*This article contains major spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 3*
Ms. Marvel protagonist Kamala Khan is a superhero obsessive, so it stands to reason that her Disney Plus series is peppered with references to the Avengers and beyond. In episode 3, a certain Thor character gets a shout-out, much like how Eternals' Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) did in its predecessor.
In the most recent installment of the six-part show, which is officially titled 'Destined', Kamala (Iman Vellani) is told by Kamran's mother Namja (Nimra Bucha) that her great grandmother Aisha was a Djinn, a genie-like being who possesses magical powers. Because of that, Kamala is probably a Djinn – or a Clandestine, as they are better known back home in the Noor Dimension – too, and can likely use her mysterious bangle to free them from being exiled on Earth-616. (Namja and the other Clandestines can't do it themselves, because they can't access their full potential abilities-wise as they're not from our dimension).
Unsure whether to trust Namja, or whether she'd even be powerful enough to help her and her people in the first place, Kamala seeks solace in her bestie Bruno (Matt Lintz). After she fills him in on what she's learned about her heritage, she asks him to assist her in researching Noor, Djinn lore and interdimensional travel, to which he states, "Actually that reminds me of a paper I read. I think it's by Dr. Erik Selvig."
Selvig, played by Stellan Skarsgård, is an astrophysicist and close friend of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who made his MCU debut in Thor (2011). Later, he succumbed to a mind control trick of Thor's brother Loki's and helped the God of Mischief steal the Tesseract in The Avengers, before using it to summon a portal that lead to the Chitauri invasion and the Battle of New York.
Fortunately, Tony Stark aka Iron Man knocked him out, and Loki's hold over ceased, as he told Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow how to close the gate with Loki's sceptre. Selvig went on to make additional appearances in Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, and somewhere in between all that drama, he wrote an essay on dimension-hopping?! We're impressed.
Ms. Marvel is set to continue on 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.
