Iman Vellani is just like any other young adult, she loves movies, superheroes and of course the MCU. Unlike most fans of the films though, Vellani was lucky enough to be cast as the one and only Ms. Marvel in the new Disney Plus series. At just nineteen years old, Vellani was granted the chance of a lifetime to play new superhero, Kamala Khan, who happens to be very similar to Imani herself. Both have immigrant parents from Pakistan, and both are obsessed with all things comic books and superheroes. To play a character that hits so close to home has to be comfortable for Vellani, and based on this exclusive look at the new series, it sounds like it was a lot of fun too.
What’s really cool about Vellani being cast in such a special role is that she loves this character and the universe just as much as the rest of us do. “It’s comfortable, it’s what we know. I can’t do my taxes, but I’ve seen ‘Iron Man 1’ a hundred million times.” says the star of Ms. Marvel. Her character, Kamala, is a huge Captain Marvel stan and wants to be just like her, but Vellani says, personally, it’s all about Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. Judging by how many times she says she’s seen the first movie, it seems to be true.
Some people think being into comics and superheroes is lame or cheesy, but Iman Vellani has a message for haters and others who think similarly, “As cheesy as it sounds, being a part of the Marvel fandom just makes you feel like you’re part of something, and isn’t that kind of what we all want?” She describes being an MCU fan perfectly as we’re like one big family, we all fight and disagree on what constitutes a good Marvel movie, but deep down we’re all passionate about the same thing.
It’s so exciting to see someone like Iman Vellani get this kind of success, especially at such a young age. With people like her and Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in Multiverse of Madness, coming into the MCU as new faces and potentially setting up the young Avengers, it seems like we’re in good hands for the next few years. Ms. Marvel begins streaming on Disney Plus June 8, so check out Iman Vellani’s debut when it airs.
