Kamala Khan geeks out over Captain Marvel in new Ms. Marvel promo videos
There's also a better look at her new powers and superhero suit in the Disney+ show
With the premiere of Ms. Marvel just a few weeks away, Marvel Studios has offered up a couple of fresh looks at how the new character will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A behind-the-scenes featurette opens with the June 2020 Zoom call that saw series star Iman Vellani landing her first-ever acting job as the titular hero.
“It was a unanimous decision,” Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige says, alongside casting director Sarah Halley Finn and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
Following Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel is the second Disney+ MCU series to focus on a character previously unseen in the movies. However, unlike Marc Spector, Kamala Khan has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about Earth’s mightiest heroes.
The New Jersey teenager is an avid fan of Captain Marvel, with multiple posters of the cosmically-enhanced character displayed prominently in her room. When she comes into powers of her own, she’s inspired to fight crime in a cosplay version of her favorite Avenger’s signature suit.
In the comics, the Pakistani-American Kamala uses her shapeshifting skills to make herself resemble the white, blonde Carol Danvers before realizing that she can still be a superhero with her natural look. It seems like the show will be hitting this narrative beat with the creation of the Ms. Marvel costume instead.
“It’s not about who you look like, the clothes you wear,” executive producer and Marvel Comics editor Sana Amanat says. “It’s about what you do with what you’ve been given.”
The series will diverge from the character’s original ability to change the size and appearance of her body thanks to genetic modification. In live action, she’ll be wielding a bracelet imbued with supernatural powers.
“She can manifest light,” Vellani describes.
In other footage, Ms. Marvel is seen using the bracelet’s energy to create a super-sized fist, a shield, and steps that allow her to walk through the air. Another video, titled “Destiny,” hints that the mysterious device is a family heirloom.
Ms. Marvel will release one episode a week on Disney+ starting from June 8, unless you live in Pakistan, where the limited series will be repackaged into three feature-length installments for theaters.