Ms. Marvel episode 3 reveals Kamala Khan's powers are linked to an obscure comic book group

*This article contains major spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 3*

Ms. Marvel fans have been speculating over Kamala Khan's powers ever since the first episode landed on Disney Plus. The premiere hinted that she got her abilities from a bangle that once belonged to her grandmother, while episode 2 suggested that the bracelet simply allowed her to access dormant superhuman parts of herself.

The latter theory is closer to the character's comic book origin, in which Kamala discovers she's an Inhuman after being exposed to Terrigen Mist. But now, episode 3 has flipped the script again, confirming that she is actually linked to a more obscure Marvel group: The ClanDestine.

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Titled 'Destined', the installment opens with a flashback set in 1942. In it, Kamran's mother Najma (Nimra Bucha) – who Kamala (Iman Vellani) met at the end of the previous episode, and has been having visions of – can be seen searching through dirt and rubble. 

"Fariha, Saleem, I've found it. I've found the bangle," she tells her acquaintances, as Fariha asks: "Should we be concerned it's on a severed arm?"

"You heard what that man from the temple said," Najma claps back, as Aisha (Mehwish Hayat) emerges from the shadows behind them and adds: "He said we would need two. Let me see it." (For those of you who need a memory jog, Aisha is the mysterious mother of Kamala's grandmother Sana, who supposedly disappeared during the Partition of India).

"Where's the other one?" Saleem ponders, before Fariha notes: "I've told you. The British have probably looted this place twice over by now." Aisha states, "One will have to do. This bangle could take us back home. We have to try," before they are ambushed, and Aisha and Najma flee separately. 

Back in the present day, Najma tells Kamala that that was the "last time they ever saw" Aisha, and that her and her people are actually Djinn, interdimensional beings who were exiled to Earth-616 and are now stuck. She also explains that the bangle helps Kamala channel Noor, a light-based power they all possess, but can't unlock fully outside of their own dimensions.

"Maybe because you're from here, you can," Najma continues, admitting that in the Noor Dimension, they are known as Clandestines. "The bangle and its visions brought you to me, and to all the people that you belong with. I know that you've inherited greatness. It was Aisha's wish to bring us all home, and now you must finish what she started." 

Later, Kamala informs her bestie Bruno (Matt Lintz) of her discovery. "I found out what I am, and it's not Asgardian or alien, or anything cool like that. I'm, like, the stuff of my childhood nightmares," she admits, referencing her cultural heritage and Djinns' place in Arabic and Islamic mythology. "See, there's, like, ghost stories, and then there's Djinn stories, and the Djinn stories are always worse because they're real."

The remainder of the episode sees Kamala grappling with whether or not she should help Najma, and if she even has the ability to perform such an ambitious task. Bruno thinks not and warns her not to be reckless, but things go south when Najma catches wind of Kamala's reluctance and launches an attack on the youngster during Kamala's brother Aamir's wedding.

For more on the The ClanDestine, check out our in-depth explainer. In short, though, they were introduced in 1994's Marvel Comics Presents #158 by writer and artist Alan Davis. The race's bloodline stems from a Saxon man named Adam Destine who freed – and later fell in love with – a female Djinn, who was trapped inside a mystical gem that was controlled by an evil wizard. You know, just your standard boy-meets-girl love story.

Since the "severed arm" that Najma took the bangle from was blue, some fans have taken to Twitter to ponder whether its origins may turn out to be Kree, providing a direct link between Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel before the former shows up in the Carol Danvers-centered sequel The Marvels.

It's worth nothing, however, that Djinn – or genies, as they are sometimes referred to – are often depicted as blue, too.

We'll likely find out more about Kamala's roots in Ms. Marvel episode 4, which will be released Disney Plus on Wednesday, June 29. In the meantime, why not use our roundup of the best shows on Disney Plus for some viewing inspiration, or check out Total Film's exclusive chat with Ms. Marvel directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.