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Ms. Marvel: Vellani, Ali Discuss THAT MCU Game-Changer (SPOILERS)

Published Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:21:13 -0500

Earlier today, we posted on one of the big, MCU game-changing moments that took place during the season finale of Marvel Studios' Iman Vellani-starring Ms. Marvel (directed by Adil & Bilall, with a teleplay by Will Dunn and A. C. Bradley & Matthew Chauncey, and with a story by Dunn). You know, the one that we said X-Men fans would really, really appreciate? Well, head writer Bisha K. Ali and Vellani are discussing that scene, how they felt when they learned it would be included, and more. So we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and dropping a spoiler buffer image as we offer a quick overview before diving into Ali and Vellani's thoughts.

As you know, the background on Kamala's (Vellani) powers has evolved over the course of the season. The bangle wasn't the source of her power, just a way of activating the power that was already inside of her. Deeper into the series, Kamala's told that she's a supernatural being known as a djinn. But in S01E06 "No Normal," her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) has an even bigger reveal, telling her that there is something different in her genes… "like a mutation." At that point, you can hear the brief clip from the X-Men: The Animated Series theme song play after Bruno's comment and before Kamala responds. Sound familiar? Because viewers were also teased with some "X-Men: TAS" love during Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with Patrick Stewart's Profession X (Charles Xavier) entering the scene at one point as the close-caption lists his entrance music as "'X-MEN'97' THEME PLAYING."

Describing it as the "best day of my life," Ali revealed that bringing mutants into the conversation wasn't a plan that was in play from the start. "It wasn't from the beginning [of the show]. With Marvel, something's always a moving piece, and we're trying to solve this question of, 'If any of [Kamala's family] put the bangle on, would they have powers?' The answer was always no, from a character perspective, no." So having Kamala's genetics different from her family not only served the series' storyline but it also "fit into the logic of the wider MCU."

And what about Vellani? Well, let's just say that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige's attention was clearly gotten with an all-caps email. "They sent me, and only me, the draft [of the final episode], and I immediately freaked out. I emailed Kevin Feige in all caps. I was like, are you doing this like for real? Are you sure? I'm so honored! I was like yelling at him through an email," Vellani revealed. "I was freaking out. This is the biggest deal in the world, and the fact that it's happening in our show is crazy." And if there's one person who understands the potential ramifications of the reveal, it's the Ms. Marvel star. "People are going to lose their minds. They're going to lose everything. I did. It's truly a really big deal."

In fact, her excitement didn't exactly make filming the season an easy undertaking. "It took a really long time to film that scene because any time Matt [Lintz] would say that word I'd start giggling. I think we got the one take. The one you see in the episode is one of two that we got where I was mildly serious," Vellani explained. "It was really, really, really difficult. I think we have so many outtakes of me just breaking because I was so excited and giddy over this." As for Ali, the game-changer was the kind of thing her teenage self could've never imagined. "I feel so excited as a viewer of my show. The Bisha teen fan girl in me is like, 'I can't believe it.' And the fact that it's Kamala — it's her. It's like her wildest dream already came true over the show [gaining powers], but then we just gave her one more bit of the dream. It's incredible. I'm overjoyed," Ali added.

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