The Marvel Cinematic Universe almost seems to be growing by the day, as talent is being cast to join the massive superhero world. The Disney+ corner of this franchise has seen significant growth as of late, with the casting of Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk and the announcement of a Nick Fury-led TV series. Now, we have another piece of major casting, as Marvel Studios has finally landed an actress to play the lead role in the highly anticipated Ms. Marvel.
Newcomer Iman Vellani has been cast as lead character Kamala Khan in Marvel and Disney+’s Ms. Marvel, per Deadline. At this time, Marvel had no comment on the casting. According to the trade, the studio had always intended to find who it believed was the right actress for the role even if it meant hiring a relatively unknown actor.
Like her superhero character, Iman Vellani is a Pakastani-Muslim teenager, which made Kamala Khan’s comic book debut groundbreaking at the time, as she was the first Muslim hero to headline her own comic book. Now, Ms. Marvel will become the MCU’s first on-screen Muslim character. And it’s also been confirmed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that Khan, along with her Disney+ counterparts, will appear in MCU films as well.
While this will be Iman Vellani’s first major role in Hollywood, the young actress has already done quite a bit to increase diversity within the industry. This past year, she served as a member of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Next Wave Committee, a group made up of 12 diverse, film-loving students that seeks to highlight underrepresented stories.
Disney+’s Ms. Marvel has a showrunner in Bisha K. Ali, who also serves as head writer and executive producer. The series has also landed directors in Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon. As of right now, an official release date has not been announced for the series.
Khan made her comic book debut back in 2014 and was established as a young superhero fan unaware of the fact that she’s actually an Inhuman. After undergoing Terrigenesis, she gains the ability to morph her body into virtually anything. Inspired by the heroes she sees in her everyday life, especially Carol Danvers, she becomes a hero in a her own right and takes on the name Ms. Marvel.
Kamala Khan is part of a new wave of superheroes that are meant to enter the MCU over the next few years. The upcoming Disney+ shows alone are set to introduce plenty of new faces. What’s particularly interesting is that Marvel Studios seems to be clearing the way for younger heroes, including Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop and Ant-Man’s Cassie Lang, who may or may not be on the road to becoming Stature. This has many believing that Marvel has plans to introduce the Young Avengers, which is an exciting prospect.
This is a major step for the upcoming Marvel series, and it will be exciting to see who the studio taps to star alongside Iman Vellani. And if Marvel’s track record with casting is any indication, Vellani will embody the sweet, heroic, vivacious and hilarious nature of Kamala Khan.
How excited are you for Ms. Marvel? Let us know in the comments!
