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‘Ms. Marvel’ Names Jon Bon Jovi ‘The New Jersey Prince’

Last summer, Marvel’s What If…? animated series on Disney+ looked at a number of Marvel stories and wondered how different things would be if one detail changed. Like, what if Peggy Carter…

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Jon Bon Jovi arrives to meet Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and members of the Invictus Games Choir at Abbey Road Studios on February 28, 2020 in London, England. Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios’ MS. MARVEL.

Chris Jackson (Getty Images)/Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.

Last summer, Marvel's What If...? animated series on Disney+ looked at a number of Marvel stories and wondered how different things would be if one detail changed. Like, what if Peggy Carter took the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rodgers? What if T'Challa became Starlord instead of Peter Quill? What if Thor were an only child? This summer's Ms. Marvel series might inspire a new one: if Bon Jovi had never been signed to a record deal, would Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) have been born?

In a scene in episode 2 of Ms. Marvel (which dropped earlier this week), Kamala's mother Muneeba Khan (played by Zenobia Shroff) claims that had it not been for Bon Jovi, Kamala (Iman Vellani) might not exist.

As the Khan family prepares to go to an Eid Mubarak celebration in their hometown of Jersey City, Kamala's father Yusef (played by Mohan Kapur) is trying to convince her brother Aamir Khan (Saagar Shaikh) to hire a Bon Jovi cover band to play his wedding, much to his amazement. In the episode, we learn that he's also a former Hot Topic employee who had gothy tendencies, so we can assume that, perhaps, Bon Jovi wouldn't be his band of choice.

"Trust me," Yusef says, "Even a cover band of Bon Jovi is going to get people to talk for a long time! Moreover, your mother loves Bon Jovi!"

"Why?" Aamir asks.

Muneeba interjects, "Hey! Don't question my love for the 'Captain Kidd!'" a reference to the lyrics of "Let It Rock," the song that opens 1986's Slippery When Wet. Further, she says, "If it weren't for Slippery When Wet, your father and I may never have met!"

Aamir just shakes his head. "That's gross." Soon, his fiance Tyesha Hillman (Travina Springer) comes to the door, and he asks her, "How do you feel about our first dance as husband and wife being to 'Livin' On A Prayer?'"

"By Bon Jovi?" she asks. "Yes," he responds.

"It's better than 'You Give Love A Bad Name,'" she replies, stunning her fiance.

"Yes!" Yusef cheers. "She loves the New Jersey prince too!"

Who knows, maybe we'll get a Bon Jovi song on the show this season... or maybe the real Bon Jovi will play the wedding.

New episodes of Ms. Marvel drop on Disney+ on Wednesdays.

Bon Jovi has been active for nearly four decades, and they aren't showing signs of slowing down.

Their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career has netted them over 130 million albums sold worldwide and legions of fans spanning generations.

Narrowing down their catalog to a select number of songs and ranking them is a daunting task, but here are Bon Jovi's 35 best songs, ranked.

35. "Burning Bridges" - 'Burning Bridges' (2015)

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34. "Do What You Can" - '2020' (2020)

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33. "She Don't Know Me" - 'Bon Jovi' (1984)

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32. "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" - 'Cross Road' (1994)

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31. "The Radio Saved My Life Tonight" - '100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong' (2004)

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30. "Dry County" - 'Keep The Faith' (1992)

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29. "This Ain't A Love Song" - 'These Days' (1995)

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28. "Misunderstood" - 'Bounce' (2002)

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27. "Say It Isn't So" - 'Crush' (2000)

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26. "Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars" - 'Crush' (2000)

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25. "American Reckoning" - '2020' (2020)

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24. "Undivided" - 'Bounce' (2002)

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23. "We Don't Run" - 'Burning Bridges' (2015)

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22. "Who Says You Can't Go Home (ft. Jennifer Nettles)" - 'Have A Nice Day' (2005)

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21. "In and Out of Love" - '7800° Fahrenheit' (1985)

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20. "Bed Of Roses" - 'Keep The Faith' (1992)

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19. "Bounce" - 'Bounce' (2002)

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18. "Just Older" - 'Crush' (2000)

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17. "Never Say Goodbye" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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16. "Everyday" - 'Bounce' (2002)

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15. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" - 'Keep The Faith' (1992)

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14. "Wild In The Streets" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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13. "Born To Be My Baby" - 'New Jersey' (1988)

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12. "Lay Your Hands On Me" - 'New Jersey' (1988)

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11. "Raise Your Hands" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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10. "One Wild Night (2001)" - 'One Wild Night Live 1985-2001' (2001)

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9. "Always" - 'Cross Road' (1994)

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8. "Runaway" - 'Bon Jovi' (1984)

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7. "I'll Be There For You" - 'New Jersey' (1988)

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6. "Keep The Faith" - 'Keep The Faith' (1992)

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5. "It's My Life" - 'Crush' (2000)

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4. "You Give Love A Bad Name" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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3. "Bad Medicine" - 'New Jersey' (1988)

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2. "Livin' On A Prayer" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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1. "Wanted Dead or Alive" - 'Slippery When Wet' (1986)

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Brian has been working in pop culture and media for about three decades: he’s worked at MTV, VH1, SiriusXM, CBS and Loudwire. Besides working as a writer and an editor-in-chief, he’s also appeared on air as a pundit, guested on radio shows and hosted podcasts. Over the years, he’s interviewed the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, the members of U2, Beyonce, Pink, Usher, Stevie Nicks, Lorde… and is grateful to have had the chance to interview Joe Strummer of the Clash and Tom Petty.