Canadian Iman Vellani is the next big star in the Marvel movie universe as Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel (released at Disney + on June 8), the first Muslim superhero from MCU, a character co-created by Sana Amanat, with showrunner Bisha K. Ali (Sex Education, Loki) at the helm of the series.
With only two episodes, Kamala is a Muslim and Pakistani-American teenager from Jersey City and a big fan of the Avengers, with a particular affinity for Captain Marvel. Even though he has his two closest friends by his side, Bruno (Matt Lintz) and Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher), he doesn’t feel exactly like he’s in high school.
At the beginning of the series, Kamala has a goal, to get her parents to allow her to go to the AvengerCon, dressed specifically as Captain Marvel. But when a family legacy leads him to unlock superpowers he never knew he had, things start to change.
Iman Vellani as Mrs. Marvel / Kamala Khan and MS from Marvel Studios. MARVEL, exclusively at Disney +. (Photo by Daniel McFadden / Marvel Studios 2022)
“It simply came to our notice then [much] exploiting teen experiences and sharing our embarrassing moments, “Ali told Yahoo Canada.” It’s a collaboration … we had so many great writers on the show that they were so open to being vulnerable, giving in and sharing their stories. ” .
The collaboration was also important for Amanat, co-creator of the character, and a highlight for her during the process of transforming the story on screen.
“It was a lot of fun, it obviously scared me to bring something so close to my heart and let other people play with it, but that’s the gold of the collaboration,” he told Yahoo Canada. “One of my favorite things is working with other creators, looking at an idea and thinking about how to expand and build it.”
Of course, much of Ms. Marvel’s story for the show comes from the comics, but as Ali explains, she and her fellow writers and producers had to condense it into a place where it could be effectively portrayed on screen. .
“[One of our writers] Aisha [Bhoori] in particular, she’s from New Jersey, she’s also Pakistani-American and had just graduated from college and I gave her her first job as a writer for Ms. Marvel, ”Ali revealed.“ She was such a resource. in terms of that youthful voice, in terms of what it’s like to grow up specifically on the East Coast, in the Muslim community, and also in adolescence, and how you live it now versus how I lived it. ”
The story goes on
“I escaped social media when I was a teenager, … so it was important for us to capture this in a real way, and that meant being open and listening to the experiences of others, which I love to do because I’m very intrusive and I want to hear everyone’s stories all the time. “
(LR) Iman Vellani as Mrs. Marvel / Kamala Khan, Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia and Matt Lintz as Bruno in MS from Marvel Studios. WONDER. (Photo by Daniel McFadden / Marvel Studios 2022)
As for showing Kamala’s teenage life in a broader way, apart from her superpowers, Amanat stressed that that moment in your life when you try to find out your identity reflects the fact that “being a human being It’s so hard at this age. “
“I’ve always been fascinated by these stories, and first of all, that’s why Kamala exists, it’s because I just wanted to tell a story from that perspective, a story of adulthood, and to lean on MCU is a lot of fun because we only have one other movie that does this, and this is Spider Man, “he said.
“I think having an adult story mixed with superheroism is, I think, just a great and lucky adventure that people will have a lot of fun with.”
Mrs. Marvel’s coming of age story catches you right away, aided by the fact that it includes some great music, like MIA’s “Come Around,” and combines great animations.
There are so many things to celebrate about Ms. Marvel and Kamala and his journey is universally related, the battles he is having as a teenager with his parents and relationships with his friends, while showing the details of his Pakistani-American family.
If you’re like us, you’ll even be amazed at how accurate Kamala’s interactions with her parents are in our teens, as when they initially say, instead of not trusting her exactly, “they just do it.” I trust no one else. “
It feels young, it feels fresh and fun. All in all, it looks like exactly what we needed in an MCU expansion.
Iman Vellani as Mrs. Marvel / Kamala Khan and MS from Marvel Studios. MARVEL, exclusively at Disney +. (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)
“It’s electric”
When it came to finding the perfect actor to play Kamala, Canadian Iman Vellani of Markham, Ontario, was the perfect choice. She’s so incredibly captivating and witty that we can’t imagine anyone else in this role.
“It’s electric, … as soon as you see it, you get it,” Bisha K. Ali said. “She’s so clearly the one who plays the character.”
“It also had a great maturity in it that we could see, which I think doing this kind of work will require because … it will change your life very quickly and I think you’re seeing it now, we’re all seeing that.”
Like Kamala, Vellani is a big Marvel fan personally, which also puts her on a path similar to her character, in terms of a fan who quickly places herself in the world of her obsession.
Kamala’s obsession with these Marvel superheroes also has a connection to the showrunner of the series.
“I’m like an unconditional nerd, I grew up in Final Fantasy VII, I was playing all the Final Fantasy games, I was a player in the early 2000s, … Kamala, she’s also a player, but the games are cool now, games are common, but that wasn’t the case when I was little, “Ali said.
“Those elements of her, her fandom, could definitely relate to me, having been a fan of everything myself …, reflected in my journey … My weird version of Kamala’s Bish getting superpowers I’m joining Marvel Studios. “
(LR): Mohan Kapur as Yusuf, Iman Vellani as Mrs. Marvel / Kamala Khan, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir and Nimra Bucha as Najma in MS from Marvel Studios. WONDER. (Photo by Daniel McFadden / Marvel Studios 2022)
“We can only do this because other people have exceeded the limits”
As the press and screenings of the series Ms. Marvel has risen in recent days and weeks, the stars of the show have expressed their gratitude for the series, being able to see Pakistani culture as part of the main entertainment, celebrating Ms. Marvel’s commitment to acting. of the Muslim and Pakistani-American community on such a massive scale, and how inspiring and aspirational it is for people to see it.
“I think it’s the scale of what we’re doing, it’s the kind of new element,” Bisha K. Ali said. “We only do it because other people exceeded the limits to do their shows and make their change in the industry, we can only do that thanks to the work that other people of color and other people of minority background … Put.”
“Someone tweeted at my daughter in a Marvel dress and I burst into tears, and I don’t even like it, because then I’m showing too much … and then my friend went to MCM ComicCon. last week … and he said, “There are as many people dressed here as Mrs. Marvel, you know?
These are times when Kamala questions her skills by saying, “It’s not really the brown girls in Jersey City who saved the world,” or when Nakia, Kamala’s friend, confides that she feels “too white” for some, “too ethnic” for others. , is added to the dynamics of the story in a way that feels naturally part of the narrative.
With even more eyeballs reaching her character of Ms. Marvel, Sana Amanat is “surrounding everything.”
“[Our cast] They have so much love for the character and the comics themselves, and they are really finding ways to bring that authenticity of the original character to the race, which I love and appreciate, and they have a great appreciation for that, ”he said.
“I’m very proud to have brought these characters to life with so much talent, grace and ingenuity, and that’s really what I’m so happy about. I feel like it’s in good hands.”