After a number of series centered around pre-established characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ms. Marvel will be the next Marvel Studios Disney+ series to focus on an all-new hero.
A lack of solid information has led to doubts about the show releasing this year, with Hawkeye currently set to close 2021 out for the MCU on Disney+. Clint Barton's solo show is supposedly the next series to hit the streaming service after What If...?, so it is still unclear how this will impact Ms. Marvel's release date.
Ms. Marvel will be headlined by MCU newcomer Iman Vellani, who will be portraying fledgling superhero Kamala Khan. Fans have gotten a look at how Vellani will look all suited up, with Kamala's costume looking incredibly faithful to her comic book counterpart's. Artwork seems to suggest that her powers may not be directly lifted from the graphic page, though, with it indicating that her abilities may be more akin to Green Lantern.
Now, the lead actress has spoken about her MCU casting for the first time.
IMAN VELLANI TALKS MS. MARVEL
In an interview with Variety, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani broke her silence about her casting as the show's lead character and acknowledged the importance of finally bringing Kamala Khan to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Vellani mentioned that she didn't feel that it was necessary to specifically discuss the significance of her ethnic and religious background being included in the MCU as audiences seeing her involvement "in a project as big as this is...inspiring enough:”
”The fact that the show is being made and they’re including this character in the MCU is [what’s important]. I don’t really have to go out of my way and talk about being a Muslim and being Pakistani — it all comes out in the show. People seeing a person like me involved in a project as big as this is, I think, inspiring enough.”
THE MCU KEEPS STRIVING FOR REPRESENTATION
It seems that the Disney+ series will be drawing heavily from the comic book run it is based on; it appears that it will follow Kamala Khan's struggle with her Muslim, Pakistani, and superhero identity all in tandem. This should make for a unique and introspective story, forging a new perspective for the superhero genre.
As the Ms. Marvel star states, seeing Iman Vellani suit up as Kamala Khan is sure to inspire viewers worldwide. South Asian representation in the MCU has been rather lacking up to this point, but Phase 4 is swiftly looking to remedy this. In addition to Ms. Marvel finally making her way to the franchise, Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo is set to play an important role in the upcoming film Eternals.
Marvel fans from a variety of different backgrounds will now be able to see themselves in these heroes and hopefully more to come down the line.
Ms. Marvel is currently slated to premiere on Disney+ in late 2021.
