Ms. Marvel Episode 4: All you need to know about Farhan Akhtar's character

Spoilers Ahead...

The much-anticipated Marvel debut of Farhan Akhtar is finally here and mercifully, there is a lot to savor as far as the screentime is concerned. Akhtar plays Waleed in the show Ms. Marvel, a mystical leader of the Red Daggers whom Kamala Khan, the show’s teen-aged protagonist, encounters during her trip down to Karachi.

Kamala is a troubled soul herself, having recently discovered her potent superpowers and an enigmatic connection to the clan of Djinns, and her trip to Karachi is expected to help her unravel these mysteries. Having recently seen vivid visions of a train, Kamala heads to the Karachi train station where she runs into a masked man called Kareem who belongs to a stealthy group of warriors called The Red Daggers (the warriors boast of being exceptional dagger slingers). And right on cue appears Waleed aka Farhan Akhtar, the leader of dashing Daggers.

In a nutshell, Waleed serves as Kamala’s guide to figuring out the chaos around her and where she exactly fits. He tells her that The Red Daggers are around to protect people from “the threat of the unknown”, implying that they will look out for her should The Clandestines track her down. Waleed also lets Kamala know that she, quite indeed, is a Djinn and that her bangle carries the magnificent potential to merge the Noor realm (or dimension) with that of the world around her. And so, by all means, she has to guard the bangle with her life and never let it get to the hands of The Clandestines. It helps that Waleed is gravelly-voiced and even carries a prominent facial scar for the alluring dramatic effect.

And to make things better, Farhan Akhtar infuses charm into Waleed and presents himself assuredly in demanding scenes. While his quintessential smile breathes a sense of lightness into the moments, he also manages to look at ease in the key action sequences and even lends an emotional touch to the storyline. The chapter of Waleed, as already pointed out, is meant to be a vital checkpoint in the coming of age of Kamala and the actor in Akhtar does able justice to it. This is the 48-year-old actor’s maiden Hollywood project.

Ms. Marvel is currently in its first season and premiered on the Disney+ Hotstar on June 8.