Ms. Marvel is now two episodes in, though many are already calling it the best Marvel Studios show on Disney Plus to date. It’s very funny, beautifully shot, and provides a completely new perspective on the MCU – while star Iman Vellani is one of the best casting decisions the franchise has made in a very long time.
In the run-up to the show’s premiere, Vellani proved to be a fantastic interview subject, giving her forthright opinions on all things Marvel. It’s worth remembering – and this will make some readers feel very old – that Vellani was just five years old when Iron Man hit theaters in May 2008. As such, she’s grown up alongside the MCU, so it must be mind-blowing for her that she’s now a part of it.
Director and executive producer Adil El Arbi revealed the extent of her knowledge in an interview with Marvel.com, hammering home her credentials as an ever-flowing fountain of MCU information.
“Iman is the biggest Marvel fan you can imagine. She’s a Marvel expert, an encyclopedia of Marvel history. She knows so much.”
He goes on to talk about Vellani’s first encounter with Kevin Feige, revealing that she presented him with “a four-page list of 72 questions about the Marvel Cinematic Universe” she wanted answers on. Feige got his start as a producer working on 2000’s X-Men as a massive Marvel dork, so there’s every chance he saw something of his younger self in her fandom.
Right now, we know that Vellani will return in The Marvels next year, but after just two episodes fans are hoping she has a long career in the MCU as Kamala Khan. We have to agree, because she’s a real breath of fresh air as a character, and seems like a genuinely lovely person.
If you haven’t checked out Ms. Marvel yet we urge you to do so, it’s great stuff.