This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode five
Ms. Marvel has generally played it pretty safe when it comes to VFX shots. Kamala’s Noor energy projections are fairly straightforward CGI, and the show’s domestic focus and use of location shoots rather than green screen mean it usually looks great. But there’s one specific VFX in episode five that fans just can’t take seriously.
It comes at the end of the episode when the portal to the Noor dimension has been opened. The Clandestines approach it, hoping to be transported home, only to find themselves calcified and then crumble away into skeletons. It’s not exactly a convincing effect, with many viewers finding it more amusing than horrifying.
Posters on r/MarvelStudios say “when the skeleton effect happened both times I laughed my ass off because of how bad it looked”, describing it as “weirdly awful” and that it’s “very badly timed”.
Some are also comparing it to the very dated vampire death VFX from 1998’s Blade, with a poster saying “Laughing my ass off at the bad villains being turned into skeletons. Looked like Blade twenty years ago.” Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man is also being referenced, specifically the effects of Green Goblin’s pumpkin bomb on the Oscorp executives.
Ever since WandaVision, fans have noticed that the Disney Plus shows have noticeably cheaper CGI than the theatrical MCU releases, and there’s justified criticism that the studio can easily afford to give these shows more time and money to look their best. Ms. Marvel has been pretty good so far, so let’s hope this was simply a blip as we go into next week’s season finale.
Ms. Marvel‘s first season will conclude next Wednesday on Disney Plus.