The Marvels: Iman Vellani on Kamala Khan’s MCU Future

Not only do the events of impact the grander Marvel Cinematic Universe as the franchise moves forward, but they also left a big mark on the central characters in the film. Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, finally got into some real superhero action. Even without diving into any spoilers from the movie, it’s safe to say that Kamala will be on a different journey going forward in the MCU, one that hopefully sees her become a central figure in the franchise.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter after the release of The Marvels this past weekend, star Iman Vellani opened up about how Kamala’s journey will be different after her time with Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau.

“Well, I do think that she’s not going to put people on a pedestal as much,” Vellani explained. “Kamala and I are on a very similar journey. I’ve gotten a lot better at not holding celebrities to the highest standard possible. They’re still human. They still put on pants just like we do. So I think Kamala is going through the same thing of just humanizing the people that she loves and realizing that they’re not picture perfect, Carol especially. She’s not a good leader. Carol has gone through a lot of trauma, and she’s been conditioned to suppress her emotions. She doesn’t understand how to fully be vulnerable in front of other people and in front of a team. Whereas Kamala, this is all she’s ever wanted. She wants a team, and she’s ready for this. So she really is the most emotionally intelligent and mature out of the three Marvels, and she can read people really well. A lot of the other characters can honestly learn quite a bit from her.”

In the Ms. Marvel TV show, fans saw how obsessive Kamala could be with her heroes, especially when it came to Carol. That has changed in a big way, which now offers Kamala the ability to grow into her own as a superhero. 

In The Marvels, which arrived in theaters on November 10th, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” The Marvels will also see the franchise returns of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan, and Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan. New cast members include Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Shamier Anderson. Produced by Marvel Studios, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta with a script from DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik.