Insert Foot on Ms. Marvel.

I started watching “Ms. Marvel” because I was bored, thought my 14-year-old would like it and therefore love her father more than her phone again.

Sadly, I’ve also got to the point where I automatically watch anything Marvel, which really came back to bite me when I spent real American money and two hours of my life watching “Morbius,” a movie that should’ve cost many people their jobs and prompted the Academy to repossess Jared Leto’s Oscar.

I honestly felt bad for Matt Smith, a very good British actor who’s been in some great shows over there, only to get conned into thinking he was about to start cashing some big American franchise checks. I know – “Morbius” was more Sony than Marvel. But it was so bad there’s not enough blame for just one mega-corporation.

And, yeah, I should’ve known better after sitting through what felt like nine hours of “The Eternals” jamming 400,000 years of fake history into my aching brain. Looking at people that beautiful forcing themselves to act in a film that non-memorable gave me a headache.

“Ms. Marvel” started slowly and I was slightly pessimistic after the first episode, during which I caught my kid watching goat videos and playing three types of video games while pretending to watch.

There was too much on-set neon, the story looked silly, and after binging so much “Stranger Things” the past couple months, I decided I’m sick of watching children live lives so much more fascinating than mine.

But because my life is as thrilling as a melting stick of butter, I stuck it out. And I’m pleasantly surprised to say I’m glad. Because what I perceived as slowness really was Marvel getting back to setting up characters’ backstories and putting forth a plot worthy of all-ages attention.

Kamala Khan’s (played by 19-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian actress Iman Vellani) strict yet Bon-Jovi-loving parents left Pakistan for New Jersey, where she and her older brother were raised. She’s a non-glamorous, geeky 16-year-old who dreams of being Captain Marvel, to the disapproval of her protective parents.

Her grandmother in Pakistan sends her a gift that changes her life, making her into the neighborhood superhero eventually known as Ms. Marvel.

The character was Marvel’s first Muslim lead character in both the comic and on-screen. She was created by Muslim and Pakistani writers/artists, who obviously understand the culture far better than an American audience that mostly associates Pakistan with the place Navy seals killed Osama bin Laden.

As the show develops, we see Pakistani-Americans who practice a peaceful religion relate to America yet cherish their cultural heritage without glossing over the fact that the FBI is likely watching them. Their religion is simply part of their lives; no one glorifies or denigrates it. It simply exists. We see Muslim-Americans doing the same things the rest of us do, with the same parenting challenges, arguments, give and take, and moments of deep love.

Yes, there’s magic and glowing special effects. There is fighting between good and evil that doesn’t take religious sides as much as it springs from things we all recognize: greed, change versus not wanting change, wisdom versus ignorance and fright, etc.

A major part of the show ends up taking place in Pakistan, and it’s eye-opening for those of us who really don’t know much about Pakistan. Yes, it’s a fantasy show with some fantastic characters, but there’s also a lot of non-threatening normalcy portrayed in the Pakistan scenes. It’s refreshing for those of us remembering the days following 9/11, when we were flooded with lies and propaganda about that part of the world. We even learn a little bit about colonial India and how Pakistan came about after the British left after World War II.

It also doesn’t hurt that our new superhero is a normal-looking girl who likes normal things, loves her family even when she disagrees with them, and has a sense of humor. It would be a good show if picked up and set into any culture. But the fact it’s one that’s largely a mystery to many Americans – even vilified – is refreshing. Morons will call it woke. I call it different and well-done.

Follow music critic Tony Hicks at Twitter.com/TonyBaloney1967.