When Iman Velani reserved the role of Kamala Khan – the Pakistani American teen superhero, also known as Mrs. Marvel – it was the first acting concert for the 19-year-old newcomer. But taking on the mantle, Velani also took on the responsibility of playing the first titular Muslim superhero in the Marvel cinematic universe.
“Honestly, I’m so privileged that Marvel trusts me to revive a hero like Kamala,” Velany told Variety. At the same time, she says, “There is so much weight that comes with being first.”
The advice she received from Marvel’s management was simply to be herself. “They say, ‘You don’t go to work thinking you’re the first Muslim superhero; you just go to work and have fun, ”Velany recalls.
“I keep saying this: I don’t really need to deviate from my path and stand up for the representation of Muslims and Pakistan,” she said. “It’s a girl’s story. We cannot represent all two billion Muslims and South Asians, but this is definitely a good start.
This methodology was the keystone for the core creative team behind “Ms. Marvel “, which debuted on June 8 at Disney +. Along with mostly South Asian and Muslim cast, the team includes lead screenwriter Bisha K. Ali, executive producer Sana Amanat (who created the comic book in 2014) and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fala, Mira Menon and Sharmine Obeid-Chinoy.
“It’s this crossover from being the other one in the room, it’s the best way to describe it,” said Zenobia Shroff, who plays Kamala’s mother, Muniba. “Not only on the set, but also behind the scenes. We were basically ruled by strong brown women, and that’s the way we like it.
The six-episode series presents Kamala’s origins as she also focuses on the teenager’s turmoil, from the nuances of her family relationships and experiences at home to her friends from high school and mosque in Jersey City. The aim is to invite the audience to experience Kamala’s Muslim and Pakistani heritage without holding anyone’s hand through it.
Iman Velani and Yasmin Fletcher in “Mrs. A miracle. ‘ Daniel McFadden / Courtesy of Marvel Studios
“We try to be as authentic and realistic as possible and the characters won’t explain what that means,” El Arby said. “That’s what we wanted to do with this show.”
Ali adds: “I am very cautious about excuses, to point things out and to explain very openly. I would very much like her to come from a place where she is just who she is. ”
The series is intertwined with cultural references, such as Khan’s family observation of Eid, as natural as the celebration of Christmas in Falcon’s Eye.
“The celebrations and events we see, and the way she interacts with the elements of the community, is the daily life of an American girl,” Ali said.
Menon directed the episode, which included Eid, and said he “somehow couldn’t believe it” that Disney and Marvel had provided the show’s resources to “raise” Eid’s holiday “to feel like a complete carnival.”
“We certainly had a lot of consultations on the issue with the cultural advisers who were present during the show,” she said. “Sana really led these conversations, making sure they felt authentic to an experience specific to that community and specific enough to be universal.”
Amanat notes that Marvel Studios executives, including creative director Kevin Feigi, have not expressed concern about alienating non-Muslim audiences or non-South Asians with detailed cultural references to the show. Instead, they completely embraced the nuanced perspective.
“Every time we have a Muslim reference or a joke from Brown, and Kevin says, ‘What is this?’ Is it brown? ”Says Amanat. “When we said yes, he said, ‘Okay, great.’ More of that. He really supported this fragrance because he knows it makes it very unique and special. ”
Even the biggest change from “Ms. Marvel’s comics to the series – namely Kamala’s powers and how she gets them – include her legacy. In the comics, Kamala is part of a subgroup of people known as Inhumans, many of whom do not know they have superpowers until their sleeping abilities are unleashed – as is the case with Kamala.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
However, non-humans are not a factor in the current MCU and as a series of “Ms. Marvel ”arrives in the early stages of any long-term story (or stories) that Marvel Studios plans to follow the Infinity saga. This necessarily meant that Kamala’s forces had to be, as Amanat puts it, “connected to the beginning of something in the MCU.”
Amanat declined to say what that meant, but she and Ali also saw the change as an opportunity to link Kamala’s forces more closely to her identity. As the premiere episode revealed, they were provoked after Kamala put on a bracelet that her grandmother sent her from Pakistan, and the next episodes will immerse you even more in researching how the origin of the bracelet – and the abilities it unlocks in Kamala – are deeply intertwined with Kamala’s family history.
“What makes her strength unique and special comes not only from this bracelet, but from something much bigger and much more personal,” says Amanat. “It resonates much more intensely, at least for me, with Kamala’s history.”
With so many cultural references, large and small, Ali included a dictionary at the top of the scripts explaining some of the language.
“Just so everyone can be on the same page, whether they speak Arabic or Urdu,” she explains. “It was really about attracting as many people as possible to this process behind the camera, so I felt part of it and I think it will expand into our audience.”
The approach provides an opportunity for curious fans to get an education about another culture while having fun. “We are not trying to smash him in the head. We show a different aspect of the experience, “adds Amanat. “But in the end, we’re telling something like a nerdy, funny fan story about a young woman coming of age.”
Carson Burton and Jordan Moreau contributed to this story.
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