Nakia Bahadir

*"My whole life I've either been too white for some people or too ethnic for others. And it's been this very uncomfortable, sucky, in-between. So, when I first put this on, I was hoping to shut some people up, but I kinda realized I don't really need to prove anything to anybody. Like, when I put this on, I feel like me. Like, I have a purpose."*
―Nakia Bahadir to Kamala Khan[src]
**Nakia Bahadir** is a student at Coles Academic High School and one of Kamala Khan's best friends. Torn between her American lifestyle and her Muslim beliefs, she decided to run to become a board member of the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City and convey progressive ideas, which she succeeded, defending the mosque against the disrespectful incursions of the United States Department of Damage Control. Initially ignoring that Khan was the newly appeared superhero in Jersey City, Bahadir was wary of her actions, considering that it drew too much unwanted attention onto the local Muslim community. Despite being upset upon discovering the truth, she and Khan were able to reconcile, and Bahadir helped Khan fight against Damage Control to protect Kamran.

## Biography

### High School Student

#### Placing Bets

*"I'm sorry. I really do love you."*
―Nakia Bahadir to Kamala Khan[src]
Bahadir attended classes at Coles Academic High School, where she became good friends with Kamala Khan and Bruno Carrelli. As the former had to undergo an exam to get her driving license, Bahadir, despite her friendship to Khan, had a bet with Carrelli in which she assumed that Khan would fail, which effectively happened. As she encountered Khan and Carrelli in the next day at school, she collected her money from Carrelli, but assured Khan that she still loved her.

Upon making their way to class, the trio had an awkward encounter with classmate Zoe Zimmer, with Bahadir expressing annoyance regarding her since she found Zimmer unbearable due to her personality shift after she gained online popularity. Later, during physical education session, Bahadir accused Zimmer of having thrown a ball at Kamala's face on purpose, although Zimmer denied. Back to the locker room, she then gave Khan some ice to ease her pain.

 File:Ms. Marvel - 1x02 - Photography - Nakia, Bruno and Kamala.jpg
The day after the New Jersey AvengerCon, Bahadir met with Khan and Carrelli at school, and they were annoyed upon hearing Zimmer recounting her encounter with the future Ms. Marvel and announcing that she would throw out a party to celebrate. Although initially not attending to go, Bahadir smiled when Khan declared that they should go to the party after hearing that Kamran would attend as well.

#### Issues at the Masjid

 File:Kamala Khan & Nakia Bahadir.jpg

*"They really gotta fix this place."
"Uh, no, you mean they gotta fix our section of this place. See, but the men's section is pristine. We got mold under the carpets and the walls are literally crumbling. We can't just stick up a poster for every piece of plaster that falls."*
―Kamala Khan and Nakia Bahadir[src]
Along with Kamala Khan, Bahadir went to attend a lecture by Sheikh Abdullah at the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City, although they were running late. As they made their ablution, Bahadir complained that her faucet did not work, forcing her to use Khan's instead. During the praying, both girls kept complaining about how the women's section of the mosque was in a sorry state, which they felt was unfair, until they were reprimanded by Abdullah for talking during his sermon. Bahadir was then surprised when Khan suggested that she should run to become a mosque's board member, but began considering the idea more seriously after finding out that someone had stolen her expensive shoes.

#### Zoe Zimmer's Party

 File:Miguel, Nakia, Kamala & Bruno.png

*"Mashallah!"
"What does that mean?"
"Damn!"*
―Nakia Bahadir and Miguel[src]
Bahadir went to Zoe Zimmer's party, where she kept being followed by Miguel, a fellow student at Coles Academic High School who had a crush on her. Once Kamala Khan and Bruno Carrelli arrived as well, Bahadir joined them, and expressed annoyance at Shawn for giving Khan alcohol. Bahadir was then impressed when Kamran dove into the pool, with both Khan and her expressing complete amazement when Kamran approached them and introduced himself. As the party ended due to the police arriving, Bahadir went into Kamran's car with Khan, Carrelli and Miguel, and tried to stop Carrelli from interrupting the conversation between Khan and Kamran who were bonding. Once they arrived at Circle Q, Bahadir also made fun of Carrelli after Kamran called him "Brian" instead of Bruno.

#### Bathroom Conversation

*"I also have pads. I know how weird your mom can get about tampons."
"You know what? I'm good."
"You sure? You don't sound too good. You've been acting kinda weird these past couple of days. You know you can tell me anything, right?"*
―Nakia Bahadir and Kamala Khan[src]
Later at school, after a history class that left her upset since she thought it was unfair how little study time was dedicated to the study of civilizations other than Ancient Greeks and Romans, Bahadir noticed Kamala Khan quickly leaving class to the bathroom. Thinking that she had a period-related issue, Bahadir went to the bathroom as well and handed over a tampon to Khan, unaware that her friend actually was hiding because her powers were manifesting out of her control.

 File:Nakia Bahadir (Coles High School Women's Bathroom).png
As Bahadir noticed that Khan's behavior seemed a little strange in the past few days, Khan, who had left her toilet stall, explained how admirative she was of Bahadir's ability to reconcile her American lifestyle and her Muslim faith. Bahadir replied that it was anything but easy, but that she had managed to find some purpose, which had eventually caused her to embrace Khan's idea to run for mosque board. Both girls stated how they loved each other and, knowing that Bahadir had a date with Kamran, Bahdir gave her a scarf and a pair of earrings, causing Khan to hug her.

### Mosque Board Member

#### Eid al-Adha

 File:Nakia Bahadir & Yusuf Khan.jpg

*"You wouldn't rob two young women of that future, would you, Uncle? I mean, come on, this is Kamala and me. Your daughter and basically your other daughter. Women's suffrage, we fought for this, people died for this. You wouldn't... You wouldn't kill our dreams, would you? Vote for Nakia. Eid Mubarak."*
―Nakia Bahadir to Yusuf Khan[src]
Bahadir went to a party given at the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City to celebrate Eid, hoping that she could make her case to the local community to be appointed as a board member to the mosque. She was able to secure a vote from Najaf, noticing how little she enjoyed this kind of political action, before being joined by Kamala Khan and Bruno Carrelli. Bahadir gave them some tracts to deliver to other people while she approached her main target: Yusuf Khan, Kamala's father and the best friend of Bahadir's main rival, Rasheed. Using her speech skills, mentioning her friendship to Kamala and how becoming a board member would be a success for everyone, Bahadir was able to convince Yusuf to at least consider voting for her, much to Rasheed's surprise.

#### Damage Control Visit

 File:Nakia Bahadir and Sheikh Abdullah.png

*"Pursuant to U.S. criminal code, law enforcement officers are not permitted to enter a private space without a signed warrant."
"Yeah? You studied the criminal code in homeroom?"
"*Law & Order *re-runs, but I'm not wrong."*
―Nakia Bahadir and Sadie Deever[src]
Thanks to her successful campaign, Bahadir became a board member for the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City, although it took some vote counting to make sure that she had won. As such, she was present at the mosque when a group of Damage Control agents led by Sadie Deever arrived in the mosque and asked questions about Night Light, who they suspected to be operating from the mosque despite Sheikh Abdullah's denial. As the operatives intended on searching the mosque, Bahadir pointed out that they had no official warrant for that and thus no legal authority to proceed, causing Deever and her men to reluctantly leave the mosque.

 File:Nakia criticizes Night Light.png
Shaken by this encounter, Bahadir went to visit Kamala Khan and, upon seeing that Khan was watching videos of Night Light, she narrated her interaction with Damage Control. Ignoring that Night Light and Khan were the same person, Bahadir criticized the former, stating that she was being negligent when it came to the consequences of her actions as it drew much undesired attention upon the local Muslim community. Bahadir then told Khan that she had been appointed as a board member of the mosque, causing the two girls to share a hug to celebrate.

#### Aamir Khan's Wedding

 File:Walima Women Dancing.png

*"This whole time it was you, and you didn't say anything?"*
―Nakia Bahadir to Kamala Khan[src]
As a very good friend of the Khan family, Bahadir was invited to the wedding of Kamala Khan's brother Aamir. She joined the *mehndi* at the Khan Residence, teaching some girls how to dance, before attending the ceremony and the party afterwards. During the party, after making fun of Bruno Carrelli befriending Ruby, Bahadir took part in the dance show meant for Aamir and Tyesha Hillman, dancing along Kamala, Carrelli and Ruby and joking about how Hillman looked surprise when her husband participated in the dance as well.

 File:Nakia finds out Kamala is Night Light.png
Bahadir then kept dancing and having fun with the other guests until the fire alarm was triggered, causing Bahadir to leave the building with the Khan family. After a few moments, Bahadir noticed that neither Kamala nor Carrelli were at her side and went to look for them. She arrived just in time to see them exit the building through a backdoor, with Carrelli being visibly hurt and Kamala closing the door with her newfound powers. Understanding that Kamala was Night Light, Bahadir was upset that she had not been told something this important, but Kamala promptly left on Carrelli's instructions, leaving Bahadir with no choice but to take care of Carrelli herself.

#### Chase of Kamran

*"You can't hide in a mosque!"
"Why? Houses of worship are supposed to offer sanctuary."
"This is a mosque in America. Damage Control, JCPD, hell, Department of Sanitation probably has us under surveillance."*
―Nakia Bahadir and Bruno Carrelli[src]
Bahadir resented Kamala Khan for not telling her that she actually was Night Light, to the point that she refused to answer Khan's messages. However, upon learning about the destruction of Circle Q caused by a drone sent after Kamran by Damage Control, she called the Khan family and asked Khan whether she knew about Bruno Carrelli's whereabouts. Even though Khan knew nothing about the incident, Bahadir soon saw Carrelli and Kamran arriving together at the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City, seeking refuge. Bahadir explained that the mosque was not a safe place for them to hide, and instead advised them to go to Coles Academic High School, where she would guide Khan.

Bahadir then had to deal with a second irruption of Damage Control at the mosque. Upon seeing Sadie Deever get close to a room, Bahadir tried to get her away from it, but eventually agreed to open it, thus revealing that only Miguel, who she introduced as her boyfriend, was in there.

#### Battle at Coles Academic High School

*"So, we're gonna stop Damage Control with softballs?"*
―Nakia Bahadir to Ms. Marvel[src]
Bahadir later made her way to school, where she was reunited with Kamala Khan, now embracing her Ms. Marvel identity. Bahadir initially acted bitter towards Khan, who explained that she had feared that Bahadir would hate her and admitted that she should have done things differently. As the two girls began to reconcile, Bahadir decided to stood alongside Ms. Marvel against Damage Control, as she resented them far more due to their incursions into her mosque. She was then surprised when their group received the support of their classmate Zoe Zimmer, and later Khan's own brother Aamir.

 File:Zoe Zimmer & Nakia Bahadir.jpg
Bahadir helped the group prepare their defense against Damage Control, teaming up with Zimmer to collect a vast amount of softballs which they would later use as non-lethal projectiles against the Damage Control operatives. While waiting for the assault, Bahadir discussed the fact that Zimmer knew about Khan's powers and had kept the information for herself, which actually impressed Bahadir.

As the battle began, Bahadir disguised as a decoy to distract the Damage Control agents, making them believe that they were Kamran who they were after. Thanks to the softballs prepared by Bahadir and Zimmer, as well as the fire extinguishers previously collected by the group, Bahadir and her friends were able to distract the agents for a significant amount of time. However, their efforts were eventually thwarted and Bahadir was arrested alongside Aamir, Zimmer and Bruno Carrelli, and placed into a car.

 File:Bruno, Aamir, Zoe & Nakia.jpg
Due to this predicament, Bahadir was unable to assist Ms. Marvel as she defended Kamran against Damage Control. She initially feared for her friend's life, but was later amazed when Ms. Marvel achieved a new level of control over her powers. However, situation became dangerous for Bahadir as Kamran lost control of his, causing massive cystalline light spikes to protrude through the van Bahadir was still locked in, nearly hurting her. Nevertheless, the situation was defused by Ms. Marvel, who helped Kamran to calm down and evade Damage Control. Having been released, Bahadir joined the crowd to stand between Ms. Marvel and Damage Control, buying the former enough time to escape as well.

In the aftermath of the battle, Bahadir and Carrelli helped Kamran get out of the country, reclaiming his car which they took to meet with Khan. As Carrelli remained to speak in private with Khan, Bahadir, who complimented Carrelli upon his admission into Caltech, stealthily stole the car keys from him and waited for her friends to get into the car as well. She then began to drive the car for a ride through Jersey City. Bahadir also appeared in a TikTok video from Zimmer in which they celebrated their victory and Zimmer declared herself an ally of Bahadir's cause.

## Personality

*"We spend six weeks on Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece but six minutes on Ancient Persia and Byzantium. History's written by the oppressors. That's all I'm gonna say."*
―Nakia Bahadir[src]
Bahadir is a kind-hearted, brave, confident woman who is caring towards all of her family and friends. Bahadir generally keeps a calm, cool, and collected mindset, rarely getting angry. Bahadir deeply hates oppression of any kind towards people as shown when she stood up towards Sadie Deever for her oppression applied on the local Islamic Masjid of Jersey City due to Deever's racial bias against Muslims. She is also very critical of how history was taught in Coles Academic High School, regretting that only the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations were heavily studied with disregard for more distant ones like Ancient Persia. Bahadir believes in the possibility of conveying more progressive ideas, something she managed to reconcile with her respect of Islamic faith, which eventually, with help from Kamala Khan, gave her the courage to run and become a member of her mosque's board.

Bahadir also highly values honesty, as she has no secret for her best friend Khan, to whom she shared many opinions, including her criticism of Night Light. Therefore, upon discovering that Khan and Night Light were the same person, she was deeply offended that her friend had withheld such a capital information for her and refused to speak with her for a few days. However, Bahadir is also able of forgiveness, and she quickly resumed her friendship with Khan once the latter admitted that she had handled the situation poorly only because she had feared that Bahadir would hate her.

## Facilities

* **Coles Academic High School**: Bahadir attended classes in this New Jersey high school, where she would frequently be seen alongside her best friends Kamala Khan and Bruno Carrelli. She also became friends with Zoe Zimmer, one of the school's most popular students due to her online fame.
* **Islamic Masjid of Jersey City**: Bahadir frequently attended lectures and sermons at this mosque and, upon being suggested to do so by Kamala Khan, she decided to become one of its board members and was successful in her attempt. She later used her position to defend the mosque and its followers from the incursions of Damage Control. Bahadir also once hid her boyfriend Miguel in the mosque out of fear that her mother would find out about him.

## Relationships

* Mother

Allies* Coles Academic High School
	+ Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel - Classmate and Best Friend
	+ Bruno Carrelli - Classmate and Best Friend
	+ Zoe Zimmer - Classmate and Friend
	+ Miguel - Classmate and Boyfriend
	+ Paul - Classmate
	+ Shawn - Classmate
* Zoe Zimmer’s Mother
* Yusuf Khan
* Muneeba Khan
* Aamir Khan
* Islamic Masjid of Jersey City
	+ Sheikh Abdullah
	+ Rasheed
* Najaf
* Kamran
* Zara
* Ruby
* Tyesha Hillman
	+ Sadie Deever
	+ Barrie

## Appearances

* *Ms. Marvel*
	+ *Season One*
		- *Generation Why*
		- *Crushed*
		- *Destined*
		- *Seeing Red* (mentioned)
		- *No Normal*

## Behind the Scenes

* Dena Sodano was a stunt double for Yasmeen Fletcher in the role of Nakia Bahadir.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 *Ms. Marvel: 1.02: Crushed*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Ms. Marvel: 1.03: Destined*
3. ↑ *Ms. Marvel: 1.01: Generation Why*
4. ↑ *Ms. Marvel: 1.04: Seeing Red*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Ms. Marvel: 1.06: No Normal*

## External Links

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