Last episode Ms. Marvel shows its protagonist reconnecting with her heritage in more than one way – and meets an unexpected new ally in the process. Seeing Red has Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) travels to Pakistan to visit his grandmother Sana (Samina Ahmad) to learn more about the mysterious bracelet she wears and its connection to ClanDestine. During his travels, Kamala is attacked by a mysterious boy named Karim (Aramis Knight) who wears a red scarf over his face and carries throwing knives with a red cloth wrapped around the hilt. Karim is better known by his codename: Red Dagger.

The red dagger first appeared in Ms. Marvel #12 on J. Willow Wilson as well as Mirka Andolfo, and like other teenage superheroes before him, he juggled school work by day with protecting the people of Pakistan by night. As his name suggests, he often wears a red scarf over his face and is very good at throwing knives. Dagger is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, which is especially impressive considering he learned his skills from YouTube. Yes, you read that right: the superhero learned his fighting skills using the Internet. Batman, take notes.

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Dagger also has a connection to Kamala’s family as his mother is close friends with her aunt and he even lived with her grandmother for a while. He met Kamala while trying to stop a group of thieves from damaging fire hydrants to raise the price of their own water supplies, and they worked together to stop the thieves. Karim later went to America to get foreign language loans for college and was eventually assigned to Kamala’s classroom. The two worked together to stop a runaway train, and Dagger even replaced Kamala when she temporarily left the hero’s life.

But one of the most important moments comes. Ms. Marvel #29 Wilson and Nico Leonwhere the two kissed each other. Although it was Kamala’s first kiss and Karim clearly had feelings for her, at the time she was dealing with her best friend Bruno Carrelli and decided not to go any further. The dagger is back Marvel Voices: Identity one shot in 2021, in a story called, ironically, “Seeing Red”, where they are reunited while Kamala was vacationing in Karachi. This comic story was also written by Sabir Pirzadawho co-wrote this week’s episode with What if…? showrunners AC Bradley as well as Matthew Chauncey.

In the series, Karim is not the only Red Dagger – he is part of a secret society dedicated to fighting ClanDestine. Karim and his teacher Walid (Farhan Akhtar) Help Kamala learn more about her powers and even fight alongside her when ClanDestine arrives to try and take Kamala’s bracelet by force. Although they put up a good fight as well as a car chase through the streets of Karachi, Walid ends up sacrificing himself to give Kamala and Karim some distance. And when ClanDestin leader Najma (Nimra Bucha) strikes the bracelet, Kamala somehow finds herself in the past – in particular, on the night when her great-grandmother Aisha (Mehvish Khayat) was separated from her family.

With only two episodes left, it’s unclear if Red Dagger will continue to play a role in Ms. Marvel. If the series gets renewed for a second season, it’s possible it could resurface and provide some more superhero team action, as well as some possible romantic sparks with Kamala given their comic history. And then there’s the fact that Dagger is joining the Champions, a teenage superhero team co-founded by Kamala. While the MCU shows have been built around the potential appearance of the Young Avengers, the Champions are more than capable of carrying their own series, and Ms. Marvel and Dagger have proven they can definitely work together.