Marvel Studios has found their Kamala Khan.
Canadian actress Iman Vellani has been cast as Khan/Ms. Marvel for Ms. Marvel, an upcoming Disney+ series and part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Personally, I think this is great casting. Going with an unknown/up-and-coming actress over an established one means that Vellani will be Ms. Marvel (at least for the first part of her career). She also looks the part, and I’m sure will fill the boots of being a superhero and role model for years to come.
For the unfamiliar, Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American hero, who is also an Inhuman with polymorph powers that allow her to increase the size of her body. She was introduced in 2013 as the second Ms. Marvel (after Carol Danvers become Captain Marvel). Danvers’ version of Captain Marvel is already in the MCU (played by Brie Larson), and it is expected that Kamala Khan will have a role in the upcoming Captain Marvel 2.
Marvel hasn’t confirmed the casting, but with almost every major outlet reporting this news it would be pretty embarrassing for Marvel if they had to call up the young actress and tell her that she had not received the role.
Vellani is the second actress to board a Marvel/Disney+ series after Tatiana Maslany was cast last week as She-Hulk. She is the first actress to join the Ms. Marvel series. However, Marvel recently announced that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys For Life), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (3 Bahadur: Rise of the Warriors), and Meera Menon (Farrah Goes Bang) have all signed on direct episodes of the series. Bisha K. Ali is serving as the showrunner. That’s a great, diverse lineup of directors that will certainly be able to bring an authentic representation of Pakistani-American life (with a superhero twist, of course).
Ms. Marvel is currently aiming for a 2022 release on Disney+.
What do you think of the casting and directing announcements? Is Ms. Marvel on your radar? Do you think Khan’s inclusion in Captain Marvel 2 will improve the story? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
