The Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani Once Lost an Audition for Agents of Shield

Before Kumail Nanjiani became a household name with Silicon Valley, he almost joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a new profile from Men’s Health, Nanjiani revealed he onced auditioned for a role in ABC’s Agents of SHIELD. As you know by now, Nanjiani lost out on the unknown part “years before” joining HBO’s Valley. Now later this year, the actor will finally join the MCU when The Eternals hits theaters. Agents of SHIELD, on the other hand, ends this July with its seventh and final season.

After the failed SHIELD audition, Nanjiani says he decided he doesn’t want a small or supporting Marvel role. Rather, he made the decision to do whatever it takes to lock down a starring role. Thanks to a breakout role in The Big Sick and subsequent appearances in flicks like Stuber, the actor is nothing short of a big-time Hollywood name. Better yet, he finally got the major Marvel role he held out for.

“It was a pipe dream,” Nanjiani tells the fitness mag of his Marvel aspirations.. “But I was very strategic about it.” He turned down supporting parts in other comic-book projects, worried they’d take him out of the running for his own big role. And he made it clear that he didn’t want to play some tech-loving sidekick. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to be just part of a Marvel movie; I want to be a Marvel superhero.’”

Nanjiani is now on tap to play the Eternal named Kingo, a character who — on-screen, at least — will serve as a present-day Bollywood star. Men’s Health describes the character as an arrogant, cosmic-powered being. The actor will join the likes of Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Don Lee, Lia McHugh, Salma Hayek, and Barry Keoghan in the massive ensemble film.

The Eternals hits theaters on November 6th.

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1st, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in August, WandaVision in December, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022.