Yes, they did.

I’d recognize that X-Men soundtrack anywhere, anytime, even if it played for just a second or two.

In case you missed the subtle hint, in the series finale, when Bruno mentions something is different with Kamala’s genes and that she might be a mutant, the popular theme song from the 90’s X-Men animated show plays in the background, hinting Ms. Marvel in the MCU might be an X-Men or a mutant.

Honestly, when Bruno said there is something different about her genes, I was sure he’s gonna say, “It’s inhumane”, confirming Ms. Marvel is indeed an Inhuman like in the comics.

Honestly, I didn’t mind when they made Ms. Marvel a ClanDestine or a Djinn. It was a fresh take and a cool one that suits the cultural narrative for the show. But making Kamala a mutant does not seem like the right move, especially since she is already associated with a similar super class of humans. It’s not like Marvel just swore off the Inhumans after the failed series. We got to see Black Bolt, the king and leader of the Inhumans in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie. So, Marvel is not ignoring or erasing Inhumans, that’s for sure. That’s why making Ms. Marvel a mutant instead of an Inhuman seems like an odd move to me.

As for the finale of the series, it’s all over the place.

Who exactly is the villain of the series? ClanDestines?

They can’t be the main villain because their group didn’t even make it into the final episode.

Is Kamran the Villain?

Well, he surely had some back and forth with Ms. Marvel, but in the finale as a whole, he doesn’t have enough villainous punches to be the main antagonist of the series finale.

So, the Department of Damage Control people is the villain?

If that’s what the show was aiming for, it’s pretty lame. Police or a uniformed force for a villain doesn’t seem like the MCU.

Besides, every single scene on the school premises and the street outside the school was stupid and dumb. It was like a poorly produced Home Alone movie. For heaven’s sake, they were stopping armed soldiers with softball machines. Considering the weapon those guards had, they could have easily blasted stuff out of their way, and it was pretty stupid of them to not use them.

Everything about that final confrontation was stupid. Kamala just dug a hole into the ground for Kamran to escape, even though she could have used her power to form shields while Kamran stepped into those floaty steps to escape. Just think of how much digging Kamran will have to do to get out of there. Even with his powers, it seems stupid.

The finale as a whole was a disaster tbh. One of the worst series finales from the Marvel Disney Plus lineup.

As for the post-credit scene, Ms. Marvel seems to have swapped places with Carol Danvers, MCU’s Captain Marvel. This Captain Marvel could just be an alternate version of the main continuity Carol. Judging by the suit and how surprised and panicked she was, my guess is it’s the latter. Also, Brie Larson seems to have an action-ready slim bod for her future roles in the MCU. It would be a shame if I did not at least mention that.

Anyway, coming back to the post-credit scene, I think in upcoming The Marvels movies, they are going to pull another Spider-Man: No Way Home or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where characters meet with their alternate versions. They did the same thing in Avengers Endgame with past versions of characters and then again in Loki series. If this is the case, they would just be reusing the same formula for the 5th time.

I must admit, MCU is getting pretty sloppy and writers are becoming too lazy. Not looking good, Kevin!

Ms. Marvel: 6/10 
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Well, Superman and Lois S02E07 on The CW answered that for us.

According to this version of Superman, latitude and longitude for his Fortress of Solitude are 76.2 North and 100.4 West, which happens to be the Qausuittuq National Park in Canada, near the Arctic Ocean.

You can search for it on Google Maps like this:

1. 76.2, -100.4
2. 76°12’00.0″N 100°24’00.0″W
3. 76.2 North & 100.4 West

But I genuinely hope this is not the case for How I Met Your Father and from the pilot, the odds of that are not looking good.

The pilot, despite being somewhat colorful in terms of storyline like HIMYM, is not particularly funny. The characters, even though we’ve seen them in just one episode, didn’t seem to have the magic of the original cast of HIMYM. In particular, parallels of characters like overly enthusiastic and naively charming Barney and Calm and comedic Marshall are yet to be seen in the new rooster.

However, Valentina might turn into the Barney character over time, but it is not apparent like it was with Barney’s first appearance in How I Met Your Mother.

Sophie, the lead, seemed to have it figured out and the writers have done a good job capturing the craziness of the original HIMYM, which makes me optimistic about the show’s future.

All I want to say is How I Met Your Mother is one of my all-time favorites, and I just hope How I Met Your Father is not particularly bad.

Here’s where you can watch How I Met Your Father

Watch online: Hulu

DC Universe and CWverse’s newest show Stargirl is a visual treat and a well-written superhero show.
Of all the Arrowverse shows on CW and DC Universe shows, Stargirl might be the most polished in terms of visual and special effects in graceful superhero fights and action scenes.

The pilot episode was very promising, and by the tone, visuals, pace, and script of the episode, fans are confident to bet for it to be the best of all CWverse – DC Universe – DCTV shows in general.

The episode started with a massive Justice Society of America vs. Injustice Society fight where we got to see how Brainwave, Icicle, Starman, Hourman, and some of the other character’s powers work. However, we are yet to see the full roster of JSA since only Jay Garrick Flash’s helmet appeared, and there was no sign of Alan Scott Green Lantern in action or Dr. Fate.
After the massive fight scenes where Pat Dugan, a.k.a. Stripsey, barely survived, we flash forward to 10 years later, where we see Pat and Courtney a.k.a. soon-to-be Stargirl’s mother get married and start moving to Nebraska. However, the transition is “not surprisingly” overwhelming for Courtney as she struggles with her school and her stepdad.

But thankfully, she meets her newest friend, the temperamental cosmic staff of Starman. After a quick mishap and blowing up a car, Courtney is confronted by Pat, and he tells her everything about the old JSA and how they died saving the world.
During the narration, Courtney chooses to believe that Starman from JSA was her father, since her father disappeared the same day Starman died.

On the flip side, the car that Courtney and her staff blew was coincidentally Brainwave’s car. So, the old JSA is now in the hunt for this new Starman while Courtney Whitmore practices with her newfound Cosmic Staff.
But before Courtney could master her control over the Cosmic Staff, she is confronted by Brainwave and barely survives as Pat Dugan comes to her aid as S.T.R.I.P.E.

Overall, the show looks promising, and since long-time DC Comics writer & Executive Officer, Geoff Johns is directly involved with the project, we can surely hope for a well-adapted comic book show, and fans want nothing more…

Stargirl Pilot S01E01 review – 8 out of 10.

This was first published on Knoarrz and later archived here at rifatahmed.com

When it got canceled, I still had a few episodes to finish. But I was too afraid to wrap them up because I knew they needed to answer a lot of questions and pay off all the character’s arcs in the last couple of episodes. It seemed impossible at the time, and more importantly, the 6th season was written and done with before the cancellation news hit the media. Obviously, I knew they wouldn’t be able to wrap up all the character’s arcs, especially BoJack’s. So, I stopped watching it, fearing I’ll hate the ending.

Just recently, I decided to finish those episodes, and I couldn’t have imagined a better ending because, in the end, you are left to wonder what happens with BoJack. Everyone else is settled. Princess Caroline was finally settled with a family, Mr. Peanut Butter was busy with his good work, Todd was slightly mature in thoughts and not in actions, and finally, Diane was happy with her life… with her engaged life. The only character that didn’t have a conclusion was BoJack, and I’m glad there wasn’t one. Now I can imagine whatever I want for BoJack, and that makes me happy…

He can be a happy brother with his sister, he can be an acting coach on Super Max, he can get his fame back with Horny Unicorn, or he can be the guy whom everyone hates… It’s all in my mind now. BoJack could be whatever I want him to be.

But honestly, If I had the power to write the 7th season, I’d have given him a last chance with Diane… Also, I would’ve made Caroline realize that her work is her life because that’s what she enjoys and is good at. She doesn’t need a family to be happy. Her works make her happy… And instead of making Todd slightly mature in his thoughts, I’d made him a reliable man in his own right and proved that even if you were washed up in someone’s house randomly and lived there like a parasite, you still have opportunities to grow. Because BoJack Horseman, the show, was all about growth.

Just think of how far we came from season one’s witty humor to season 6’s depressed, emotional, unsettling narration after Sarah Lynn, Herb, BoJack’s mom’s death, and many other unfortunate events.

BoJack Horseman, a masterpiece…

Basically, the series is named Messiah and the main character’s name or what he likes to be called is Al Masih. In the Islamic faith, they contradict. In Islam, Messiah (Arabic of Messenger or Preacher or Prophet or something along the line) in the series context is used to refer to Isa (PBUH) Returned or the second coming of Jesus (PBUH). But Al Masih is used to indicate the false Prophet Dajjal who is comparable to the Antichrist of the Christian faith. So, calling the main character both Messiah and Al Masih made this whole thing complicated.

Why a big group of people are hating Netflix’s Messiah?

This is where most hate towards this series comes. Muslims thought Netflix was making Dajjal or Al Masih and Isa (PBUH) Returned the same character. And to be honest, most hate came from people who didn’t even watch the series. Since I watched it, I can say with confidence that this is not the case.
If you know the Islamic scriptures (Quran & Hadith), you’ll realize this is indeed the story of Dajjal and not Isa (PBUH) returned. But if you are not clear about the concepts of Isa (PBUH) and Dajjal in the Islamic faith, you might feel free to choose either of them as the core character of this series.
I know that some aspects or traits of Al Masih were overlooked and changed (namely, the damaged eye, text on the forehead, etc.) but you have to understand that it is indeed a Netflix series with a slight hint of what could happen. This is not an adaptation of any form. Besides, creative changes in narration are a big part of the entertainment industry. Just think about Marvel’s Thor. He is indeed a Norse God but in Marvel Comics and movies, he is depicted as a fellow Avenger who fights alongside Iron Man, Cap and Hulk which is not even remotely related to Norse Mythology. These are creative changes to a character or figure and you can’t blame them for changing a few things to make it more interesting. Another good example is DC Comics’ Lucifer.

Why the “Messiah” is about Dajjal & Not Isa (PBUH) Returned?

The signs are obvious. In the last episode, he “seemingly” makes people alive. In another episode, he is shown to “not pray” and at all, as far as praying in the Islamic faith goes. These are the two main traits of Dajjal. Dajjal will seemingly make dead people alive to impress his following and he will not worship Allah. But if I’m being honest, I knew he was Dajjal from the very first episode where he angrily kicks a man. The very scene is enough to tell you this is no Prophet of Allah. Besides, IMDB literally said the character to be Al Massih Ad-Dajjal until people stormed Twitter and they changed the name to just Al Masih.

Should you be angry at Netflix for this depiction of Al Masih?

I don’t think so.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, the Entertainment industry can take any concept and make creative changes to it. So, legally, you can’t be mad at them. As for people with the Islamic faith, I’ll say one thing – An online streaming service series should not be your reference to Dajjal or Isa or Jesus (PBUH). Quran & Hadith are the only reference books in Islam. So, don’t stress yourself over a Netflix series. I’ll even say, watch it, it’s enjoyable. Maybe you’ll laugh a little, seeing how obvious it is that Al Masih is indeed Dajjal.