Iman Vellani Cast As Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, The First Pakistani-American Superhero, In Disney+ Series
If you’re someone who loves your comic books and superheroes, and is as invested in Marvel and DC as I am, then this news might have you psyched! As you know, Disney+ is launching a bunch of Marvel series, including WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Well, one of them is Ms. Marvel, and the casting for the lead character has been announced! Canadian newcomer Iman Vellani will be playing Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel in the Disney+ series! The mantle of Ms. Marvel has been taken on by several female superheroes in the comics, including Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. However, what’s special about Kamala Khan is that not only is she a teenager but she’s also the first Pakistani-American and Muslim superhero in Marvel!
What’s more, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has said that Ms. Marvel won’t just be kicking ass on Disney+, but will eventually make her way into the MCU movies too! Marvel and Disney+ have recently named Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon as directors on the project.
Iman took to Instagram to announce her casting. And if you sneak a peek at her bio, it’s so perfect: Dream big. It might come true. Oh well, it definitely has for her, because a Marvel superhero could easily be a dream role!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFxZdvtH26E/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala Khan is the fourth character to take up the pseudonym of Ms. Marvel in the comics. She is a 16-year-old Pakistani-American who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, and idolises Carol Danvers, who was the first Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel first appears in the comic book Captain Marvel #17 (November 2013). In February 2014, she got her own series, thus making her Marvel Comics’ first Muslim character to headline her own comic book.
Deadline broke the news about Iman’s casting in what is her first major Hollywood role. Before this, Iman Vellani was part of the 2019 Toronto Film Festival’s New Wave Committee. The committee was tasked with tagging films from the festival lineup that would be of particular appeal and resonate with their peers.
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Congratulations and encouragement poured in for Iman Vellani, as soon as the news broke on social media. From mediapersons to fellow Marvel cast member, Kumail Nanjiani, who’ll be see in MCU’s Eternals, everyone chimed in with their excitement.
https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1311383916117258240?s=20
https://twitter.com/mindykaling/status/1311429699441061893?s=20
Iman Vellani already is a real life Kamala Khan.
She's probably a young fan. She doesn't have a lot of experience. And now she's alongside the biggest names in the world, finding her way and becoming a hero herself.
Perfect. Congrats to Ms. Marvel! https://t.co/34PQNJwqWZ
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) September 30, 2020
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN MEET YOUR NEW KAMALA KHAN IMAN VELLANI! She’ll do great! Moon Knight casting up next! MS. MARVEL LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! pic.twitter.com/qFxckQDdIn
— TASK the Ol’ Nerdy Bastard #BLM #StopAsianHate (@UpToTASK) September 30, 2020
Congrats to #imanvellani our official Ms. MARVEL Kamala Khan. Crazy to see they picked up someone completely unknown, excited to see. @disneyplus pic.twitter.com/VqFsvvEoSQ
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) October 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/AllMsMarvel/status/1311392082129489920?s=20
There were lots of people commenting on what a diverse team on the Ms. Marvel production was shaping up to be, with proper Muslim and South-Asian representation, as it should be!
IM SEEING MUSLIM DIRECTORS AND MORE SOUTH ASIAN REPRESENTATION IN THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF MS MARVEL IT MAKES ME SO EMOTIONAL IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG AND ITS FINALLY COMING TOGETHER IM SO PROUD OF HER pic.twitter.com/uq2nenXtEG
— Aniq (@aniqrahman) September 30, 2020
The Ms. Marvel casting news comes in the wake of another Marvel casting news, that of Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk. The Emmy Award-winning actor is also a Canadian and all set to play Jennifer Walter, Bruce Banner’s (The Hulk) cousin in an upcoming Disney+ series of her own.
Welcome to the family, cuz! @tatianamaslany #SheHulk https://t.co/VXcaE9Fine
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) September 17, 2020
With the Elisabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Kathryn Hahn starrer WandaVision slated to be the first Marvel series to hit Disney+ from the lineup, it sure looks like Marvel’s all about girl power! OMG, we’re so excited!
