Marvel‘s newest heroine is “Ms. Marvel” played by Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani, who went from high school student straight into becoming a key cog in Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s a huge leap for anyone, but even more impressive given Vellani’s age. Her landmark superhero role of Kamala Khan sees her play a teenage high school student from New Jersey with new cosmic powers (a potential stand-in for womanhood/puberty) in a world populated by more seasoned superheroes. “Ms. Marvel” also marks the first leading Muslim superhero as Marvel continues to expand the diversity of the MCU.
The young actress reflected on the casting process in an interview with Esquire and revealed that “Captain Marvel” star Brie Larson was a supportive mentor during the whole whirlwind of landing the role. “Brie Larson reached out to me two days after I got the part,” she told Esquire. “She talked to me on FaceTime for a while and she’s been my greatest resource and mentor throughout this whole process. Even though she was [an] Oscar winner beforehand, Marvel has completely changed her life.”
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You might remember that the two also worked together on Nia DaCosta‘s “The Marvels,” so that comradery is certainly nice to hear as their characters share a similar relationship.
Vellani isn’t just a huge fan of the Marvel characters and the actors who play them, but, like most of us, she’s also in awe of studio head Kevin Feige. Vellani called him a “deity” and even attempted to pitch movies to the mega-successful Hollywood guru. “My top favorite people in the entire world are Robert Downey Jr, Billy Joel, and Kevin Feige,” she said. Kevin is three, and he knows how much I’m obsessed with him. He has been, you know, warming him up to my reaction.” She continued, “Well, listen, I’ve pitched [Marvel Studios head] Kevin Feige so many movies. He does not take any sh** from me.”
Sadly, Vellani didn’t give any details about what those other movies might be. However, given Kamala’s inclusion in the Young Avengers team in the comics, the group showing up in “The Marvels” or a follow-up season to the Disney+ series wouldn’t be terribly shocking.
Here’s a synopsis for Ms. Marvel:
Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a superhero mega-fan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel. Yet Kamala feels like she doesn’t fit in at school and sometimes even at home—that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life gets better with superpowers, right?
“Ms. Marvel” starts streaming on June 8. The show potentially tees-up clues for how Kamala joins “The Marvels,” as that team is likely going to be connected to the MCU version of S.W.O.R.D. after that group was introduced in “WandaVision.”