The Marvels: Iman Vellani Reveals Most Exciting Part of Ms. Marvel Being Mutant

Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani shared what she’s most excited to explore about her character being a mutant. In the comics, The Marvels star is writing Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. Before the strikes, Marvel.com sat down with Vellani to get her thoughts on writing the first chapters of Kamala Khan’s journey as an X-Men member. It’s a big change that sparked a ton of discussion on social media. (Just like a similar revelation sparked a ton of conversation in the MCU.) But, that tension behind identity seems to be a recurring theme for the character, so it fits right in. Vellani herself is moved that so many people had a reaction to the reveal. But, she got a lot of help figuring this new chapter for Ms. Marvel.

Vellani shared, “It is a big deal! And how cool that she’s a big enough character for this change to matter so much! The uproar on social media after it was announced was crazy, but so exciting for me that so many people cared, and obviously they hadn’t read the story at this point, so they are not one to judge right now.” 

“But I was so excited, because being a mutant is just—I mean, I never really read a lot of the X-Men comics; I will say that,” she added. “That was really scary for me, because I was just deep diving on everything X-Men, finding my favorite characters. Grant Morrison and [Jonathan] Hickman’s runs were basically my textbooks throughout this entire thing.” 

Ms. Marvel Is Adept At Navigating Different Labels in The Comics

Just like in her MCU variant, Kamala Khan is no stranger to juggling the different sides of herself. For Vellani, this is just another label that’s been foisted on her that she has to deal with. Ms. Marvel is a big Marvel fangirl in-universe. But, that’s completely different than living life as a Mutant. It feels like that adjustment is going to be key for the young hero in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. 

“I think it was just so fun to explore this different side of her, because for Kamala, she’s already dealt with so many different labels. She’s been an Avenger, she’s been an Inhuman, a Champion, Pakistani, Muslim,” Vellani mused to Marvel.com. “She starts off thinking that being a mutant is just another label to add to the list, and it doesn’t really change anything because she’s always had the X-gene, so it doesn’t really matter. Little does she realize that this new suit, the new colors, they bear so much more weight than she was expecting.”

“The world’s entire perspective on Ms. Marvel shifts very drastically, and for the first time, she gets a taste of what it’s like to be seen as a villain and an enemy, because after Hellfire Gala especially, the world just hates mutants—it’s horrible!” She would add, “We’ve put Kamala at Empire State University and created a program that’s funded by Orchis… and it is hard for her, as it would be!”

What’s Coming For Ms. Marvel on the Big Screen?

In The Marvels, which arrives 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.

Are you excited to read the new Ms. Marvel comic? Let us know down in the comments!