How Marvel Editor Sana Amanat saved comic book fans from stereotypes

The 34-year-old comic books editor, who has created the Pakistani-American superhero Kamala Khan, will be in town next month for Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

Growing up in the early '90s, Sana Amanat considered herself just as American as anyone else in her school in the US. Until, one day, an angry classmate put caveats to her American identity. He walked up to her and yelled, "You better tell your people to stop attacking us." The warning, if it can be called one, came in response to the World Trade Center bombing of 1993. For a young Sana, this would be the first of many times when she'd feel compelled to find a sense of self between "your people" and "us". Couldn't she be both? Or neither?
And then last year, Sana found herself in the White House, standing alongside then-President Barack Obama and presenting him a copy of Ms Marvel, one of the first Pakistani-American superheroes to headline her own comic book in the Marvel Universe, at the reception of Women's History Month. "Ms Marvel may be your comic book creation, but for a lot of young boys and girls, Sana is the real superhero," said the former POTUS. For the 34-year-old Pakistani American comics book editor, this was recognition of a lifetime.
From having to choose between "your people" and "us" to creating a Pakistani-American superhero, Sana Amanat has indeed come a long way. During her formative years, her dilemma about her identity saw her seek refuge amid a bunch of mutants, who, like Sana, had been at the receiving end of a social other-ing. With its promise of cultural diversity and, of course, superpowers, the pages of X-Men opened a world of possibilities. Here, a black woman could control the weather and a runaway 'Southern belle' could snatch energies from other life forms. In the real world, some people could be less equal than others; in comic books, you strove to preserve these values. No wonder then, this is the world she wanted to belong to.
THE CREATION
Today, as part of her job description, Sana is responsible for reimagining stories and characters in order to bring greater cultural diversity in the Marvel Universe. An offspring of this effort has been Kamala Khan, aka Ms Marvel, whose own life mirrors the experiences that shaped her co-creator. Along with Sana, a team of highly skilled writers and artists have been giving Kamala a sense of purpose. This includes writer G Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona. Kamala is a teenage Muslim American living in New Jersey, who looks up to Carol Danvers, the original Ms Marvel. Like most friendly, neighbourhood superheroes, Kamala realises that she possesses special powers; in her case, shapeshifting. As Carol Danvers goes on to don the hat of Captain Marvel, Kamala finds herself gently stepping into her shoes and becoming Ms Marvel. What sets her apart from her predecessor? "Kamala is all of 16. She has to combat the fact that she is a young woman, who has to go to school, deal with her family, figure out the boys and yet take on the mantle of a superhero. Carol, on the other hand, has been through a lot of experiences and understands her responsibilities. But she sees things a bit more in black-and-white than Kamala."

It is exactly this desire to stay away from 'black-and-whites' that makes Sana's job at Marvel a not-so-easy task, even if it may seem otherwise. Comic books work on the principle of the good and the bad, with grey being a largely unexamined area. For a comics platform that has been in the business for 78 years, why the need for diversity, you may wonder. The revenue factor is as important as the social responsibility. At the United State of Women Summit last year, Washington Post quoted Sana as saying, "If we ignore populations, we lose money." Elaborating on that thought, she tells us that the Marvel fan is changing and that explains the need to have characters that can speak to them.

If Kamala's origin story mirrors that of her co-creator's, it is not a happy coincidence. After all, it was during a casual chat about Sana's childhood and her struggle to find a homogeneous identity that she and senior editor Stephen Wacker came up with the idea of creating a Pakistani American superhero. Once the character was given a broad shape, writer G Willow Wilson was roped in to etch out the finer aspects. "Willow and I had almost drawn a mission statement for the character. We worked with Adrian (Alphona) to create just the right visuals and went to great lengths to figure out her costume since that would come to define her."

THE APPEARANCE
Ms Marvel's outfit has been kept decidedly 'modern and trendy', even if South Asian readers might relate it to a salwar-kameez. A full-sleeve red T-shirt underneath a blue tunic with red leggings, Kamala flaunts a long, red scarf around her neck that is seemingly an update on the superhero-style staple - a cape. The dupatta-meets-cape trope is where the team's imagination shines. As a Muslim character - Willow, Adrian and Sana realised ­­- she would be expected to sport traditional clothing, but stereotypes are the last thing the trio wanted to fall back on.
Interestingly, Wilson, who is a convert to Islam, sports a hijab while Sana does not. "Willow converted when she was 19. I have grown up with it. But the whole point of the character was not to define it in conventional terms. In Dust (a character that appears in the X-Men series), we already have an Afghan superhero, who sports a burqa, which is great for the time it was created, but I don't think there should be any particular version of a Muslim character, even if it is a superhero. Kamala may be a bit conservative, but she wears modern clothes and tries to be trendy. She is a bit of a superhero nerd."
Change the lens and you may just find Kamala to be a simple teenager who also happens to be a South Asian and a Muslim. "Willow and I had this discussion where we were thinking how we talk so much about Islam, but we don't talk about Muslims. There are different kinds of Muslims," says Sana. Kamala Khan owns and celebrates this idea.
THE GENDER
As far as perceptions go, comic books have been seen as male bastions. Hence, even female superheroes have often been accused of catering to the male gaze. (Just last year, the United Nations dropped Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador for women's empowerment after it was contended that the character's overly sexualised image reinforced certain stereotypes that her role with UN set out to thwart.) This may have been aided by the notion that only men read comic books. But Sana and her team are fighting relentlessly to debunk the myth. One of the challenges for them is to present good, female-driven content that can be genuinely engaging, not enticing. "Superhero women earlier were scantily clad and heavily objectified because it catered to men who wanted to see an idealised, sexualised fantasy woman. I don't believe that's what comics are about," says Sana.
The lack of substantial women characters may also have something to do with the fact that, in the past, there were fewer women working in the industry. "When I started working here, for a very short time, we had one woman for every comic book, then it went to zero. Then we started Women of Marvel panels and began to talk to different audiences. Also, a couple of months later, we gave Captain Marvel a whole new look. This back-and-forth helped us identify our new audience base. Having the movies out there, of course, gave us a lot more validation."
THE CELLULOID APPEAL
Over the last couple of years, the Marvel Universe has also been basking in the glory of the film franchises that have been box office blockbusters, thereby creating talking points for the characters. Will the popularity of the films take readers away from the books? "I think comic books have a different charm, one that will always stay because Marvel, as a company, has been around for so many years now. Think about the resonance a character like Spiderman has had on fans. It continues to do well even when you don't have a film around it. You can walk into any comic book store and see a Spiderman-related item." Add to this the fact that every Marvel comic book has a language of its own and offers a commentary ("It's subtle, we are never direct," says Sana) on the times, and you will realise why Marvel is a cult in itself. "There is a powerful sense of nostalgia and a great sense of possibility. These are timeless qualities." How long will it take Kamala to get her own movie? Sana hasn't thought of it yet, but she'd like a Pakistani American actress to be cast in the role.
THE REACTION?
With the specific branding that comes with Kamala Khan, one would imagine her catering to a niche readership. Having made it to the New York Times' bestsellers list and won several awards, it is safe to say that Kamala is here to stay. Will Mullaly, a writer and film critic based in Dubai, has been a Marvel fan for years. Dissecting the Marvel legacy, he makes an important point. "The thing that has set Marvel apart is that it sets its heroes in the real world and gives them real problems. For instance, Peter Parker is as concerned about paying Aunt May's bills as he is about defeating the bad guy. The point is clear - these heroes are just like us. Diversity is hugely important because if Marvel is going to reflect the real world, it has to reflect the different stories the real world offers - not just the experiences of the white guys." Mullaly credits Kamala Khan's success to two factors. First, she tells a new story and freshness is key when "most of the big Marvel heroes have been fighting the same villains for more than 50 years". Second, her adventures stick to the core principles that have made Marvel comics resonate for so long - issues related to family and identity. "It's a human story and that's something everyone - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - can empathise with."
Next month, Sana will be in Dubai to talk about Kamala Khan at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. It's not a city she is unfamiliar with, having lived here for six months in the past. For the organisers, however, her presence emphasises the need to align the world of comic books with literature. As the programming head of the festival Gillian Henney says, "Sana has been described as a 'real life superhero' for the amazing work she has done. Kamala speaks to a generation of children who feel alienated for whatever reasons, promoting the importance of diversity and female empowerment. Her message aligns with the values of the UAE, and I know she will be a big hit with the audiences here." Amen!
(The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature starts on March 3. Sana Amanat will be part of two sessions on March 3 and one on March 4.)
anamika@khaleejtimes.com

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