Bryant: Legacies. Successors. There are many titans in both real life and fictional history, and oftentimes, they try to find someone who they deem worthy of being their successors of their names and/or legacy.
Thea: But sometimes, you find what you're looking for by complete accident!
Bryant: Like Izuku Midoriya, the Full Cowl Superhero.
Thea: And Kamala Khan, the second Ms. Marvel.
Bryant: For this battle, we'll be focusing on Season 6 of the MHA anime in terms of story and feats.
Thea: And for Kamala, we'll be focusing on the version we see in the 616-Universe of Marvel Comics. He's Bryant Reese, and I'm Thea Price.
Bryant: And we're here to analyze these two teenage superheroes to see who would win, a Death Battle!
Bryant: All Might! The Symbol of Peace, the Number One hero, and the one largely responsible for bringing about the era of peace that Japan knew. In the distant future, people would begin to develop meta-abilities, or Quirks, granting them superhuman powers and abilities.
Thea: Naturally, when people begin doing that, people also start using their powers for the wrong reason. Which brought about the beginning of the superhero world! Heroes dressed in weird clothes would fight the villains, taking them down, left and right. But the top dog was always All Might, in Japan, or in the world!
Bryant: Unsurprisingly, as such a successful hero, All Might had many fans. And while many of them would call themselves his number one fan, he had one fan whose story would become much more important to All Might, forming a bond that most of his fans wished they could have. A young Japanese boy, named Izuku Midoriya.
Izuku Midoriya:
Aliases: Deku, Ninth, One for All
Age: 16
Height: 166 cm
Weight: 64.9 kg
Occupation: Hero-in-Training, Vigilante
Catchphrase: Plus Ultra!
Was born Quirkless
Loves all heroes, with All Might being his favorite
Thea: When it comes to underdogs, Izuku is exactly what you'd expect.
Bryant: Born into the era of peace, Midoriya grew up in a relatively comfortable life. But he didn't have it entirely easy. Despite the world being born with 80% of its population being born with their own unique powers, for the most part, there are still people who were born Quirkless. And Midoriya was a member of this powerless fifth.
Thea: Despite this wondrous age of heroes and advanced technology, humans are always going to be humans, and Izuku grew up being bullied. It wasn't even for anything that he himself did. All he wanted was to be a hero who could save the day with a smile on his face, just like All Might. But some people, like Katsuki Bakugou, saw that as a personal challenge, and made his life miserable. They even gave him a nickname, Deku. It's a pun from dekunobou, which means good for nothing.
(NOTE: In the Funimation Dub, it's a combination made from Defenseless Izuku)
Bryant: But Midoriya didn't give up his dreams, nor did he give up on his heroic desires. While he couldn't receive proper training, considering Bakugou's reaction to Midoriya even wishing to be a hero, he did make a series of notebooks analyzing and studying heroes and their respective powers.
Thea: And then Bakugou got mad about that too. Jeez, this guy has a real bone to pick. No wonder the fandom calls him a Pomeranian. Though a Chihuahua probably fits better. Those things can be rabid.
Bryant: Throughout Izuku's life, he dreamed of being a hero, yet it would seem that society as a whole would do everything in its power to crush that dream. Even his own mother couldn't believe in his dream, even when she wanted to.
Thea: But it wasn't just his dream to be a hero, it was his fate. Izuku's heroism wasn't just a show like with other people in this society, it was literally his instinct. An instinct so strong, that by the time his mind catches up to his body, he's already moving to save people. Even if it's freakin' Bakugou!
Bryant: Which caught the attention of All Might. All Might had been looking for a successor to inherit his title and role as the Symbol of Peace, someone who was a shining example of what it meant to be a hero, just like him. And more importantly, he was looking for a successor to inherit his power, One for All.
Abilities/Arsenal:
Keen Intellect and Adaptability
Skilled Analyst/Strategist
Combat Training
Superhuman Abilities
High Pain Tolerance/Willpower
One for All
Enhanced strength, speed, durability, and endurance, Shoot-style, Black Whip, Float, Danger Sense, Smokescreen, Fa Jin
Techniques:
Full Cowling, Infinite 100%, Air Force, Froppy-Style, Full Blast, Pinpoint Focus, Faux 100%
Detroit Smash, Delaware Smash, Manchester Smash, St. Louis Smash, Wyoming Smash, Texas Smash, Delaware Detroit Smash, United States of World Smash, etc
Costume Zeta:
Iron Soles, Air Force Gloves, Mid-Gauntlet
Thea: A sacred torch first lit at the dawn of Quirks. From the younger brother of a scumbag called All for One, One for All was a power passed down through generations, with All Might being number 8, and Izuku being number 9! It takes the power of the previous wielder and adds it to the current user's power, giving Izuku the super power that he always wanted!
Bryant: At first, this doesn't sound too impressive, as it simply means that Izuku is as strong as 9 people. However, most people with a Quirk are superhuman in their own way, like how Bakugou is able to create building-sized explosions while withstanding the recoil with little issue. Quirks are not magic, and are simply another physical ability available to the likes of Bakugou. So to be able to wield them, meta-humans like the heroes need to have naturally superhuman abilities.
Thea: Not to mention that the power of One for All doesn't only get stronger when it's passed on. Whenever a user inherits it, One for All grows with the user, becoming stronger and stronger. When Izuku fought a villain named Muscular, he needed multiple hits at 100% to knock him out. But when they had their rematch, he took him down with a single hit from 45%!
(NOTE: It was also stated by Izuku that his initial 100% was the same as All Might's, and he later says that he's equal to All Might when he mainly used 45%)
Bryant: Midoriya couldn't fully wield One for All's power at first, however. As we said, Quirks are physical abilities that generally obey the laws of physics. Due to his underdeveloped body, Midoriya would often break his bones when using the power. To account for this, he developed numerous techniques during his time at U.A., a school dedicated to teaching and raising heroes.
Thea: He learned to minimize how much damage is done at once by focusing his power to smaller parts of his body. That's how he made his Delaware Smash, a powerful flick that can create shockwaves powerful enough to create whirlpools!
Bryant: And he eventually learned how to control how much of One for All he used at once, and was able to spread it evenly throughout his body thanks to Full Cowling. This technique allowed him to move at speeds fast enough to catch on fire, and strike with enough strength to shatter metal pillars, even when his limit was only 5% of his power.
Thea: When he reached 20%, he was even faster than before, and could hit with enough power to create a shockwave the size of a forest! He channeled that crazy level of power into other super moves, like his Detroit Smash. He even combined it with his Delaware Smash for the Delaware Detroit Smash, where he breaks his opponent's defense with a Delaware Smash before taking them out with a Detroit Smash.
(NOTE: Midoriya called this his 1,000,000%, but while it did seem to be stronger than his usual attacks, Horikoshi had gone on record to say that it's not actually a million percent, and that he was simply hyping himself up to push past his limits)
Bryant: But his arms couldn't entirely keep up with his power, and it soon got to the point where he could've permanently lost all function in his arms, and thus make them useless.
Thea: But that's okay, cause he remembered that he had legs! His Shoot-style revolves around him using his stronger legs to better withstand the impact, especially with his Iron Soles, which absorb the recoil of his attacks and reflect it back. That lets him use his Manchester Smash, or his St. Louis Smash, both of which are powerful kicks that end up being his signature attacks for a while.
Bryant: But it's likely that Midoriya can use other techniques as well, specifically ones that All Might used, as he did copy the Detroit Smash from All Might, as well as the Texas Smash, a powerful attack which creates shockwaves that can blast away opponents. Especially since Midoriya's Mid Gauntlets allow him to use his arms due to reducing the impact of his recoil.
Thea: But if things get rough, Izuku did get strong enough to survive using 100%, like in the World Heroes Mission's movie. And his arms didn't even break until he was already finished kicking the villain's ass!
(NOTE: A lot of debate has been had over the canonicity of the three movies. But all of the supposedly movie-only characters have made multiple cameos in the manga. One of whom was Melissa Shield, who referenced her movie, and another being the Shimano siblings, who recognized Midoriya and Bakugou, proving that at least a version of the movies have been experienced by the characters)
Thea: That's his Infinite 100%, a mode that he first unlocked during his fight against Overhaul. Izuku at this point was officially recognized as a licensed hero, or at least the equivalent of a teen with a driver's permit. His time at U.A. was great, and he made several friends. Like Ochako Uraraka, the Shonen Waifu, who helped Izuku change the meaning of his name.
Bryant: Rather than being a pun of dekunobou, Deku became a pun from dekiru, which means you can do it. A symbol of how an underdog could have the opportunity to become a hero. Though Deku's story wasn't necessarily that of usual Shonen heroes.
Thea: For Deku, it's not about earning your right to have power, it's about using your power for the right thing. It's all about saving people, no matter what you have to sacrifice, which is what got him All Might's approval in the first place. It's also what gives All Might huge headaches, since Deku seems to always end up in the hospital.
Bryant: Fortunately, Deku would be able to stay out of trouble more-
Thea: Uh huh.
Bryant: Deku would be able to survive trouble more-
Thea: There we go.
Bryant: -thanks to the evolution of One for All. Quirks, when they reach a certain level, can go through an awakening of sorts, and evolve to a greater degree. In the case of One for All, Deku obtained not only the ability to interact with the memories, or Vestiges, of the previous users, but also to use their Quirks.
Thea: My favorite of his new Quirks is Black Whip! This lets him create black tendrils made of energy from his fists, fingers, or palms, or shoot from his mouth like his friend, who's a frog girl. These tendrils let Deku attack, defend, restrict, and maneuver all at once. He can even use these to protect his arms, ensnare enemies for a follow up attack, or fire as a precise long-ranged attack.
Bryant: He can levitate and fly with Float, detect hostile intent with Danger Sense, and create a thick cloud with Smokescreen. Though my favorite (of the anime) is his Fa Jin. With every movement, you create potential energy that is released as kinetic energy upon contact with a surface of something. But with Fa Jin, Deku can store said kinetic energy, and release it all at once as an explosive blow. He can store up enough energy to mimic 100% of his power while using 45% of One for All, without having to deal with the recoil.
(NOTE: Deku's last Quirk has been revealed in the manga already. But since the anime isn't caught up with the manga, we're excluding as much of the major spoilers as we can, and limiting Deku to just the current anime canon, that being season 6)
Thea: Yeah somehow, the bottom of the barrel weakling ended up being one of the strongest people in the world!
Achievements:
Defeated Shinso, Stain, Wolfram, Muscular, Overhaul, Gentle Criminal, Nine, and Flect Turn
Matched Tomura Shigaraki and Class 1-A
Withstood the pain of breaking bones several times over
Dodged explosions without One for All
Outpaced being biologically rewound
Can predict enemy attacks and work around them
Thea: Though even without One for All, he's not exactly a weakling. Even when he first used One for All, he was strong enough to survive the recoil. It could've blown up his body if he wasn't strong enough.
(NOTE: When Midoriya first used his Quirk, he knocked over a giant robot which was theorized by some to weigh 500,000 tons)
Thea: During his training, he could carry over 250 kilograms on his back, courtesy of All Might piggy back, and after his training, he was fast enough to dodge a nitroglycerin explosion after it was already fired!
Bryant: Which would involve him dodging an attack moving at around 27 kilometers per hour. With only 5% of One for All, he's an equal in speed with Iida, who could blitz characters who could react to lightning.
Thea: And his Delaware Smashes could match the power of Shouto Todoroki, who could create an iceberg in a few seconds! And both got a lot stronger since then.
Bryant: But Deku isn't just raw strength. He's also incredibly smart. Not only did he spend around a decade studying heroes and their variety of Quirks, he's able to predict attacks from more experienced heroes like Mirio, who was theorized to be the next Number One, even when compared to pro-Heroes.
Thea: Deku and big bro Mirio fought together to save baby sis Eri, whose power could accidentally rewind your body on a biological level to make you disappear from existence. But when Deku was exposed to it, he was able to figure out how fast he needed to break his own bones to outpace the Quirk by giving it something to rewind. He literally figured out how to survive being erased on a biological level!
Bryant: And he learned how to wield One for All at its full potential. Before he did, he defeated the likes of Wolfram, who could create a massive metal cube, as tall as a tower, and hurl it fast enough to create shockwaves. Deku was able to destroy it with All Might at his side, likely with a force of around 2 kilotons of TNT.
Thea: After he did, he also helped beat the bricks off of Nine, who created a storm that covered an island and the surrounding sky! And Deku was able to help punch an island sized hole in the middle of it!
Bryant: Not to mention that in the third movie, in his battle with Flect Turn, Deku at 100% had begun to move at such high speeds, his body was blue-shifting, a phenomenon that is only possible when an object approaches the speed of light.
(NOTE: Characters comparable to or weaker than Deku were able to perform similar feats, like how Miruko dodged a laser when it was literally right in front of her)
Thea: Heck, he could even keep up with all of his classmates at once. It took all of them working together to even keep up with him when he was tired and hungry, and when he wasn't even fighting back.
Bryant: Because the burden on him was more than most heroes. During the war against Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains, the dark side of the Hero Society was revealed. The society of heroes had forgotten what it meant to be heroes, instead turning it into a competition about who was better and who was weaker. And in this era of peace, where heroes lived soft and cushy lives, they were unprepared for overwhelming loss and devastation left in the aftermath of the war. Even when people needed them, heroes would simply give up, unable to cope with the stress and pressure.
Thea: Deku tried to help out, to fix society, by leaving U.A. and becoming a vigilante to travel the cities of Japan, fighting villains and saving civilians from themselves, all while keeping the torch of One for All away from the greedy hands of All for One. The war did a lot to him and his friends, like dismembering one of his teachers and outright killing the other one. He felt responsible, and wanted to make things right. Even in the depths of despair, he kept fighting. While other heroes were overwhelmed by the burden and hate and ended up quitting, Deku just kept pushing through.
Bryant: And yet, he fought while sinking. In his desperation to save others from drowning, he himself was running out of air. His now self-destructive heroism led to him going several days without eating, sleeping, or even bathing. And overtime, he forgot who Deku was supposed to be: A hero who saved people with a smile and made them feel safe. Instead, the vigilante embodied some of many flaws in this society of heroes. A society where heroes were expected to do and sacrifice everything for the sake of the civilians, and be little more than tools to achieve a happy ending.
Thea: Like how the Hero Killer Stain killed heroes just for wanting to have a good paying job. Or how heroes like Pixie-Bob were mocked for wanting to find love. In this superhuman society, heroes were only allowed to be supers, and were criticized for being human. When Izuku finally came back to U.A., the civilians hiding there formed a mob to keep him out, thinking that just letting him rest and recover meant that they were expected to be sacrificed! Pretty hypocritical, considering that they were trying to sacrifice Izuku. Who was a kid. Fighting a war. By himself. For them.
Bryant: That was the flaw that came with One for All. Midoriya expected and was willing to be one hero for all, but by being so, he was also willing to essentially kill himself for the sake of others. All Might tried to be there for Midoriya and pave a better road for him, but he suffered from the same flaw, eventually becoming weak, and unable to keep up.
Thea: But his friends weren't going to let Izuku die on his own. When they confronted him, it wasn't because they were told to. They did it because he needed help, and wanted to help the same way he helped them. He's saved some of them literally, and saved others mentally. Even Bakugou was able to learn the true value of heroism thanks to Izuku and his efforts.
Bryant: And thanks to Uraraka, Midoriya was finally able to return home, and realize that even with his power, he was still human, and could rely on his friends. As the proverb once said, "To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together."
Thea: All for One is still out there. He's still dangerous. But Deku is back, and he's ready to take him on, with an army of pillars helping him hold up the world! This is the story of how they became the world's greatest heroes!
(Izuku Midoriya) "I'm no longer the useless Deku who can't do anything right… I'm the Deku who gives it his all."
Bryant: Captain Marvel! The human turned space-bound heroine, a member of the legendary Avengers, and one of the most powerful heroes in the world. In the world of Marvel Comics, superheroes and supervillains ran amok, waging a near endless war.
Thea: Since this is superhero comics, there's a lot of different ways that people could become heroes. Some are born with their powers, like Wolverine. While others are given their powers from science fiction that the Mythbusters would go ham on! Fun fact, positrons don't react like that.
Bryant: Captain Marvel and the Avengers were the world's first line of defense against terrible danger. Unsurprisingly, many people were big fans of such heroes. But while many would say that they were number one, some are lucky enough to eventually fight alongside them. Among these few was a young teen girl from New Jersey. Kamala Khan.
Kamala Khan:
Aliases: Ms. Marvel, SlothBaby
Age: 16
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 125 lbs
Occupation: Superhero
Catchphrase: Embiggen!
Inhuman-Mutant Hybrid
Loved all heroes, with Captain Marvel once being her favorite
Thea: When it comes to fangirls, Kamala is pretty much what you'd expect.
Bryant: Kamala was born in Jersey City to a Muslim family who moved from Pakistan. She was a relatively normal kid, with strict parents and an older brother. Though she was proud of her family and lineage, Kamala had a lot to deal with due to her nerdy interests and her parents. But she found her happy place in superheroes.
Thea: Specifically, superhero fanfics. She ships Spider-Marvel, or Spider-Man and Captain Marvel. Aha, nerd. But humans are gonna human, and Kamala wanted to prove herself as more than just the odd one out. So she ended up sneaking out one night to go to a party. But after being chased out by bullies, she ended up being exposed to some weird crystal meth called the Terrible Mist.
Bryant: Make better jokes, Thea. And the Terrigen Mist is not some weird drug. It's a special vapor produced by Terrigen Crystals, which has the ability to alter a person's biology, either mutating them or affecting their pre-existing mutation. Specifically, they can affect the biology of an Inhuman, genetically engineered humans courtesy of aliens called the Kree, which was the race that Captain Marvel got her powers from.
(NOTE: The Inhumans were initially a project meant to defeat the Skrulls, but was abandoned due to the fear that they could cause the destruction of the Kree)
Thea: And Kamala was one of these Inhumans, but one with a latent power. Thanks to the Terrigen Mists, got it right that time, Kamala was able to make a wish. She wished to be more like Captain Marvel, someone who was less complicated, and could kick ass. When she got out of her weird coma, she was literally, Captain Marvel! She looked like her at least!
Bryant: This was her latent Inhuman abilities. She had the ability to alter her body as she wished. And when she used her power to save one of her bullies from falling into a river, Kamala decided to use her new abilities and powers to be a hero, in a way that was more than just looking like her hero. And so, after being grounded for sneaking out, Kamala eventually adopted a previous identity of her hero, and became Ms. Marvel!
Abilities/Arsenal:
Superhuman Abilities
Extremely knowledgeable about superheroes
Shape-shifting
Size-shifting, elongation, enhanced healing, appearance alteration
X-Uniform
Thea: As you could probably guess from her first go, Kamala's powers are basically shape-shifting. She can change her face, hair, and body to look like other people, or even inanimate objects. She's turned her hands into weapons like spiked maces and hammers for combat and extra oomph. She can even use that shape-shifting power to stretch her body parts to long distances!
(NOTE: Kamala's uniform was originally her shape-shifting to make clothes. However, she eventually gets an actual supersuit, and an X-Men Uniform, both of which can change forms with her, allowing her to use her shape-shifting more freely)
Bryant: Though it's hard to say that it's just shape-shifting. Kamala is essentially reconstructing her body on a molecular level. Apparently, when she uses her powers, she's either pulling from or sending her molecules to alternate timelines, giving her the amount of molecules she needs to change her body.
Thea: That's how it works? She's not, like, expanding her body parts, or shrinking them? Or stretching them?
Bryant: Nope. Rather than her body being made of rubber like that of Monkey D. Luffy, Kamala is able to stretch, expand, and shrink her body by altering its molecular make-up and the amount of molecules her body has.
Thea: That sounds complicated.
(NOTE: Her body does still have elastic properties that can be interfered with by EMPs. It's also compared to Wi-Fi, meaning that someone could potentially take over her ability to draw molecules from other timelines)
Bryant: Welcome to Marvel Comics. Thanks to this quantum manifestation, Kamala is able to increase the size of her body by actually adding mass to it. This allows her to become bigger without losing any of her density, becoming heavier or lighter as she does. She can grow to be the size of a building, shrink to become the size of an action figure, or flatten to be as thin as paper, which gives her a unique way of controlling the flow of battle.
Thea: She mostly grows just her limbs, making them the limbs of a giant. She can jump off of structures and grow her feet to become bigger to reduce the impact, or make her hands the size of giants to punch people extra hard!
(NOTE: Kamala also has a mutant gene, which means she does potentially have mutant powers, which would replace her Inhuman powers. However, they're currently locked away, presumably by her Inhuman powers unlocking themselves first. It's largely believed that these mutant powers will be the same as they are in the MCU, which are light constructs that do the same thing as her original powers)
Bryant: Because of her molecular reconstruction, Kamala could also revert her body to a previous state, essentially turning her body into a younger version of itself. This serves as a sort of healing factor, as it can rewind her body to a state before it was injured.
(NOTE: Kamala can't heal as fast while using her usual powers at the same time. Overusing her healing factor can also weaken her powers)
Thea: It also gives her the usual superhero package, making her super strong, super tough, and super fast! Strong enough to destroy a street with a single kick, and fast enough to run on water!
Bryant: With this simple yet versatile powerset, Kamala took to the streets under her new identity. And soon, the city knew her as their champion.
Thea: She even got the attention of her three favorite heroes! Captain America, Iron Man, and, obviously, Captain Marvel! Who was nice enough to give her permission to use the Ms Marvel name! Sweet!
Bryant: Ms Marvel was even eventually invited to be a member of the Avengers, alongside other rookies like Miles Morales, and Samuel Alexander, going on numerous missions and proving herself as a skilled superhero, though she did have to learn how to balance her bigger hero life with her more down to earth neighborhood life.
Thea: Especially when her image was used for a relocation organization that was actually being controlled by the super-Nazis called Hydra. Racism!
Bryant: Ms Marvel was beginning to realize that being a superhero in Marvel wasn't the life free of complications like she thought. While she very much did participate in tough battles and proved her mettle, there was much more than meets the eye.
Thea: Which Kamala found out when she and her new friends found themselves in the middle of a superhero civil war! An Inhuman named Ulysses Cain had just joined, but his visions of the future were making some things, rough.
Bryant: Captain Marvel wanted to use Cain's powers of the future to preemptively stop threats before they happened. However, Iron Man believed that doing so was attempting to play God, and that they didn't know enough to rely on these visions. Tensions rose, especially after Captain Marvel insisted on using these powers even after Iron Man discovered that they only had a 10% probability of happening.
Thea: The visions did help sometimes, but it also led to a lot of paranoia, and irrational decisions made from fear. Like Bruce Banner's aggression making Hawkeye shoot him through the head, Iron Man kidnapping Cain, and Captain Marvel trying to arrest Miles for something he didn't even do.
(NOTE: Kamala's sister-in-law even compared acting on Cain's visions to profiling, as both involve reacting due to assumptions about certain people without proper information, leading to irrational behavior and the persecution of innocent people at the hands of authority due to paranoia)
Bryant: One of these visions even resulted in Ms Marvel being forced to arrest one of her own friends due to the vision showing him being involved with an explosion. However, it turned out that said explosion was a result of his arrest, and ended up scarring Bruno, one of her childhood friends, causing him to hate her.
Thea: Wow. That's… that's a bit rough.
Bryant: Her blind devotion to her hero had torn Kamala's life apart. It eventually got to the point where Ms Marvel had to turn on her mentor, becoming labeled as a criminal by her. And when the Civil War erupted to the point where her idol beat Iron Man nearly to death, Ms Marvel and two of her friends left the Avengers, and instead formed a new group called the Champions, a more down-to-earth superhero team that focused on the individuals of the world, as opposed to the whole.
Achievements:
Defeated Kaboom, Warbringer, Hallows Eve, Stark Sentinel
Damaged an Ultron Robot, Armora
Dodged lasers
Fought a mind-controlled Captain Marvel
Resisted several mental attacks
Can lift up to 75 tons
Bryant: As one of the founding members of such a team, Ms Marvel has proven herself on numerous occasions. She's capable of dodging bullets and lifting up to 75 tons.
Thea: But we all know that comic book characters are a lot stronger than comic book writers intended them to be. Mostly because there's a lot of writers writing, so there's somethings that'd tend to get mixed up.
Bryant: Ms Marvel's limit may be implied to be only 75 tons, but she's strong enough to push seven train cars, and most rail cars could weigh up to 143 tons. For Kamala to be able to move 7 of them, she'd have to be strong enough to move over 1 thousand tons.
(NOTE: Kamala is comparable to Peter Parker, who supported the weight of the Daily Bugle, which was calc'd to weigh around 533 thousand tons)
Thea: She's traded blows with the Shocker, who could keep up with Spider-Man. And Spider-Man took an explosion worth over 130 tons of TNT. But Kamala's kept up with a lot more powerful enemies.
Bryant: She's likely comparable to other lesser Marvel heroes, like Luke Cage, who withstood a nuclear explosion to the face, which could be up to 3,200 tons of TNT. And, Ms Marvel has managed to keep up with Marvel Heroes who were much stronger, albeit more casual versions of them.
Thea: Like her old idol, Captain Marvel, who was strong enough to shatter meteors over 100 kilometers wide!
(NOTE: Kamala obviously can't compare to Captain Marvel at her best, but she is likely able to physically keep up with a base-form Captain Marvel between fighting her when she was mind-controlled, restraining her in the Civil War, or fighting a Hydra that could keep up with her itself, putting her at least on a semi-similar level)
Thea: Being able to keep up with her idol isn't a small feat, since Captain Marvel can fly between the Earth and the Moon! That means she'd be flying around 6% the speed of light without much issue!
(NOTE: This is a feat that was actually done by Rogue, who permanently obtained Captain Marvel's powers. Binary, which is Captain Marvel at her best, easily one-shotted Rogue afterwards, so it's unlikely that Kamala can be compared to Binary)
Bryant: Not too surprising considering that Ms Marvel is comparable in speed with her partner Miles, who is also comparable to numerous lightspeed enemies and allies like his predecessor Peter, and Miguel O'hara, who caught Mjolnir when it was moving at Mach 2,000 with ease. Ms Marvel herself has reacted to and dodged lasers and similar attacks on numerous occasions.
(NOTE: Spider-Man has been able to tag Quicksilver, who can run faster than radio-waves, which also move at the speed of light)
Bryant: She's also rather intelligent. She knows even the most obscure superheroes, giving her a wide understanding on different kinds of superpowers, as well as different tactics that they could use. Early in her career, she was able to use her knowledge on heroes to coordinate a joint-attack with Spider-Man, despite having very little training or experience, by remembering a specific event where a similar tactic was used.
Thea: With all of her adventures and feats and missions, she's done pretty well to make a name for herself instead of just trying to be the next Captain Marvel. Kamala has taken her hero name of Ms Marvel and transformed it to be her own identity instead of Captain Marvel's old one.
Bryant: It certainly took a lot, especially since Ms Marvel's life hasn't gotten any easier. Far from it. Ms Marvel suffered a good amount, watching people she cared about die, or be persecuted. Her life as a hero fighting alongside the people who were once her idols even ended up resulting in her death, when she gave her life trying to help Mary Jane Watson.
Thea: Since this is comics, she does come back, but she finds out that she's a Mutant. Which sounds cool, until you realize that humans are going to human. Kamala is a Muslim-Pakistan American who's also an Inhuman and now a Mutant. That's like, three things that people can be douches about.
Bryant: Something that Ms Marvel was exposed to first hand, when she donned the X-Men uniform, only to be harassed by anti-mutant protestors. All the while, Ms Marvel experienced a rather sad case of loneliness. The memories of her death and resurrection had been erased from people's minds, making her unable to share her trauma. And the need to keep her identity a secret has led to trouble on several occasions, even once resulting in a fight between her and Miles when they were younger.
Thea: Kamala's wish to be a hero came from her thinking that it was easier to be a hero, but when she grew older, hero life ended up being just as complicated, if not even more complicated than her original life. From the politics and issues of morality to the politics and issues of zenophobia-
Bryant: Xenophobia.
Thea: Ah, whatever. The point is, Kamala's life was a lot more political than she thought. Like when she was put in a coma, and someone used her name to pass a law that outlawed vigilantes under 21. You know, like Kamala, and Miles, and several other heroes? I mean, I guess it does make sense. These are still kids. But ironically, that ended up marking her as a criminal, because she wanted to help people despite that law. Kamala kept having to make choices, and sacrifices. But, she's willing to do it.
Bryant: Ms Marvel had learned what it truly meant to her to be a hero. It wasn't about the awesome action moves and superhero team-ups. It wasn't about the glory, or the fun. Her vision of being a superhero was different from that of her idol. While Captain Marvel focused on what it meant to be a super, Ms Marvel focused on what it meant to be a hero.
Thea: She saved her former harassers when danger came, because that was the right thing to do. She saved the Omega Sentinel when her life was in danger, because that was the right thing to do. She even gave up a chance at a more peaceful life to join the X-Men and help them deal with the anti-mutant waves around the globe. Because the way she saw it, that was the right thing to do. Even the trauma of her death wasn't enough to turn her away from being a hero.
Bryant: And she would eventually go on to repair the strains in her relationships with others. She was able to reconnect with her mentor, while gaining a better understanding of her views. She reconnected with Bruno, and shared her pain with him, eventually returning home to Jersey City. Though she was by no means done. While the Avengers had lost sight of who they were supposed to be during the Civil War, Ms Marvel has always had her eyes on their old vision, and had always fought for that vision.
Thea: Kind of funny how Kamala not seeing the world the same way Captain Marvel did ended up making her more of the hero that she saw Captain Marvel as. Kamala Khan earned her name, and she reforged her name. The world can always rely on Ms Marvel, the champion of its people.
(Kamala Khan) "The world can hate and fear me all it wants. But I'll sleep just fine at night knowing that whatever people want to call me... I'll always be Ms Marvel."
Bryant: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Thea: It's time for a DEATH BATTLE!
Izuku was sitting on a bench, reading. He was looking through a comic book of an American Superhero with a small smile on his face.
"Oh, hey!" He heard. He looked up and dropped his comic book in surprise as a girl in a red and blue costume jogged up to him.
"You're-!"
"You are-!"
"Deku!/Ms Marvel!" the two said as they pointed at each other. They blinked.
"Ah, you know me?" the two said in unison as they pointed at themselves.
"Of course I know you! You're an awesome superhero!" they both gushed as they pointed back at each other. They blinked and laughed awkwardly.
"I'm sorry. I'm just a big fan of heroes!" Deku said. "I haven't heard too much about you, but I did hear you worked with a lot of big named heroes!"
"I'm a big fan of heroes, too! You had a super cool debut at your Sports Festival, even if it was a little crazy," Ms Marvel said. She looked down to see the comic Deku was reading. "Oh, you like Captain Marvel?"
"Yes! I think she's very cool!" Deku said.
"Ooh, I loved Captain Marvel. She can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's just so cool. She's one of the best heroes ever!" Ms Marvel said cheerfully.
"My favorite is All Might!" Deku said. "He's the best hero!"
"Yeah! In Japan at least," Ms Marvel said. Deku paused.
"He also worked in America. He was the top hero there too!"
"Well, yeah, but that was before. Now it's like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel. I even named myself after her, and she helped me learn how to be a cool hero!" Ms Marvel bragged.
"All Might is my teacher too! He teaches me and my class!" Deku said.
"Really?" Ms Marvel grinned. She jumped back a bit and put up her fists. "Okay then! How about we do a bit of sparring, see whose teacher was really the best?"
"Uh…" Deku thought for a bit before smiling. "Sure! That sounds like fun!"
He flipped over the bench and took his own stance. "Full Cowling! 10%!"
"Oh yeah! Let the best hero win!" Ms Marvel said.
FIGHT!
"HAH!" The two shot forwards and slammed their fists into each other. Ms Marvel grinned at Deku who smiled back before they separated and jumped back. Deku crouched down and jumped up to launch a kick. Kamala blocked the kick and threw him up before stretching her arm towards him in a punch. Deku caught the fist before using it to yank himself towards Kamala who spun to block his kick. They jumped back and took another fighting stance.
"Delaware Smash!" Deku said as he fired an air bullet from his finger. Kamala ducked under it while throwing another extended punch. Deku made to catch it, only for the fist to suddenly expand, knocking him back. Deku grunted in surprise before pushing off the ground and flipping to land on his feet. Kamala jumped up and threw an enlarged karate chop towards the hero.
"Black Whip!" Deku said as he created a web of the black tendrils to catch her attack. Kamala's eyes widened in surprise before she shrunk her hand to escape the bind and jumped back.
"I thought you were just strong! I didn't know you could make those black tentacles! They kind of remind me of Venom," Kamala said.
"And I thought you could only stretch your arms! The expansion of them reminds me of one of my application of your powers is quite interesting. You can enlarge your limbs to reduce impact, but maybeyoucanalsoincreasetheforceofyourattacks andmuttermuttermuttermuttermuttermutter…" Deku said with his hand to his chin in thought. Ms Marvel watched him with a confused look.
"Uh, hey?" she said. Deku looked up in surprise.
"Ah! Sorry, I just love studying powers…" he apologized. Kamala grinned before taking a stance.
"Well, how about instead of you theorizing about them, I show you them instead!" she offered. Deku blinked and smiled back.
"I welcome the opportunity!" he said as he fell into his own stance.
"Ha!" Ms Marvel jumped by launching herself with longer legs, before making her arm bigger as well. She threw the giant punch at Deku, who jumped up and swung his leg at it, matching its power. She grinned and shrunk the fist before punching him with a stretched one instead, knocking him down. Deku landed and jumped out of the way of a stomp before trying to punch her, only for Ms Marvel to block with a giant fist that tried to close around him. He grunted as he held her fingers back.
"Full Blast!" he yelled as he created a giant smoke cloud, catching his opponent off-guard. The American teen lost her grip, letting Deku escape out and ensnare her with Black Whip again. He grunted as he yanked her out of the cloud and slammed her through some trees. She grunted as she felt the impact before suddenly shrinking to escape the bind. Now the size of a toy, she dashed up the retracting Black Whip before enlarging with a flip kick that knocked Deku back. She enlarged her hand and spiked him, sending him flying through the forest and into another opening. He skidded to a stop as she jumped out into the clearing as well.
"Try this!" Kamala said as she did a spin kick with her leg extending to a longer length. Deku caught the kick with a grunt as he stumbled back slightly.
"20 Percent! Oklahoma Smash!" he said as he spun like a whirlwind and hurled Kamala into the sky.
"Woah!" she gasped before grabbing a branch, letting the tree bend over as she landed on the forest ground.
"Carolina Smash!" Deku launched himself towards her with crossed arms, but she grinned and released the tree. Deku's eyes widened before the tree slapped him out of the air, knocking him further into the forest. Black Whip shot out to grab the trees and catch him, letting him drop to the ground.
"St Louis Smash! Air Force!" he shouted as he jumped up and threw the kick, creating a shockwave that rocketed towards Kamala. She enlarged her hands and blocked the attack, grunting as she was pushed back. She managed to push through it, only for Deku to uppercut her and punch her back. She flipped and brought an extended leg down like an axe, but Deku caught the leg and pulled her in for a kick that she blocked. The two repeatedly traded blows before knocking each other back again.
Deku landed and created another smoke cloud that washed over them. He darted around where Kamala had been and lunged, only for her to be gone. He rolled to his feet and took a fighting stance again, waiting. He looked side to side, before something sparked inside his head. Kamala enlarged herself from her toy size and tried to kick Deku, but he ducked under it and grabbed her by the leg. She grunted as she was yanked along and hurled upwards with a yell.
"30 Percent!" Deku said before crouching over. He shot towards Kamala and clashed another punch with her, but darted out of the way of her retaliation. Kamala gasped as Deku repeatedly shot around her before slamming another kick into her side, launching her down. She enlarged her hands and absorbed the impact of her fall before cartwheeling to her feet. She enlarged her hand to block the next kick and tried to grab her opponent, only for Deku to jump away.
"Delaware Smash!" he yelled as he fired the air cannon attack. Kamala grunted as she tried to block again, but was pushed against a tree with the force.
"Wyoming Smash!" Deku yelled as he hurtled forwards with his arm raised. Kamala dodged the spike attack that destroyed the tree and yelled as she slammed her fist into his side, sending him through another tree. Her arm extended and grabbed him by the collar before pulling him towards her. She kicked him into the air and made her arms the size of giants. Deku grunted as these massive hands struck him repeatedly, knocking him around to be hit by the next
"45 Percent!" he yelled before blocking the next strike as the energy surged around him. He looked up and caught the next fist and grunted as he strained, before shoving them away and rising up.
"Manchester!" he yelled before falling with his leg like a guillotine.
"SMASH!"
"Woah!" Kamala yelped as she jumped out of the way. The attack slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked her further back. She pushed off the ground to land on her feet as Deku jumped out of the pit. The two shot forwards and clashed punches again, and Deku grunted as he was knocked back again. Kamala spun and tried to spike punch him, but Deku jumped out of the way.
'He just keeps hitting me stronger and stronger! Is he holding back? Or is he increasing his powers?' she thought.
'She's managing to keep up with me even as I increase One for All's output!' Deku thought. The two grinned at each other.
'That's awesome!'
"Texas!"
"Oh no you don't!" Kamala said as she shot another fist towards Deku. The green haired teen brought his fist back as it glowed with power before throwing it forwards with a mighty yell.
"SMASH!" A shockwave rocketed through the forest, Kamala's giant hands managing to block it even as she was being pushed back. She grunted and yelled before dispersing the blast with a swipe of her hands.
"Detroit!"
"Huh?!" Deku was suddenly in front of her with his fist near his waist.
"SMASH!" he yelled as he threw the uppercut. Kamala's hands slammed into the fist as it aimed for her chin, and she was thrown into the air from the force.
"Woah!" she grunted as she flew up. Deku was hitting her way harder than she thought he could. And even still, she grinned, excited about seeing what he could do, and showing what she could do.
"Air Force!" Deku yelled, now launching attacks as full on punches as shockwaves blasted towards her like cannon shots. Kamala twisted and turned mid-air, even becoming as thin as paper to slow her fall. But the shockwaves buffeted her, and she was repeatedly thrown about. Kamala gritted her teeth.
"EMBIGGEN!" she shouted as she flipped through the air before suddenly growing in size. Deku gaped in shock as Ms Marvel landed with a massive impact, now towering over him and the forest as the size of a building.
"Isn't this a bit much?" he sweatdropped.
"Come on! Let's both give it our all!" she said. Deku grimaced, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he grinned.
"Alright! You're showing me the best you can do, so I'll return the favor!" he said. "I'll show you how to go beyond!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Go beyond…"
"PLUS ULTRA!" The two yelled as Deku forced all of One for All to surge through his body, creating a glowing effect all over it and his eyes. The two heroes reared back their fists and matched the force of their blows, creating a shockwave that shook the entire forest. Deku flipped to the top of her arm and sprinted up it before jumping and throwing another Texas Smash into Kamala's face, knocking her over. She landed with a grunt before raising her foot to block a Wyoming Smash and send him flying with a kick. Deku spun through the air before coming to a sudden stop, a look of determination on his face.
"Come on!" he yelled as he rocketed forwards. Kamala, now standing, grinned and did a spin kick that slammed into Deku and swung him around as he blocked the blow. He slammed his fists into her shin, knocking her foot down before shooting towards her face. She punched him with her massive fist, knocking him higher into the air. He flipped repeatedly before straightening and bringing his fist back. Kamala's eyes widened in shock as what appeared to be dozens of massive fists appeared and rammed into her guard, nearly knocking her over.
"DETROIT!" Deku yelled as he rocketed through the air, his entire body catching on fire before transitioning to light. He appeared next to Kamala, his entire body ablaze with an emerald glow.
"SMASH!" he yelled as he slammed his fist into her cheek, nearly knocking the giant over.
"Guh!" she stumbled before backhanding Deku away. He flew back before catching himself and flying forwards as Kamala reared back. She swung her fist again and Deku caught it, only for her second hand to slam into the first, colliding with a thundering clap. He groaned as he fell down before Kamala swung her fists around, repeatedly hitting him over and over again. Deku recovered and caught another one before turning and catching the second hand before shooting out from between them.
"Here it comes!" Kamala said as she spun and threw another kick. Deku spun as well and matched it with his own kick, creating another shockwave. Kamala brought her foot down and her fists back as Deku flew back and did the same. The entire area shook with shockwaves as the two began throwing punches as fast as they could, Kamala's giant fists constantly matching Deku's shockwaves. When the clash ended, Kamala reared back as Deku did the same.
"HAAAAAAHHHH!" Kamala yelled as her house-sized fist rocketed towards Deku with all of her might. It almost seemed like there was a star with streams pouring off it shining on her hand as it caught on fire from the force and speed.
"FA JIN!" Deku roared as he swung his fist. The two attacks impacted, and Kamala was completely thrown off balance as her arm flew up from the force. She grunted as she began to fall down and Deku flew up into the air.
"United States… of World!" Deku yelled as green and blue light flashed around him. A light seemed to flash repeatedly around him before a large muscular man with a massive grin appeared behind him. The light landed on his chest before manifesting as lightning as he rocketed downwards.
"SMAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHH!" he screamed. Kamala's foot slammed down, and she screamed as well as she threw one final giant punch. The two attacks impacted…
… and Deku slammed Kamala down, creating one final shockwave that devastated the entire area. Trees, leaves, boulders, entire chunks of the ground flew up and spiraled around in a massive tornado that reached the sky, before it all calmed down, dropping the debris. A cloud of dust was in the middle of the massive crater, before dispersing, revealing Deku, limbs completely broken, kneeling next to an unresponsive Kamala. He grunted, and groaned as he laid down next to her.
"Amazing… You really are… a hero…" he panted before falling unconscious. There the two laid, a battle well-fought.
KO!
Thea: On one hand, Deku wins! On the other hand, Kamala lost… Eh, she'll be back.
Bryant: She certainly put up a fight though. And she did have a few advantages on her side. Given what we know of her career, she obviously had the edge in experience, as she's been acting as a hero for longer than Deku has. What's more, Ms Marvel and Deku likely have a similar level of hero knowledge given how long they've been observing their respective hero societies.
Thea: But the hero society in MHA has been around for at least several decades, while in Marvel, it hasn't been as long. Yeah Marvel has way more comics, but in terms of the actual time passed, the hero society in Marvel is still pretty new, at least compared to My Hero's. So Deku would have more knowledge to pull from. But all that doesn't really matter when the real talk is about their powers, and power. Unfortunately for Kamala, it's a pretty straightforward talk.
Bryant: Like how both can be compared to characters with anywhere between relativistic speed or lightspeed, but Deku's Danger Sense meant that he would be aware of Ms Marvel's attempts, something that she doesn't have herself. This would mean that Deku would be able to keep up even should Kamala manage to get ahead in speed.
Thea: Or he can just use some of his other Quirks. Kamala may have superhuman strength, but her eyes aren't strong enough to see through a cloud of smoke. And between Float and Black Whip, he had way more mobility.
Bryant: One can even argue that Black Whip's versatility in how it can aid Deku can match Ms Marvel's shapeshifting, but it's hard to compare two things that are so different.
Thea: What isn't hard to compare is how they'd fair in a battle of attrition. Kamala does have a healing factor, but it's nothing too special, at least when you compare it to Wolverine's or Hulk's healing.
Bryant: It certainly would help her keep fighting, but Deku has gone for entire days, potentially weeks, with barely any sleep or food, only fighting villains. Even then, he could keep up with Class 1-A.
Thea: But what really sealed the deal was the difference in raw power!
Bryant: Giving Ms Marvel the generous benefit of doubt and saying that she can compare to base Captain Marvel, she likely can compare to Captain Marvel's meteor smashing feat. Pretty impressive, as it was calculated to need a force of around 230 gigatons of TNT.
Thea: But remember, Deku punched a hole through a storm!
Bryant: Some calcs have this feat at around 229 gigatons of TNT, which is quite close to Ms Marvel's own AP scaling, but several recalcs put it at much higher. Even lower ones put the feat at about 2.86 teratons of TNT, or around Country Level in power.
Thea: That's around 10 times stronger than Captain Marvel's meteor feat! And while Captain Marvel is way more powerful than Deku even in the manga, Kamala can't compare to Captain Marvel at her best. Meanwhile, Fa Jin lets Deku use a level of power equal to 100% of One for All even when he's only using 45%, so even if we went with the lower calc, Deku would still be ahead, especially since he's a lot stronger since then.
(NOTE: The lower calc is the total number without dividing by two to account for Bakugou helping, but the movie takes place before his time training at Endeavor's agency, where he becomes much stronger since. There's no reason to say that he wouldn't at least get in range of that level of power, and even if he falls behind it, Fa Jin more than makes up for it)
Bryant: Ms Marvel's shapeshifting abilities would help her on average, but we can't assume that they'd be able to overcome Deku, especially since Danger Sense would be able to warn him of any sneak attacks, and his attacks cause shockwaves that her thin body couldn't avoid.
Thea: And to wrap it all up, Kamala is a melee fighter, while Deku has a lot of ranged options. Kamala is a great hero and a great person, but Deku was just too strong with too many powers, and more things to be a fanboy about. He just smashed through the competition, and put the success in successor!
Bryant: The winner is Izuku Midoriya.
NEXT TIME ON DEATH BATTLE!
A blond man with a cape designed after the American flag was flying through the air. He spots a billboard with a black superhero dressed in a black uniform next to a heart-logo of a company, and scoffs at the sight. He looks down to spot said superhero dealing with a shoot-out between policemen and robbers, and easily calming things down. The blond drops down to the street, catching the other hero's attention.
HOMELANDER!
VS
HANCOCK!