Geraldine Viswanathan Says It Was “Destiny” That She Joined the MCU With Thunderbolts (Exclusive)

Thanks in large part to her hilarious performance in Blockers, fans began expressing their hopes to see actor Geraldine Viswanathan take on the role of Kamala Khan to become Ms. Marvel for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a part that would ultimately go to Iman Vellani. Earlier this year, however, it was revealed that Viswanathan would be joining the MCU officially with the upcoming Thunderbolts, with Viswanathan recently sharing that it was seemingly “destiny” that led her to finally joining the beloved franchise. While Thunderbolts is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 2, 2025, Viswanathan can next be seen in Drive-Away Dolls, which hits theaters on February 23rd.

When asked by ComicBook.com if fan campaigns for Ms. Marvel casting led to her Thunderbolts role, Viswanathan shared, “I don’t know. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes, but I’ve always wanted to join the universe in whatever capacity, and this just came up. There’s a lot of … It was destiny. Destiny called me on the phone and I picked up and I said, ‘I’ll be there.’ Very excited.”

Viswanathan wasn’t initially cast in Thunderbolts, but with last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes impacting all sorts of movie and TV productions, shifting schedules forced Ayo Edebiri to leave the project and see Viswanathan take over. It’s unclear who Edibiri was playing or what, if any, changes will be made to the character with Viswanathan’s casting. Edebiri isn’t the only actor who was forced to exit Thunderbolts due to scheduling issues, as Steven Yeun also had to exit the project, who was then replaced by Top Gun: Maverick star Lewis Pullman. Pullman is reportedly taking over the role of Robert Reynolds / Sentry.

Drive-Away Dolls is described, “Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.”

The film stars Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon and was directed by Ethan Coen.

Drive-Away Dolls lands in theaters on February 23rd. Thunderbolts is set to land in theaters on May 2, 2025.

Are you looking forward to seeing Viswanathan in the movie? Let us know in the comments!