Iman Vellani has spoken out on the high number of orphaned heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comics mythos, explaining why her Ms. Marvel is so different.
Ms. Marvel is set to make her jump into live-action with Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani being introduced to audiences as her first credit. Playing such an excitable character obsessed with the heroes around her, Vellani’s shown her real-life similarites to her character Kamala Kham.
A major aspect of Khan’s character is the importance of family in her life, and the themes of the show will heavily reflect the character’s Pakistani heritage. The mere fact she has living parents already separates her from a lot of Marvel heroes, which Vellani spoke about in detail to Now Toronto.
I think it’s incredibly important to show children of immigrant parents who are proud of their culture and don’t neglect it. For Kamala, her family is her rock. It’s her guiding voice throughout her hero’s journey. They really motivate and encourage her to just be a good human, because that’s what a hero is. It’s not about the powers or the fancy capes. It’s about their motivations: why they fight and who they’re fighting for. Kamala just has so much heart. And a lot of that comes from the characters in her life. Also, she’s the only superhero besides I guess the Wasp whose parents are both alive. So that’s cool. You know, parents, we love them. I think it’s great to show a tight-knit family. And that’s the case for a lot of South Asians.
The Wasp mention is particularly interesting, with the Ms. Marvel trailers showing Khan wearing a t-shirt with Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Valkyrie. The orphan thing is very humorous, and the only other hero in the MCU canon to have both parents alive is Black Widow. Who died in Endgame. Swings and roundabouts.
Fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see Ms. Marvel in action, with the series set to premiere on Disney Plus on June 8.
