Origin|Kamala Khan is the daughter of two Pakistani immigrants, Yusuf and Disha Khan. She and her brother Aamir were born in the United States, and while the family has conformed somewhat to American moresno one but Aamir wears particularly traditional clothes, though Disha keeps her hair covered and presses her daughter to dress modestlythey have lost neither their faith nor culture. They live in New Jersey, where Kamala and Aamir are expected to be ambitious and successful in the Land of the Free.
It's rough going for both of them. Caught between two worlds, two cultures, Kamala embraces Americanism while still maintaining a sometimes-grudging hold of Pakistani culture. She dresses modestly and goes to the mosque, but she also writes fanfic and longs to take part in the stereotypically American activities of her friends. And then, of course, there's the superheroing.
Kamala was exposed to the Terrigen Mists one rather frightening evening and discovered a startling ability: she could shapeshift, making herself gigantic or tiny, extending her limbs, and even changing her entire appearance. She ended up rescuing a classmate while shapeshifted to look like her personal hero, Captain Marvel.
It's been rough going since. She does her best to balance school, family, and superheroism, but the latter is taking more and more of her time. She isn't yet 'out' to her family, but at least now that she's started college her curfews are easier to dodge…
Tradition|Though American-born, Kamala has deep ties to her Pakistani heritage.
Enthusiastic|Kamala is an intensely cheerful and enthusiastic young woman. She has enough good cheer and energy for everyone.
Leader|Kamala believes the best of people and leads through that example: building other people up until they believe in themselves as much as she does.
Fangirl|Kamala is a HUGE superhero fan and a prolific fanfic writer. She's also a nerdgirl of many varieties, including video games and comic books.
Motivation|Kamala really wants to balance school, family, and superheroing. She wants to be successful in all three, which… is proving problematic.
Goals|Kamala would really like to be a beloved hero, a cherished daughter and sister, and a successful student. She's going to have to become Dr. Khan to really please her parents, though.
Healing Factor|As long as Kamala isn't shapeshifting, she can heal herself astonishingly well. Her healing factor isn't exactly Wolverine's, but she can be shot, crushed, stabbed, and tossed off a building and still get back on her feet in a matter of moments. However, the process is exhausting and makes her immensely hungry. She also may not be able to shape-shift if she's had to heal herself a great deal recently.
Shapeshifting|Kamala can shrink to the size of a tiny insect or grow to the size of a building. She can grow parts of her body, extending arms and legs, fingers and feet, even her neck to extraordinary lengths or fine, tiny dimensions. She can also change her own appearance, taking on another person's face and figure down to their hair. With practice and experience, she might someday even be able to take on other forms entirely. She doesn't BECOME whatever she's turned into — if she transforms into Carol Danvers, she doesn't gain her powers, and if, in theory, she turned into a mouse, she wouldn't be able to speak mouse. She's always Kamala inside. When she uses this power, her body lights up in a golden glow.
Family|While Kamala's parents are ignorant of just what she's doing late at night, they love and support her. Her brother is particularly protective, and anyone giving Kamala trouble is going to be on his bad side. Her imam back home, too, is warm and supportive—even if he doesn't know exactly what he's supporting. Together, they give her the moral support she needs to succeed and to believe in herself.
Friends|Kamala's friends are highly loyal to her. She may not have been one of the popular kids in school, but she has more friends than even she realizes. Bruno, who has known her since they were very young, is an accomplished chemist and inventor who helped her make her super-stretchy costume. When she needs help, she can always call on her friends in Jersey City.
Costume|It's not exactly a suit of armor, but Kamala's costumeformerly her ultra-modest swimsuitis excellently suited to her. Bruno, one of her best friends, developed a chemical compound that made the fabric as stretchy as Kamala herself. She can take any form and the costume will remain intact, even healing itself from damage.
Bright|Kamala's quite a smart girl and very resourceful. She's not a supergenius, but she makes good grades in school and thinks fast on her feet.
Academics|Kamala is a well educated young woman, though it doesn't come without study and work. She's currently a biology major seeking to be admitted into medical school, and if she manages to focus sufficiently on her schoolwork she might just get there.
Resourcefulness|Kamala isn't the greatest fighter or tactician, but she makes up for it by thinking fast on her feet and making the best use of her surroundings and her skills.
Writing|Kamala happens to be a very popular fanfic writer—popular enough that some of the subjects of her stories have read them. She has a lot of natural talent, but she's already honed her skills decently enough to have a following.
Natural Leader|It's a skill she never realized she had until she started with the superheroism. Kamala has an amazing ability to take even a disaffected band of fellow adolescents and unite them in a common cause. She helps people see the best in themselves, not least because it's what she believes and expects of them.
Family|While her family loves and cares for her, thehy also don't know what she gets up to. They might be horribly shocked if they find out—more than that, they don't know that they might be a liability for her. If anyone else knew who she was, they could certainly hurt her family to get to Kamala.
Fatigue|Her healing factor isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she uses it too much, she gets really exhausted and hungry. She also can't use her shapeshifting ability if she's had to heal herself a lot.
Minority|Kamala's out of step with a lot of American culture. She's Muslim, first, and clearly Pakistani—that can be a huge disadvantage in American culture. Second, even as Americanized as she is, she's… a nerd. She's bright and enthusiastic and plays RPGs and writes fanfic and watches cartoons and reads Tumblr. All those things are becoming more mainstream, but she's never been anyone's idea of normal.
Identity Crisis|Kamala tries to be everything to everyone and often ends up falling short. Staying out late worries and disappoints her parents. A lack of sleep caused by running around in a costume all night can affect her grades and her mood. As much as she's a weird kid, she tries so hard to be perfect at everything, and the strain is starting to show.
