Kamala is the work of Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker, who created the character together after Amanat entertained Wacker with anecdotes from her Muslim-American childhood. When author G Willow Wilson heard about the project, she was eager to jump on board as the series’ writer, particularly as she’s written a graphic novel before in 2008 called Cairo.

“I wanted Ms Marvel to be true-to-life — something real people could relate to, particularly young women,” Wilson said in a press release. “High school was a very vivid time in my life, so I drew heavily on those experiences — impending adulthood, dealing with school and emotionally-charged friendships that are such a huge part of being a teenager.” She added, “It’s for all the geek-girls out there, and everybody else who’s ever looked at life from the fringe.”

The inspiration behind the character “stemmed out of a desire to explore the Muslim-American Diaspora from an authentic perspective and yet, this story isn’t about what it means to be a Muslim, Pakistani or American.”