An MCU Phase Four breakout reveals they had no interest in being an actor before Marvel came along

For many of the leading lights of the MCU, landing a part in the biggest franchise in the world was the epitome of a hard-working, hugely successful career — like Brie Larson coming to Captain Marvel after winning an Oscar and Chris Evans working his way up to Captain America through the Fantastic Four films. For one of Phase Four’s brightest newcomers, though, the job wasn’t just their first ever professional acting gig but the thing that made them want to be an actor in the first place.

This International Women’s Day marks the release of new Marvel docuseries MPower, which spotlights the many heroines of the MCU. In episode two, which focuses on Captain Marvel, the focus turns to Carol Danvers’ protege Kamala Khan, with Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani opening up about just how life-changing it was getting cast as Jersey City’s very own protector. She explained:

“As a kid, I was very confused about what I wanted to do with my life, until this opportunity came around. I just have so much love for this character, which is why I auditioned in the first place. I didn’t want to be an actor, but because it was Ms. Marvel and I loved her comics for years, I had no choice.”

The deep-rooted love and dedication that Vellani has for her on-screen alter ego is nothing new to anyone who’s kept up with the actress’ ascension to the MCU. She’s perhaps the biggest Marvel fan ever to lead their own Marvel project. From her very nerdy (but totally accurate) complaints about the Earth-616 designation to constantly bugging Kevin Feige with her fan theories, the 20-year-old actress is definitely one of us. Except she also just happened to wander into playing a Marvel superhero herself.

Following on from last summer’s Ms. Marvel, Iman Vellani’s unexpected acting career reaches another major milestone with the release of her first blockbuster movie, The Marvels, this Nov. 10.