Even with the COVID delays to the Cinematic branch – which sees a lot of the films due for the last two years finally reaching us over the NEXT two, the Marvel Television Universe has come into its own. And we now know when the Ms. Marvel series will debut and have a trailer to see its tone.
As previously announced, newcomer Iman Vellani will play the hero’s alter-ego Kamala Khan in the series that skews to a slightly younger audience, but an important one.
Ms. Marvel began in 1977 with Carol Danvers behind the mask – a character who would later take on the Captain Marvel role. Several characters took on the mantle over the years, but the new series will feature the latest incarnation of the titular hero, a totally different character to all before her in all but name. Kamala Khan was created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie and though her first appearance was, ironically, in the pages of Captain Marvel in 2013, she received huge attention when she was launched in her own comic early in 2014, the first Marvel comic to headline a Muslim character in their own book.
The title, a critical hit, showed Kamala balancing her faith, her family and the excitement (and dangers) that often collided with each other as she sought to find her way and emulate the heroes she’d loved growing up. The character has gone on to become something of a cult hit and many reviewers have spoken about the sensitive ways it addresses its central issues without ever seeming preachy. Though there are some changes to her power-set, it looks as if the series will tackle some of the same issues.
Iman Vellani herself is a newcomer whose previous work includes being part of ‘The Next Wave Committee‘ at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2019 but who described herself at the time as a ‘Pakistani-American-Muslim teenager with immigrant parents…’ which would echo the character of Kamala.
Though this show will see her debut, look to see more of Kamala and Iman alongside Brie Larson / Captain Marvel in the upcoming The Marvels movie next year.
