Ms. Marvel, the latest hero to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is also a huge fan. It’s appropriate, then, that the actress playing the part is also quite large. Star of Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kamala Khan, Iman Vellani told Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige face-to-face that she felt “they did [Black Bolt] dirty.”
She has a history of calling out flaws in the MCU to Feige’s face, which may help fans feel like their opinions are being heard. Recent examples include pointing out that Mysterio knows that Earth-616 is incorrectly designated as 616 and that it should actually be 199999.
It would appear that no other actor in the MCU has come close to matching Vellani’s level of outspokenness about his or her love of comic books. After appearing in Ms. Marvel and The Marvels, the actress naturally seems at ease.
When researching WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen on Disney+, another example of Vellani and Feige’s dynamic was uncovered.
Why Kevin Feige Loses It On Ms. Marvel Set
Saagar Shaikh, who plays Kamala Khan’s older brother in Ms. Marvel, discussed Iman Vellani’s MCU fangirling and how she angered Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige in an interview with Marvel Entertainment.
The actor said, “Kevin Feige got mad at her for watching WandaVision on her phone” while filming.
“I’ll tell you a secret. Kevin Feige got mad at her for watching WandaVision on her phone. He’s like, ‘They’re not made for phones! Watch it on TV!’”
He elaborated on the time Vellani was watching Elizabeth Olsen’s show and said, “She fell to the floor because she was so excited about what she had just seen”:
“She was on her iPad between takes. WandaVision had come out, and [while she was watching] she said ‘What?’ out loud, and she fell to the floor because she was so excited about what she had just seen. I don’t know what it was. I didn’t want to interrupt her viewing. But yeah, she’s very excited. She’s a fangirl.”
Shaikh continued by saying that on one of the first days they spent together, she put him to the test by asking him “which movie [did he] like better—Infinity War or Endgame:”
“I think one of the first days, it may have been the first or second day I met her, she was like, ‘Which movie do you like better—Infinity War or Endgame?’ … That was her test to see if she likes me or not.”
Bisha K. Ali, the showrunner and writer of Ms. Marvel, said that Vellani “has a creative mind… has that maturity” and is “obsessed with Marvel:”
“The reality is, I think that was from day one, and that’s not really regarding just Marvel, but in general, she has a creative mind. She has that maturity. She wants to be in this industry regardless, and well done for us and lucky for us that she’s obsessed with Marvel and that she loves it so much. I think all of that really comes through in what gives her the ability to play this role and just embody this role, but also what’s going to give her the ability to navigate the future within this character and within her wider universe. I really think she’s an artist. I don’t think it’s possible to expect an artist to come on board a project and not have a million ideas about it.”
Feige and Vellani: An Eternal Dynamic
This story is further evidence of the fruitful creative relationship that will develop between Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and Iman Vellani over the next decade.
Vellani has said before that she “froze completely… [and] literally gave him a stare.” when she first met the Marvel big wig. After that, the celebrity handed the authority figure a “four-or-five page letter” she had written beforehand, in which she asked several pointed questions.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more juicy details when The Marvels’ press tour kicks off. Given the massive crossovers that are planned, especially those involving Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel, one can only hope that this is the case.
The more pressing issue, however, is what significant WandaVision scene she was witnessing. Is Vision no longer alive? The appearance of Ralph Bohner at Wanda’s house? Agatha admitting that she was the murderer the whole time? Perhaps it was the tragic loss of Sparky, a beloved character in the MCU.
