’s now old enough to be in college, has traveled to space, fought villains from another universe, and has firmly established himself as one of the hard-hitters of the Avengers. Long story short — he’s not the same kid anymore.

Related: Comic Book 101: Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, Explained

He still has a lot of growing up to do, but he is a far more experienced hero than Ms. Marvel. Yet what they do have in common is that these are two young heroes who are very much tied to being everyday kids in their respective neighborhoods. Spider-Man is a friendly neighborhood hero, and has transitioned from Queens to Manhattan. Meanwhile, Kamala Khan is tied to New Jersey. These two young heroes show the importance of being tied to their communities.

Ms. Marvel Compared to Kate Bishop
Marvel StudiosDisney

Kate Bishop made her MCU debut in the Hawkeye series, and while she is a member of the Young Avengers in the comics, she is not exactly a teenage superhero. In fact, she is a 22-year-old college student, and they even point this out when Ms. Marvel goes to recruit Kate Bishop and incorrectly classifies her as a teenage superhero.

Ms. Marvel certainly has more powers than Kate Bishop, as Kate Bishop is just a normal human with a bow and arrow. Yet Kate Bishop comes from a wealthy family, a contrast to Ms. Marvel’s working-class family background. There is a real culture clash between the lives Kamala and Kate have grown up in, and this is even represented in the fact that Kamala lives in New Jersey while Kate Bishop resides in New York City.

Ms. Marvel Compared to Cassie Lang
Marvel Studios

The most recent actress to play Cassie Lang is Kathryn Newton, who appeared in the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film shows her as an 18-year-old now with a suit that gives her powers similar to Ant-Man and The Wasp. Cassie Lang is also on Ms. Marvel’s radar in terms of recruits for her team, as hinted at during the end of The Marvels.

While Kamala is smart, she certainly is not the technical genius that Cassie Lang is, as she was able to develop advanced tech to communicate with the quantum realm. While both Cassie Lang and Kamala Khan have accessories tied to their powers (Cassie’s suit and Kamala’s Quantum Bands), Cassie needs her to use her powers while the Quantum Bands only tap into Kamala’s natural mutant abilities. Cassie also comes from a legacy, as she is the daughter of Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, while Kamala Khan is a hero who has no ties to the wider superhero community to begin with, but has only recently developed bonds with characters like Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Nick Fury.

Ms. Marvel Compared to America Chavez
Marvel Studios

So, what teenage MCU heroes are left? A few actually. One of which made her MCU debut in Multiverse of Madness, America Chavez. The young hero took Doctor Strange on a wild adventure that involved saving the teenager from Wanda/Scarlet Witch and eventually using her powers to help defeat the sorceress.

Related: Young Avengers: MCU Characters Who Could Be Part of the Team

Ms. Marvel and America Chavez both have powers connected to other dimensions. America Chavez can naturally travel between dimensions, while Ms. Marvel’s Quantum Bands can also travel through space and time. These two heroes’ powers are very similar, but America Chavez is still learning to control and develop her powers while Ms. Marvel seems to have a better grasp on hers.

Ms. Marvel Compared to Riri Williams/Ironheart
Marvel Studios

Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, made her MCU debut in the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where she made a significant impact on the audience. A genius inventor and MIT student, Riri is an accomplished woman at just the age of 19. She also made a suit of armor that could rival Iron Man. From her few brief scenes in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it is shown that her suit has advanced technology. Similar to Iron Man, Ironheart’s power is dependent on her suit. Yet just like Tony Stark, Riri Williams is a great scientific mind who could likely solve her way out of any problem with just her intellect.

The Ironheart suit gives Riri Williams flight, something Kamala Khan notably points out she is missing in The Marvels. One element that Ms. Marvel and Ironheart have in common is they are two of the rare teenage superheroes who get to lead their own Disney+ series, but in reverse. Ms. Marvel was first introduced in her own Disney+ series before eventually starring in a movie, while Ironheart made her debut in a film before leading her own spin-off series.