"Action!"

"Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for. The final chapter to my 10 part series on Earth's mightiest hero, Captain Marvel."

I'm Kendall Graves (He/They). That's Kamala Khan, one of my best friends. We're making some superhero content for the internet. Ever heard of Sloth Baby Productions on YouTube? That's my bestie right there.

I found Kamala walking in the hallway of Coles Academic High School when my other friend, Bruno Carrelli approached her. "Rough morning all around." Bruno sighed, handing Kamala a slushy. "Had a bet you were gonna pass, so now I'm out 10 bucks." "20 actually." I corrected. "Pay up, boy genius." "I told my mom to stop texting you guys." Kamala sighed. "Plenty of people fail their driver's test. Instructors focus on the tiniest things." Bruno explains. "I crashed my car into his car." Kamala confirmed. "Oh, so, that's on you." Bruno said. "So, I guess we're not going to AvengerCon."

AvengerCon. The first of many conventions that bring superhero fans together to celebrate our mightiest heroes. Fun fact, my cousin, Dawn used to say that she knew Spider-Man. How ridiculous does that sound?

"No, no, no, Bruno." Kamala said. "A cosplay competition for Carol Danvers at the greatest fan event of the year. My costume is near perfect, just pending the final flourish." "Still trying to think of that flourish?" I wondered. "It'll come to me any second now." Kamala said. "Sure it will." Bruno chuckled, paying his money to me and our other friend, Nakia Bahadir. "I'm sorry." Nakia apologized. "I really do love you." "Got any plans this weekend?" Bruno asked. "As of this morning, Kamala, Kendall, and I are free." "Are you inviting me over to play Smash Bros?" Nakia wondered. "Because if so, I'm busy." "Don't hate the player, hate the game." I explained. "The thing is I do hate the game, though." Nakia said. As we were headed upstairs to class, Kamala accidentally bumped into two students, one of them being a former friend of ours named Zoe. "Really?!" Zoe complained. "Sorry, Zoe." Kamala apologized. "It's fine." She sighed. "I like your jacket." Kamala compliments, Zoe's faux leopard print jacket. "Thanks." Zoe replied hesitantly. "I like your necklace." "Thanks." Kamala replied. "It's actually my name in Arabic." "Okay, see you later." She said, walking away from us. "Would it be super weird if we asked her for a ride to AvengerCon?" Kamala asked. "Yes." Nakia and I replied. "Why?" She asked. "Her mom used to drive us to school all the time." "First of all, when I transitioned, she treated me like a complete stranger." I replied. "I didn't even change my name!" "And second, she's the absolute worst now that she has like 100,000 followers." Nakia added. "80,000." Kamala corrected just as the bell rang and the PA system went off.

Kamala Khan, please come to my office ASAP. You've done something very wrong. Just kidding. It is crazy that the whole school can hear this right now. No, nothing is wrong. I just wanna chat. Can't wait. PS, this is Mr Wilson.

"Thank you, Mr Wilson." Kamala sighed. "See you later, Kamala." I waved, heading to class. "If you survive." "Shut up, Kendall." Nakia chuckled, nudging me on the wrist.

Kamala and I met up with Bruno at Circle Q after school during his shift to help with Kamala's costume. "You know, the plan was perfect. I was gonna get my license. Then under the cover of stupid wedding errands, we just have, like, one pure, beautiful day of freedom at AvengerCon." Kamala complains. "Guess there's always next year." Bruno said. "No, there's no next year." Kamala explains. "This is the first one ever, right? And then future historians, they're gonna start writing about the first year of AvengerCon. And where does it start? Here. Okay? There's not gonna be another first AvengerCon ever again. Never." "You want to be part of a history book when you're basically failing history?" I asked. "Either way, how would we get there?" "Doesn't your older cousin have her license, Kendall?" Bruno asked. "Dawn was going to come, but she's moving in at MIT today. She can't wait to see the costume, by the way." I explained. "I'm gonna have to send her some pictures." "Let's switch to the backup plan then." Bruno said. "You have a backup plan?" Kamala wondered. "What's your backup plan?" "In concept, it is pretty easy." Bruno replied, spray painting the costume. "But it's gonna take a lot of finesse and subtlety on your part. And you just aren't..." "I can be subtle." Kamala said. "You can be subtle?" I asked. "I can be subtle." Kamala repeated. "Okay. Listen, you enter your home, you sit down at the dinner table, smile, and you ask your mom." Bruno explained. "You're an idiot." Kamala said. "I'm not. I'm actually a genius." Bruno corrected. "So, can we please stop acting like your mom is Darth Vader?" "Bruno, don't be ridiculous." I sighed. "She acts more like Darth Maul." "It seems like every single thing I love, she seems to hate." Kamala explains. "And it's like she thinks I'm some kind of, you know, weirdo." "You are a weirdo." Bruno chuckled. "If I'm weird, you're both weirder." Kamala said. "Kendall even made a slingshot for their Hawkeye costume." "They don't allow real bows or arrows and I don't want an arrow with a suction cup on the end." I added. "Hey, more importantly, I've gotten weirdly good at airbrushing." Bruno said. "I put the rest of it together, but okay." Kamala said. "You think we'll win?" I asked. "Please. We're going, we're conquering, and we're high-fiving in slow motion." Kamala joked, giving me and Bruno a high five in slow motion.

While riding our bikes, Kamala decided to start brainstorming more ideas for her costume. "Bruno, Kendall, I still need to figure out my final flourish for my costume. Any ideas?" Kamala asked. "Okay, how about steampunk Captain Marvel?" Bruno suggested. "Steampunk is dead, you nerd." I commented. "What about a mashup? Like Captain Panther or Iron Marvel?" Bruno asked. "Ooh, Doctor Strange Marvel. I can, like, wear a cape." Kamala gasped. "Capes are cool." Bruno said. "Yeah, unless you're Spider-Man." I added. "I don't know why, but I feel like any hero except for him could pull that off." "Even, like, Asgardian." Kamala continues. "You know, be like a badass Valkyrie, ride a horse." "I mean, I can't build you a horse." Bruno explains. "You can build me sloth baby wings. That's very me." Kamala suggested. "Completely you." I agreed. "Wings, a little tiara, Captain Princess Marvel." "No princesses. I'm sorry." Kamala refused. "But you know what's even better? Zombie Captain Marvel. I could be like, "I'll eat your brains. But I also have superpowers!"" "Okay, let's never do that zombie impersonation again." Bruno sighed as Kamala rode home.

Later that night, I went with Bruno over to Kamala's house as a tag along so he could help set up the new security system that he built. I helped get the system hooked up to the internet. "Handsome, huh?" Mr Khan wondered, looking at the security camera. "Oh, yeah, Mr K." I replied. "Okay, but what will this do?" Mr Khan asked. "So, this is a security camera, okay?" Bruno explained. "So you can see who's home from your phone." "From my phone?" He asked. "Oh, yeah. From your phone." Bruno replied. "We're living in the future." Mr Khan chuckled. "Hell yeah." I added. "So, I made this myself. Okay? This is the Zuzu system." Bruno continues. "It connects all of your devices and I added some new features. All you have to say is "Zuzu" and tell it what you want. Your turn, Kendall." "Zuzu, turn off the lights." I commanded as the lights went out. Mr Khan gasped in astonishment. "Bruno also programmed it to understand Urdu." "Urdu?" He asked. "Yeah." Bruno said. "Zuzu, Batti Kolo." The lights turned back on. "This is magic." Mr Khan laughs with delight." "That's what I thought when he showed me!" I lied. "Pretty cool, huh?" "Cool? This is absolute magic." He said as Mrs Khan and Kamala came inside with a lot of shopping bags. "Hi Bruno, beta. Kendall, beta." Mrs Khan greeted. "Are you two staying for dinner?" "No, I've got some work." Bruno replied. "I already ate something." I added. "Okay, I'll pack you both something to go." Mrs Khan said. "No, no, I'm good." Bruno responded. "That won't be necessary, Mrs Khan." I declined. "No, no, of course I will." She said, heading to the kitchen. "Hey." Kamala greeted. "How was it?" I asked. "Don't mention Belgium or any guy named Rob." She warned. "Did you ask her about AvengerCon?" Bruno asked. "Kamala, ask her. Just ask her." "Bruno, there's a spicy one at the bottom for Nonna." Mrs Khan explains, handing me and Bruno some food to take home. "And Kendall, this is for you and Vincent, beta. Okay?" "How did you do that so fast?" Bruno wondered. "You stick to the gizmos, beta." Mrs Khan replied. "This is my secret." All of a sudden, I got a text from Mom, telling me to come home. "That's my queue to leave." I said, grabbing my stuff and walking out the door. "See you guys later."

That night, I read a few messages from Kamala and Bruno. Apparently Kamala had asked her mom about AvengerCon, but she was told she couldn't come. I kinda figured Mrs Khan would say no, but I didn't want to lose her respect on a bet with Bruno.

After getting some homework done the following night, Kamala called both me and Bruno at the same time. "Hey, Kamala." I greeted. "So, the worst thing that could happen has happened." Kamala explained. "Is that the code for "I fell into the Hudson River for the third time?"" Bruno asked. "No, that's "Black Sloth Down." And I fell in once, okay?" Kamala corrected. "Twice." I recalled. "Once with Bruno and the other time with me." "It means everything sucks." Kamala sighed. "Both of you, meet me on the roof in 10." Bruno said. "15 with traffic." I joked, hanging up my phone.

On the roof of Circle Q, Kamala told Bruno and me everything that happened with her parents.
"You know, I've never even seen them like that." Kamala said. "Like what?" Bruno wondered. "Like, mad?" I asked. "Hurt. Guys, I think I made my dad cry." Kamala explains. "Mr Khan crying?" Bruno asked. "That's not good. That's... yeah, but listen. Your mom and dad, they're gonna calm down, okay? You're gonna apologize and it'll be fine." "Yeah, but maybe they're right." Kamala sighed after breaking silence. "Maybe I spend too much time with fan art, and costumes and with my head stuck in fantasy land." "Who's they?" I asked. "I know you're not talking about me." "My mom. My teachers. Mr Wilson. Everyone." Kamala confessed. "You know there was a girl in our neighborhood who decided that she wanted to go backpacking around Europe. And you would literally think that she joined a death cult given the way all the aunties just gossip about her." "I'm lost. What does that have to do with AvengerCon?" Bruno wondered. "Because dressing up as Captain Marvel is weird." Kamala replied. "And it's childish and I know that, okay? And let's be honest, it's not the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world." "Sure they do." Bruno said. "Kamala, growing up, I was always told to embrace the weirdness." I added. "You're Kamala Khan. You wanna save the world? Then you're gonna save the world." Bruno continued, staring at Kamala. "With the right equipment, of course. Speaking of, newest prototype." Bruno pulled out a pair of modified gloves and handed them to Kamala. "Are those Photon gloves?!" Kamala gasped with excitement. "Yeah." Bruno replied. "Damn, Bruno. Those are sick." I commented. "Now I'm kinda jealous, KK." "Thanks, bud. I can definitely do that." Bruno thanked. "Do you want them, Kamala?" "Yes! Oh my God! You made these?!" Kamala asked. "Yeah, I mean, do you like them?" Bruno asked. "Yes!" Kamala exclaimed, looking at the battery pack on the gloves. "Oh! "Bruno Carrelli Corporations." I like it. Has a nice ring to it. How do they turn on?" "Right here. Bow!" Bruno explains, turning on the lights for the gloves. "See?" "Get outta here!" I gasped in amazement. "This is cosmic. This is cosmic. Get up, both of you." Kamala said. "We're getting up." I said. "We're getting up." Kamala repeated, prepared to playfully fight me and Bruno. "Listen, they don't shoot real photon blasts." Bruno reminds her. "I'm ready." Kamala said. "Oh, we're fighting? All of us?" I asked as Kamala pretended to fight me and Bruno as if we were her villains.

A few days later at school, during passing time, Kamala told us about an idea she came up with the night before. "If I can't leave the house to go to AvengerCon, I'll go to AvengerCon without leaving the house." Kamala said. "You've got me concerned now." I commented. "How many slushies have you had today?" Bruno asked. "Because all of that red dye three, it's making your brain..." "Look, it's illusions, old friends. You know, you guys set up the smart house stuff for my dad, so you're basically our inside people."

Kamala's Plan:

Dinner at 5:30

Excused at 5:49

Suit up at 5:55

During lunch period, Kamala continues to lay out her AvengerCon plans to us, just as her notebook is covered in baked beans. "Oh, come on!" Kamala complained. "I didn't even want beans." "But what if your parents go into your room?" I asked. "That's where Bruno comes in, right?" Kamala wondered. "What?" Bruno questioned. "You and your fancy Zuzu system are going to be my cover." Kamala explains. "So, when there's a knock on the door, it's gonna set off an alarm of my voice." "Wow, you being a genius is finally coming in handy." I teased. "What do you mean, "finally?"" Bruno asked. "6:30, we catch the bus to Camp Lehigh." Kamala continues. "It might be a tight window, but we're gonna do it with style." "Wait, is that us biking off a bridge onto a bus?" I wondered, looking at Kamala's drawing. "Dream bigger, Kendall. It's gonna be epic!" Kamala exclaimed. "We get on the bus just in time. Everyone stares at us in awe because we look that good and their costumes are just... Meh. Then, it's time for a tight, but spontaneous 60 minutes at AvengerCon. Then at 8:00 pm, the real reason we're here, the reason I learned to sew, you learned to sculpt and do papier-mâché, and Bruno learned to airbrush. The cosplay competition. I win, obviously. We collect my crown and I'm assuming it's made of real diamonds." "It's definitely not." Bruno said. "Then after a few quick photos with fans, maybe some chats with the press, we bounce." Kamala finished. "I'll sneak back into my room just before my dad comes in at 9:22 pm. That's the plan. Got it?"

We went through the plan again in the science lab. "So, your plan is take the bus?" Bruno asked. "In style." I commented. "All this, and that's your note? Really?" Kamala asked. "Okay, does how we get there even matter if you haven't finished your costume yet?" I wondered. "They want you to bring some of you to Captain Marvel, right?" "So, your mom's Hulk isn't the right idea, but maybe something Pakistani?" Bruno suggested.

On the day of AvengerCon, after getting my Hawkeye costume on, I rode with Bruno to Kamala's house. Her plan was delayed a bit, but we got her out of the house. Kamala snuck out through the window and snapped a tree branch. "Are you okay?" Bruno asked. "Aw, that was my way back in!" Kamala complained. "I know. We missed the bus." I explained. "We can still make the next one, but if we miss it, it's game over."

After riding to the bridge, Kamala, Bruno, and I went down to the bus stop. Bruno and I were able to fit our bikes inside, but the driver closed the doors while Kamala tried to get hers inside. "Stop! Wait, please! That's my bike! Come on, man. Open the door!" Kamala complained. "Dude! How likely is it I'm gonna find it there when I get back?" "In Jersey City?" Bruno asked. "Oh, I'd say you have a 0.0001% chance." "Yeah, you're screwed." I added.

The bus dropped us off and we rode our bikes the rest of the way. Kamala was riding on the back of Bruno's bike like Eleven from Stranger Things. We showed our passes to security and they let us in the convention. I swear, I was about to cry. There was so much to see and do!

After exploring the convention for a while, we came across a Captain Marvel statue covered in sequins. All of a sudden, Kamala got a motion alert on her phone, showing her parents dancing around. I could tell she felt guilty about lying to them, but she was determined to win this cosplay contest. "Coming up next, the Captain Marvel cosplay contest." Someone announced on the PA system. "Showtime." Bruno said. "Is that Zoe?" Kamala wondered, pointing at Zoe, wearing a Captain Marvel costume. "Why is she here?" "The costume's not even accurate." Bruno commented. "She doesn't even like the Avengers." I said. "She looks like she just came from a Party City. I wouldn't be threatened." "It's okay. It's okay." Bruno reassured Kamala. "I have to compete against her now?" Kamala panicked. "Don't worry about it. It's your time to shine. Literally." Bruno said. "You have the gloves?" "Yeah, they're in my bag." Kamala replied, moping. "You got this, KK!" I rooted for her.

While Kamala was getting ready, I put one of my nonbinary flag pins on my costume, not only to remind people of my pronouns, but to match my costume in general. Gotta show my pride. "What do you think about this?" I asked Bruno. "Kendall Graves, he/they, AKA Hawkeye!" "It looks great." Bruno complimented. "I like how you substituted the bow for a slingshot." "Thanks. Same here. I was gonna go with a Doctor Strange cosplay, but I figured it would take forever to find a cloak of levitation." I explained. "There's always next year, though. Nice Bruce Banner costume, nerd." "Last call for the Captain Marvel cosplay competition." The same guy announced.

Not long after, Kamala joined us in full cosplay. "Hi." Kamala greeted. "Wow. You look great. Yeah, good." Bruno complimented. "My bestie, you look amazing!" I exclaimed. "What are you wearing, Bruno?" Kamala asked. "It's Bruce Banner." Bruno explains, noticing a bangle in Kamala's hands. "What is that?" "My personal self-expression." Kamala replied. "By the way, loving the pin on your cosplay, Kendall." "Aw, thanks, girl." I thanked. "Your thing is pretty cool, too." "Thanks, but I can't get it on." Kamala explains. "It's, like, sealed shut for some reason." "Where are the gloves?" Bruno asked. "Oh, they're just..." Kamala went to grab her gloves, but they were missing from her cardboard helmet. "Crap. I left it in the bathroom." "This is our final final call for contestants to the stage." We heard the announcer say. "You know what, I'm gonna run and get it." Kamala said. "No, we don't have time!" Bruno warned. "You gotta go. It's good. It's fine. You got the bangle. Put it on." Kamala unlocked her bangle and put it on. Bruno and I watched the other contestants walk onstage. "Did you see that?" Kamala asked from behind. "See what?" I wondered. "Come on, Kamala. You gotta go!" Bruno exclaimed, giving her the helmet as she walked onstage. "You're already a winner!" I encouraged her. Kamala walked to the front of the stage, where a bunch of people were taking pictures of her sick costume. Kamala was shielding her face from the flashing lights. "Come on, come on." I heard Bruno say. "What the hell's going on?" I wondered. And that's when it happened. Kamala's hand began glowing and summoned some sort of magic crystal. She was uncontrollably shooting around her and accidentally shot a giant Ant-Man helmet on a statue. While the audience was cheering for her, Bruno and I were in shock. All of a sudden, the giant helmet came off the statue and rolled around the convention, causing a huge replica of Thor's hammer to hit Zoe, who was talking to Kamala before it happened. Luckily, Kamala rescued Zoe with her new powers before she could fall to her death. Bruno and I ran to Kamala after the rescue. "What was that?!" Bruno asked. "Are you okay?" "We need to go!" I exclaimed, running out of the convention.

We hopped onto our bikes and headed back Jersey City with a lot of questions. "What just happened? What just happened?" I asked as we pulled into Kamala's driveway. "I don't even know what to say." "I can't believe it, guys." Kamala panted. "I actually have powers. Come on, help me up." Bruno and I gave Kamala a boost onto the roof, just as she used her power to push herself up. "Did that come out of your foot?" Bruno asked. "Are you okay?" "Hey, keep us updated and text us everything." I whispered. "So weird." Kamala said. "Please don't tell anyone." "Don't. Stop, okay? I'd never tell anyone." Bruno reassured her. "You're not alone, Kamala." I confessed. "We're here for you, 'til the end." "Never ever?" Kamala asked. "Never ever ever." Bruno and I replied as we rode home on our bikes.