Ms. Marvel Star Breaks Silence on Major X-Men Reveal

While properties like the X-Men and Fantastic Four are seemingly far off in the MCU's future, Ms. Marvel is the latest Disney+ show to grab the world’s attention and the newest entry in the MCU’s ever-growing collection of stories. The introduction of Kamala Khan has been received well for the most part, and she’s made for a fantastic addition to Marvel’s world. The finale just dropped on Disney+, and its final minutes made quite a splash—Iman Vellani’s character will no doubt be the talk of the town for weeks to come.

Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel's season finale.

In the final minutes of the show, Bruno had a bombshell to drop onto Kamala Khan before leaving for Caltech: her genes have a mutation. Not only is this the first time that word has ever been dropped in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it basically confirms how she is the MCU’s first mutant.

That’s a massive deal and also a big departure from the original character’s lore—but changes to that aspect of Ms. Marvel is nothing new for the series.

With as big a fan of Marvel as the actress behind Kamala Khan is, what did Iman Vellani think about it all? Well, she was probably just as excited as everyone across the world, maybe even more so.

Iman Vellani Talks About That X-Men Twist

In an interview with Marvel, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani talked about when she learned her character would be a part of saying the word “mutation” for the first time in MCU history.

Vellani recalled how they “sent [her], and only [her], the draft [of the final episode]” and that she “was freaking out:”

“They sent me, and only me, the draft [of the final episode], and I immediately freaked out… I emailed Kevin Feige in all caps. I was like, are you doing this like for real? Are you sure? I'm so honored! I was like yelling at him through an email. I was freaking out. This is the biggest deal in the world, and the fact that it's happening in our show is crazy.”

While the Ms. Marvel actress may have been the first to learn about it, Matt Lintz, aka Bruno, eventually was let in on the secret since he had to actually say the line. The actor noted how originally “they didn’t even have it in [the script]” and that the directors “were very secretive about [the] whole thing:”

“They didn't even have it in [the script]... I remember I was having a conversation about it and [the directors] were like, ‘Yeah, you say this crazy thing.’ They wouldn't even tell me what it was! I was like, ‘What's the deal here?’ They were very secretive about that whole thing.”

Vellani was very confident that “people are going to lose their minds,” saying how “[she certainly] did” and exclaiming, “it’s truly a really big deal.”

As simple as the scene was, it actually took Vellani and Lintz a while to film it. Why? Well, they were simply giggling every time the two attempted to play out the scene.

Vellani explained how “any time Matt would say [“mutation”] I’d start giggling” and that the take which made it into the show was “one of two that we got where [she] was mildly serious:”

“It took a really long time to film that scene because any time Matt would say that word, I'd start giggling... I think we got the one take. The one you see in the episode is one of two that we got where I was mildly serious. It was really, really, really difficult. I think we have so many outtakes of me just breaking because I was so excited and giddy over this.”

Yasmeen Fletcher, who played Nakia in the series, said that “Iman could not get through a take because… she was beaming, like, out of character beaming,” and “they had to cut and refilm that so many times.”

Lintz confirmed how “[Iman Vellani] was laughing almost every second… she couldn’t believe that I was saying this to her:”

“She was laughing almost every second. It was hilarious because she just was like, ‘This is so cool.’ She couldn't believe that I was saying this to her. Obviously, it's so big for her character. We were going through the scene, and she kept laughing. It was making me laugh.”

The actor recalled that even the crew was freaking out, as he “could just hear [them] in the background… all screaming and the excitement and joy:”

“I remember…you could just hear in the background [the crew] all screaming, and the excitement and joy that they had was really, really funny. It's a very big moment. I was just blessed and lucky enough to be able to share that with Iman and everybody else.”

Vellani exclaimed how “it makes [her] so excited” that she can even say the word now:

“It makes me so excited, I can’t even put it into words. I feel very, very honored, very, very lucky.”

Lintz made it clear how “[they] don’t know what’s going to happen,” but that they’re “so excited to see:”

“So many people have been waiting for this… there have been so many people excited about it. It's even cool for me and Iman as viewers because we don't know what's going to happen. [This is] something that the fans, and me included, are so excited to see.”

Kamala Khan, an X-Men?

So what does this mean in actuality for the character? Could she become an X-Men in the future?

Given her probable mutant status, it’s at least a possibility. But not only does that bigger group need to be established first, but there are some Kree connections that need some explaining.

For example, the bangle worn by Kamala was found on a blue arm—likely a Kree. What’s that about? It’s especially notable since that alien race is directly related to the Inhumans, which is the genetic history of Ms. Marvel in the original comics. Could there be far more to her mutation than just the X-Gene (which still remains unnamed in the MCU)?

There are plenty of questions raised by the big reveal, and hopefully, her next appearance in next year’s The Marvels provides some much-needed answers when it lands in theaters worldwide on July 28, 2023.