Iman Vellani's return as Kamala Khan was officially set for a major 2028 release. Marvel Studios has introduced countless new heroes and villains to the MCU in the Multiverse Saga (Phases 4-6), but, arguably, none have landed with audiences quite as strongly as Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel. The superhero fangirl has made her mark across Ms. Marvel, The Marvels, and Marvel Zombies, although she hasn't yet been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
During Disney's D23 conference in Anaheim, California, Marvel unveiled the first look at the Avengers: Infinity Defense, a new ride coming to the upcoming Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure, expected to open in 2028. Riders will be welcomed as "recruits" and team up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes to take on King Thanos, and it will all begin with a "pre-mission briefing" from Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.
Vellani will be joined in Infinity Defense by big stars from the Avengers franchise, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, and Anthony Mackie's Captain America. The Ms. Marvel actress is the only member of the cast who hasn't yet appeared in an Avengers movie, although that could all change with Doomsday and Secret Wars.
The Multiverse Saga breakout may still be waiting to join up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes officially in the MCU, but she is already on her way there. Vellani made her Disney Parks debut in Avengers: Quantum Encounter, a dining attraction on select cruise ships, where she worked with Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Captain America to save the ship, which was under attack by Ultron.
The former Falcon even dubbed Kamala an "Avenger-in-training" and warned her, "No fangirling," as they worked together for the first time. However, as these rides aren't canon to the MCU, fans shouldn't expect Ms. Marvel and Captain America to reminisce on their time fighting Ultron together if they meet, once again for the first time, in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Khan's return harkens back to her live-action debut in 2022, as she is pictured wearing the same (or a similar) outfit as in Disney+'s Ms. Marvel. The young superhero has come a long way in her four years in the MCU, from fan-girling over Captain Marvel to lining up the Avengers' new recruits on Infinity Defense.
Interestingly, Marvel seems to have discarded Ms. Marvel's costume from The Marvels for Infinity Defense, perhaps partly because most fans consider it a major downgrade from her Disney+ series attire.
Unsurprisingly, the Infinity Defense suit is very different from the outfit Kamala wore during Marvel Zombies, which was a much more cobbled-together costume befitting of an undead apocalypse.
Before the credits rolled on The Marvels, Kamala hadn't just gotten her wish of meeting Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, her longtime idol, but also got to fight alongside her and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau to save the universe.
Fans shouldn't count on seeing that trio reunited in the MCU anytime soon, as Rambeau is now stranded in the old Fox X-Men universe after making a grand sacrifice to seal a tear in the Multiverse. Still, her friendship with Captain Marvel looks to be sticking around, as she was helping the veteran superhero move into the old Rambeau household in The Marvels' final moments.
Given that she hasn't been seen in three years since The Marvels, many will be wondering what Earth-616's Kamala Khan is doing these days. Well, when she last appeared, she was recruiting for her own Young Avengers team, starting with Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, although that roster is bound to expand quickly.
Could this lingering plot thread finally be addressed in Marvel Studios' Phase 7? Or will the MCU choose to pivot towards Kamala Khan's mutant genome now that more of her kind will be entering the fray very soon?
What is Ms. Marvel's MCU Future Going into Phase 7?
Evidence is mounting that Ms. Marvel will return in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, albeit in a "cameo-esque" role that may only be there to set up the Young Avengers coming together. Perhaps the 2026 ensemble will bring together youthful heroes like Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, Wiccan, and Speed before they embark on an all-important side quest in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Beyond that, looking into Phase 7, there have been many reports that Young Avengers was being developed as an ensemble Disney+ series called Champions. That said, Marvel Studios is reportedly cutting back on live-action shows, which may doom that project, as it's tough to imagine such an obscure team getting a big-budget blockbuster, especially after The Marvels flopped at the box office.
Fans who watched Ms. Marvel will already know that the MCU's Kamala Khan isn't an Inhuman like the comics, but rather, a mutant. As Vellani is around the same age as Jean Grey actress Sadie Sink and the other newly cast rebooted X-Men, the studio could also find room for Ms. Marvel in the upcoming Phase 7 movie or one of its sequels, likely as more of a crossover hero than a full-time student.
There is a chance that Kamala's future is restricted to crossover projects and perhaps a Champions Special Presentation on Disney+. But there may be something to be said for such a youthful, fun-spirited team as the Champions instead starring in a Saturday-morning cartoon-style animated show with new family-friendly adventures, villains, and superhero team-ups each week.
Still, Ms. Marvel does have one all-but-guaranteed Disney+ series lined up, as Marvel Zombies was renewed for Season 2, as Kamala Khan was arguably the lead of last year's freshman outing. Vellani ought to play a crucial role in the post-apocalyptic, non-canon animated show again, now trying to break out of a "perfect" Hex reality created by a twisted Wanda Maximoff.
