The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to thrive thanks to the work of its younger actors, who lead the way in one top-billed project after another in Phase 4. While Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel is next up in this regard, Marvel Studios has already seen massive success in this area from other blockbuster entries such as Tom Holland's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Spidey threequel became almost the only thing on every comic book movie fan's mind for all of 2021 as anticipation built to see what Marvel and Sony had in store for this massive adventure. Somehow, No Way Home even found a way to exceed that hype; it tied three different web-slinger franchises together in one movie, became one of the best-reviewed films ever, and nearly cracked $2 billion at the global box office.
Looking at how this movie took the world by storm long before and long after its debut, one would imagine that Ms. Marvel star and MCU superfan Iman Vellani was part of the group raving about everything that went down. Well, as it turns out, the lady behind Kamala Khan was unintentionally part of a group that had the movie spoiled before it debuted to the world.
Tom Holland Can't Stop Spoiling Spider-Man
During an interview with Elite Daily, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani looked back to a moment with Spider-Man star Tom Holland as he spoiled Spider-Man: No Way Home for her.
Vellani looked back to last year when she was shooting Ms. Marvel in Atlanta at the same time that Holland was shooting No Way Home, and the British actor came to visit her as she got her hair and make-up done. Although she was in the middle of getting ready for her day, she noted how Holland was "so nice" as they discussed their work.
“I was half dressed, literally a bra and biker shorts. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. I am half naked right now.’ But he was so nice.”
The two also talked about their Marvel projects, leading Holland to show Vellani "a photo of him with Tobey Maguire" as the two joined forces as their respective Spider-Men in the movie. She didn't know that Maguire was in the movie at that point, and although she laughs about it now, it wasn't something she wanted to know at the time:
“He was like, ‘What’s your show even about?’ I was like, ‘What's Spider-Man about?’ He fully shows me a photo of him with Tobey Maguire! I get we’re both in Marvel, but I didn’t need to know that before it happened.”
Moving to her own work, Vellani was almost at a loss for words when she spoke about how many people are going to see her work and know her name from her time with Marvel Studios. Looking back on the careers of other Marvel stars such as Holland and Thor superstar Chris Hemsworth, she admitted that it's something she could never have prepared for:
“The fact that people are going to see this is crazy. The fact that people are going to know my name and associate my name with other famous people is crazy. I’ve essentially been given a countdown to fame. What do you do in two years? How do you prep for something this huge? I’ve seen it happen to the Tom Hollands and Chris Hemsworths of the world — but you can’t even begin to put yourself in those shoes.”
Will Ms. Marvel Ever Team Up With Spider-Man?
Even though he's largely stopped doing it in public, it's clear that Tom Holland and spoilers simply can't get away from one another completely.
The MCU's Spider-Man star has been infamous in the past for leaking plot details about his movies, even leading to his fellow MCU cast mates having to watch him like a hawk to make sure fans don't find out too much. Although he largely kept this under control for No Way Home, save for an accidental slip-up with the final battle, his behind-the-scenes antics are an entirely different story.
From everything Iman Vellani has said about her time as an MCU fan, she's unquestionably the kind of viewer that would have been thrilled to find out about Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's inclusions as part of the first viewing experience. She seemed to be a great sport considering that this moment was spoiled for her, but it makes for a hilarious anecdote nonetheless between two MCU up-and-comers.
Even with that mishap, Vellani sees Holland as an inspiration and a benchmark for where she can go with her own career, as Ms. Marvel is the first true credit on her acting resume. Already set to return in next year's The Marvels after her own solo series, the young star has a bright future ahead of her as she brings this new comic book heroine to the big and small screen.
This also brings up the possibility of whether Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel will ever cross over with one another in the MCU with Holland and Vellani being in such close proximity at that moment.
These are two of the MCU's youngest heroes, with Kamala in high school and Peter working on his GED, and they're both firmly located in New York's Tri-State area for the foreseeable future. Marvel Studios has made a point of teasing the Young Avengers, and while Spider-Man doesn't always work with that group, the web-slinger could be someone who provides some insightful help to an up-and-coming hero like Kamala Khan.
The first episode of Ms. Marvel premieres on Disney+ on June 8.
