Airing in 2022, Ms. Marvel followed Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a superhero superfan who suddenly develops superpowers of her own and tries (to varying levels of success) to become the friendly neighborhood superhero she’d always dreamed of being. The show had a lukewarm reception; not bad by any means, but it didn’t blow viewers away. Now, over a year later, we still don’t have confirmation that another season is coming.
The good news? Iman Vellani is returning as Ms. Marvel later this year alongside Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau) in The Marvels. The team-up movie will be Vellani’s first Marvel movie, a big step in her career.
For fans worried that Ms. Marvel may not get another chance to shine in her own solo show, director Adil El Arbi recently revealed that all is not lost. It’s just that the focus has shifted to The Marvels…for now. “We’re waiting for The Marvels, so that will decide what the next step will be,” he told The Discourse podcast. “So we’re very much looking forward to that. I can’t wait to see it, man. It’s great to see the trailers and to see the whole family back there and Iman Vellani doing great work, so looking forward to that.”
The Marvels director Nia DaCosta says the superhero trio are like sisters
In The Marvels, Carol Denvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan all meet after their powers become entangled. Every time they use their powers, they swap places. When they finally get together, there’s already a sort of sisterly relationship between them.
“I thought it would be cool to map an estranged family history and sister story onto them,” director Nia DaCosta explained to Empire Magazine. “Carol’s the oldest, the prodigal, then there’s the middle sister Monica, who Carol knew as a kid and promised she’d come back but then never did.”
"Kamala is the youngest, who hasn’t had the experience of living with this older sister but idolises her. Carol’s a bit jaded at the beginning of the film [but] Kamala reminds her how amazing she is."
Despite taking part in all these otherworldly battles, Khan never forgets her roots or gets carried away by the action. “Now she’s going into space and dealing with crazy space emperors, but the thing I love about Kamala is her belief in people and family,” DaCosta said. “Even in the midst of being around Captain Marvel and out of her depth, she’s preserved her strength.” She might be young and silly, but she’s also wise beyond her years.
The Marvels director Nia DaCosta hopes studios can end the Hollywood strikes soon
DaCosta is doing her best to promote The Marvels, which reportedly cost Marvel Studios $270 million to make. There’s a lot riding on this film. But given the ongoing writers and actors strikes, the movie isn’t going to get the traditional promotion fans are used to.
As a result, DaCosta is hoping that the strikes can be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible: “I’m hoping I’m not promoting the movie by myself,” she told The Abbotsford News. “No one’s there to see me, either. They’re going to be like, ‘Where’s Brie Larson?’”
"I think we’re now in a new world. Everything that’s happening is an existential search that our industry is doing. It won’t be solved in one round of negotiations. But I’m hoping that the studios can end the strike soon and get us all back to work — to work for them."
The Marvels premieres November 10, 2023.
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