Marvel Studios has reportedly cast its Ms Marvel for the upcoming Disney Plus show of the same name. Iman Vellani, a young actress who’s relatively unknown according to a report on Deadline, will play the superhero Kamala Khan. The character will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as well as the TV show, which doesn’t have a release date yet.
Vellani appeared to confirm the news on Instagram – but since the image below is a new and unverified account, don’t take it as fact just yet. These announcements, though, frequently come through Hollywood trade publications before the actors are confirmed through official channels.
It sounds like the pieces are in place for Ms Marvel now. A writer had already been announced for the show – Bisha K Ali – and four directors had been lined up for the series, too. With the casting coming together, that suggests filming probably isn’t too far away.
Marvel TV news has accelerated in the past few weeks. The She-Hulk TV show has reportedly cast its lead, actress Tatiana Maslany, while a Nick Fury series has also been revealed in recent weeks.
Our theory: Marvel is doubling down on canonical TV shows at a time when the future of theatrical releases is uncertain, amid a wave of changing release dates. Maybe the small screen is the only way you’ll get to enjoy Marvel for the time being, then.
The first Disney Plus TV show set in the MCU, WandaVision, is coming before the end of 2020.
Who is Kamala Khan?
Created in 2014 by writer G Willow Wilson, artist Adrian Alphona and editor Sana Amanat, Kamala Khan is the latest superhero to hold the Ms Marvel moniker – the first being Carol Danvers, better known now as Captain Marvel.
Kamala is a Pakistani-American teen and the first Muslim Marvel superhero to headline a comic. Reading Kamala’s origin story is like discovering a Peter Parker-style tale for the modern age – it’s really great comic book storytelling, and the character immediately wins you over, investing you in the intricacies of her personal life. If you’ve never read a superhero comic, it’s a great place to start.
The character plays a memorable role in the otherwise disappointing Marvel’s Avengers game – putting her in live-action is the next logical step. Her superpowers let her morph the size of parts of her body: forming a big fist, for example, to squash her enemies.