- "Since DODC is already here, we obviously can't outrun them, so we distract and stall as long as possible until Kamran's safe. Got it?"
- ―Ms. Marvel[src]
The Battle at Coles Academic High School was a major confrontation between Ms. Marvel, Kamran, and their allies against the Damage Control agents whose objective was to capture the enhanced individuals.
Background[]
- "Hey, we are closing in on the enhanced individuals as we speak."
"Yes. And they're doing it in front of a high school. There's such a thing as bad press, and I don't like it. What is this?"
"It is not just one enhanced individual, it is two, and they are leaving a trail of destruction all through Jersey City." - ―Sadie Deever and P. Cleary[src]
During the New Jersey AvengerCon, wearing a bangle that had belonged to her great-grandmother Aisha, Kamala Khan unlocked her dormant light manipulation powers. This attracted the attention of both the United States Department of Damage Control, who was monitoring potential enhanced individuals[1], and the Clandestines, a group of beings led by Najma that Aisha was once a part of, who were after the bangle in order to return to the Noor Dimension from which they had been exiled.[4] Although they initially asked Khan for help, the Clandestines eventually tried to force Khan to surrender the bangle despite the possible dangers of achieving interdimensional travel.[2] However, the Clandestines, who were briefly detained by Damage Control before escaping, all perished during a battle with the Order of the Red Daggers.[5]
Kamran and Bruno Carrelli run from Damage Control
Before dying, Najma was able to transfer her powers to her son Kamran, who she had previously abandoned due to his choice of warning Khan of the Clandestines' intentions. This drew the attention of Damage Control and he sought assistance from Khan's best friend Bruno Carrelli.[6] Both Kamran and Carrelli were able to flee from Damage Control and when they reunited with Kamala, she decided to smuggle Kamran out of the United States of America. Aided by Nakia Bahadir, Zoe Zimmer, and Aamir Khan, they retreated into Coles Academic High School and prepared multiple tricks for the incoming Damage Control agents led by Sadie Deever, planning on stalling them long enough so Kamran could escape.[3]
Battle[]
Damage Control agents enter the school
- "Look at everything I've done, Kamala. What am I supposed to do now? How can I be normal?"
"There is no normal. There's just us and what we do with what we've been given. Get to the harbor. I'll buy you time." - ―Kamran and Kamala Khan[src]
As the school had been surrounded by both Damage Control agents led by Sadie Deever and the Jersey City Police Department, the battle began with a group of Damage Control agents entering Coles Academic High School. They immediately stumbled upon a Zuzu device, which they initially thought was a bomb. As they began to retreat, the device emitted music, revealing the trick. The agents blasted it before progressing further into the school, only to be taunted by Kamran from an upper floor. Meanwhile, Bruno Carrelli enabled Zoe Zimmer to livestream to her social media accounts and alert her audience about what was happening. Therefore, a crowd gathered near the school, including Kamala Khan's parents Muneeba and Yusuf Khan, her sister-in-law Tyesha Hillman, her schoolmates Miguel and Paul, as well as Ruby, Najaf, and Abdullah.
Damage Control agents get trapped in elephant toothpaste
Zimmer, Carrelli, Nakia Bahadir, and Aamir Khan then all proceeded to distract the Damage Control agents, wearing the same hoodie as Kamran to serve as decoys while using fire extinguishers to conceal their presence and run around the school in different directions. Several agents were able to take down a barricade and followed one decoy into the chemistry lab where they were surprised by elephant toothpaste that momentarily incapacitated them, enabling Kamala and Kamran to hide in a classroom.
Nakia Bahadir, Zoe Zimmer, and Aamir Khan are arrested by Damage Control
As the agents were closing in on the classroom, Carrelli instructed Kamala and Kamran to flee while he distracted the agents by dancing in front of them, causing him to be knocked down and arrested. Several other agents incapacitated each other in pursuit of Bahadir as she rode a bike into the gymnasium. Although they were able to make her fall off the bike, she ran to join Zimmer and Aamir who used softball pitching machines to fire softballs at the Damage Control agents in an attempt to delay them. However, they were eventually arrested as well and put into a van alongside Carrelli.
Kamran attacks a Damage Control agent
Meanwhile, Kamala and Kamran made their way into a bathroom where they were attacked by a Damage Control agent. In an act of rage, Kamran brutally attacked him, causing Kamala to protect the agent who was knocked unconscious. Kamala then had no choice but to admit that Kamran's mother had died, which caused Kamran to have another outburst of violence in which he took down several other Damage Control agents, with Kamala being unable to restrain him.
Kamala Khan protects Kamran
Kamran then left the school on his own, violently blasting away the doors, and confronted a group of armed Damage Control agents. Refusing to obey Deever's command to surrender, Kamran was attacked by the agents who opened fire, but Kamala exited the school and protected him with a "hard light" energy construct shield. Deever ordered the agents to cease fire and then ordered her men to attack Kamala and Kamran with a Sonic Cannon which destroyed the Kamala's "hard light" energy construct shield. Although stunned, Kamala was able to regain control over her powers and retaliated, destroying the cannon. She then resisted the agents' bullets by covering most of her body in a "hard light" armor.
The "hard light" energy construct dome created by Kamala Khan
In the meantime, Kamran violently took down five other agents before confronting Deever, using his powers to fling a Humvee towards her. Deever was able to avoid it, but the Humvee almost flew into the nearby crowd who were saved by Kamala's intervention. As he was once again confronted by Deever, Kamran began losing control over his powers, causing massive crystalline protrusions around him. As everyone else was unable withstand his blast, only Kamala managed to approach Kamran and she formed a "hard light" energy construct dome around them. She was then able to talk Kamran down and punched a hole in the ground, enabling Kamran to flee from the scene.
The crowd protects Kamala Khan
With the situation beginning to defuse, the crowd invaded the scene, shielding Kamala against the Damage Control agents and aided by the JCPD officers. As the Damage Control agents moved forward anyway to arrest Kamala, she left the scene using her powers and was applauded by the crowd.[3]
Aftermath[]
- "Don't say anything, don't do anything. Just get out of there. Okay? You went against my orders, publicly, and then you attacked a bunch of kids using our name. And you know what that means? Yes. You're relieved of duty. A unit is coming to fix your mess."
- ―P. Cleary to Sadie Deever[src]
The battle caused immense backlash against the United States Department of Damage Control and Ms. Marvel gained tremendous support among the inhabitants of Jersey City since most of the events had been live-streamed on social media and showed Damage Control agents fire their weapons against two teenagers. In immediate response to Sadie Deever's actions, her superior P. Cleary relieved her of duty and sent another Damage Control unit to fix the mess that she caused.
Thanks to Kamala Khan, Bruno Carrelli, and Nakia Bahadir, Kamran was able to safely leave the United States of America and reach Pakistan where the Order of the Red Daggers agreed to provide him with shelter. Kamran left his car in the United States and it was later claimed by Bahadir.[3]