Ms. Marvel: Iman Vellani Reveals Kamala Khan’s Mutant Status Almost Didn’t Make Final Cut (Exclusive)

Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) is playing a massive role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not only starring in her own Disney+ Ms. Marvel series, but joining the superhero ensemble of the recent The Marvels film. Ms. Marvel‘s Season 1 finale broke the Internet by revealing that Kamala is a mutant, fulfilling a bit of lore originally planned for the character when she first debuted in the comics nine years ago. In an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com‘s Phase Zero podcast, which will be available on all podcast platforms on Friday, November 17th, Vellani reflected on filming that surprising reveal, and revealed that just hearing the word “mutation” in the scene was enough to make her break character.

“The hardest part was when we were filming it,” Vellani explained. “First of all, I couldn’t keep it together. Every single time Matt Lintz would say ‘mutation’ — which still makes me giddy every time I say the word — I would just break. They even did his coverage first so I could hear it enough times, so that by the time the camera rolled around to me, I was normal. It didn’t work. First take, I was gone. It was just so cool! And it was one of the last things we shot, and it was nighttime in Atlanta. It was such like vibes, you know? It was very cool. But again, lwe didn’t know if that was gonna make it into the cut. I think that was like the most annoying thing, filming it, because it was so cool, and I was having so much fun, and I just wanted people to see my excitement over it. And what an honor, you know, to use that M word for the first time in the MCU. So I’m very glad it made it in.”

Will Ms. Marvel Get a Season 2?

At the moment, Ms. Marvel has not been confirmed to be getting a second season on Disney+ — but Vellani has teased that a new batch of episodes would have a lot of potential, especially following Kamala’s journey in The Marvels.

“It would be fun to see Kamala post-‘The Marvels‘ after she’s fought with her idol,” Vellani said in an interview with Stylecaster earlier this year. “It’s similar to what Spider-Man went through after fighting with the Avengers in ‘Civil War‘ and going back to the friendly neighborhood thing.”

What Is The Marvels About?

In The Marvels, which arrived 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.

The Marvels is now playing exclusively in theaters. Phase Zero’s full interview with Vellani will be available on all podcast platforms on Friday, November 17th.