Ms. Marvel directors want Kamala Khan to evolve in the MCU the same way Spider-Man has
Exclusive: Here's a new look at Iman Vellani in Ms. Marvel
When Ms. Marvel enters the MCU later this year, she has a distinct advantage over Moon Knight: she has a confirmed future in the Marvel movies. Played by Iman Vellani, Ms. Marvel – real name Kamala Khan – can next be seen in the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, and the directors of her new Disney Plus series, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, believe Kamala has a long history ahead of her.
"It’s just the beginning," Fallah tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Jurassic World Dominion on the cover. "There’s a lot more you can do."
"In the same way you see Tom Holland as Peter Parker evolve... that’s the bar, basically," adds El Arbi. "For us, personally, it’s a masterpiece of a movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The bar is now so high. It just inspires us and also the other people involved in Ms. Marvel, to be like, ‘What can we do to try to reach that goal one day?’"
Whatever the future holds for Kamala, the actor behind her is excited to see what the future holds. "[Kamala]’s a fan [of the Avengers], just like us, and that’s why we root for her when she meets Avengers in the comics," beams Vellani. "That’s why we root for her when she gets her powers. Everyone can definitely see themselves in her. You don’t have to be Brown or Muslim or Pakistani. It’s about this Avengers-loving, fanfic-writing nerd who just happens to be a Pakistani-American Muslim girl. But she’s awesome, and ultimately you just watch her grow and become this badass superhero." Below, see an exclusive image of the new Disney Plus series.
Ms. Marvel reaches Disney Plus on June 8 – sign up for the streamer here. For more from the team behind Ms. Marvel, as well as the huge cast of Jurassic World Dominion check out the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves (and digital newsstands) this Thursday, May 26 – you can pre-order here!
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I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at 12DOVE, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.
- Jack ShepherdFreelance Journalist