The brand-new Marvel show arrives on Disney+ very soon.
Moon Knight has just finished, while later in 2022 we’ll see the arrival of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, and landing snuggly between them both is Ms. Marvel, a new six-part series focusing on the adventures of Kamala Khan.
For those who haven’t read the comics – or maybe haven’t played the recent Marvel’s Avengers game, which had Kamala at the centre of the action – let us give you the lowdown.
Kamala Khan (here played by Iman Vellani) is a 16-year-old Pakistani-American high school student who lives in New Jersey with her parents. She is a huge fan of the Avengers – her favourite being Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) – who has been off-world since the events of Avengers: Endgame.
While attending Avengers-Con (basically Comic-Con, but specifically for Avengers) with her best friend Bruno (Matt Lintz), Kamala suddenly finds herself able to access a cosmic powers through a mystical bangle she wore as part of her Captain Marvel cosplay competition.
Trying to keep her new powers on the DL from her overprotective parents, Kamala tries to test the limits of her new capabilities, while also trying to live a normal teenage life, like getting good grades, sneaking to parties and crushing hard on the new classroom hunk, Kamran (Rish Shah).
In the run-up to the release of the new show, JOE had the opportunity to chat to both Iman Vellani and Rish Shah about their roles in the new superhero series.
First up, which of the other members of the MCU did they get to meet?
Vellani told us: “My first week in Atlanta, we shot Ms. Marvel right next door to Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home. And I’ve been there two weeks and I go to Marvel’s head of security, and I’m like ‘Yo Barry, I’ve been here two weeks, I haven’t met any of the Toms yet!
“He comes back 15 minutes later and says ‘Tom Hiddleston wants to meet you’. I came to work in my pyjamas that day! It was terrifying but he was actually the sweetest guy ever and he ended up living in our apartment! We worked out with Tom Hiddleston! We ran into him at the gym and suddenly we were all doing reps together.”
Shah added: “Yeah, I think I tried to lift way heavier than I should’ve, just to impress him! I probably embarrassed myself. Haha!”
Was there anyone from the MCU that they were completely starstruck by?
Vellani reveals: “Kevin Feige! He’s my superhero! It is weird – because I met Tom Holland as well – and you’re seeing all of these people on the screen is so normal to me, but then seeing them in real life and have them enter my space and we’re breathing the same air, it is so bizarre and strange.
“It feels really unnatural because they’re supposed to be on my laptop, they’re not supposed to be in my real life. But now they are in my real life. And they’re basically our peers now, which is so crazy.”
We pointed out the similarities between Kamala Khan and Peter Parker – both from New York, both hiding their identities to protect their loved ones, both teenagers trying to navigate high school – but we asked which existing MCU character is Kamran most similar to?
Vellani says: “Probably the Winter Soldier, in my opinion. He’s an outcast.”
Shah agrees: “I’ll take it. I love the Winter Soldier. He’s so cool!”
Ms. Marvel kicks off on Disney+ on Wednesday, 8 June.
Clips via Marvel Entertainment
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