On top of being a superhero, the MCU’s newest hero, Ms. Marvel, is a fan girl. So it’s fitting that the actress cast in the role is a massive herself. Iman Vellani, who brings Kamala Khan to life, even told Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to his face how she felt “they did [Black Bolt] dirty” in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Maybe fans will even start to feel more heard, thanks to her tendency to not be afraid of criticizing mistakes in the MCU straight to Feige’s face. Some more recent examples include calling out Mysterio’s knowledge of Earth-616’s designation and how it shouldn’t even be 616 anyway, but instead 199999.
It certainly seems that out of all the actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, none have reached Vellani’s heights when it comes to being vocal about their comics knowledge. Needless to say, the actress seems to be right at home after her time in Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.
Another story of Vellani and Feige’s unique dynamic has been uncovered, this time centering around Elizabeth Olsen’s Disney+ series WandaVision.
Kevin Feige Gets Mad' on Ms. Marvel Set
In an interview with Marvel Entertainment, Ms. Marvel’s Saagar Shaikh, who plays Kamala Khan’s older brother, commented on Iman Vellani’s MCU fangirling and how she made Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige mad.
The actor revealed how on set, “Kevin Feige got mad at her for watching WandaVision on her phone:”
“I’ll tell you a secret. Kevin Feige got mad at her for watching WandaVision on her phone. He’s like, ‘They’re not made for phones! Watch it on TV!’”
He continued how one time when Vellani was watching Elizabeth Olsen’s show, “she fell to the floor because she was so excited about what she had just seen:”
“She was on her iPad between takes. WandaVision had come out, and [while she was watching] she said ‘What?’ out loud, and she fell to the floor because she was so excited about what she had just seen. I don’t know what it was. I didn’t want to interrupt her viewing. But yeah, she’s very excited. She’s a fangirl.”
Shaikh then revealed that on one of the first days she met him, her test was to ask “which movie [did he] like better—Infinity War or Endgame:”
“I think one of the first days, it may have been the first or second day I met her, she was like, 'Which movie do you like better—Infinity War or Endgame?' ... That was her test to see if she likes me or not.”
Ms. Marvel’s head writer Bisha K. Ali added how Vellani “has a creative mind… has that maturity" while also being completely “obsessed with Marvel:”
“The reality is, I think that was from day one, and that’s not really regarding just Marvel, but in general, she has a creative mind. She has that maturity. She wants to be in this industry regardless, and well done for us and lucky for us that she’s obsessed with Marvel and that she loves it so much. I think all of that really comes through in what gives her the ability to play this role and just embody this role, but also what’s going to give her the ability to navigate the future within this character and within her wider universe. I really think she’s an artist. I don’t think it’s possible to expect an artist to come on board a project and not have a million ideas about it.”
The Feige-Vellani Dynamic for the Ages
This story just proves how the dynamic between Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Iman Vellani is going to bear fruit in so many fun and great stories over the next decade.
Vellani previously revealed how when she first met the Marvel big wig, she “froze completely… [and] literally gave him a stare.” That was then followed up with the star giving the man in charge a “four-or-five page letter” she had previously written, which was filled to the brim with questions.
Hopefully, more fun is revealed when The Marvels starts up its press tour. One would hope that will be the case, given some of the massive crossovers set to take place, particularly with the titular Captain and Ms. Marvel.
An even bigger question, however, is: what big scene from WandaVision was she watching? Was it dead Vision? Ralph Bohner showing up at Wanda’s door? Agatha revealing it was her all along?
Or maybe it was the death of Sparky—a truly sad moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first two episodes of Ms. Marvel are currently streaming on Disney+.
