In an interview with Polygon, Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani gave readers a detailed insight into the experiences that have inspired her to write the character’s new series. With the character’s on-screen journey set to continue in The Marvels, and a new era starting for her in the comics, it is the perfect synergy to have the MCU star on the writing team for Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant.
Vellani spoke to Polygon about writing for the character, as well as the experiences that lend to her writing process.
The actor has made it no secret just how much she relates to the character of Ms. Marvel, so much that she debates fan theories online, but she continues to make the character her own, by using her own life as inspiration.
How Iman Vellani’s Life Inspires Ms. Marvel’s Story
Explaining how deep connection to the character of Ms. Marvel runs, Vellani told Polygon:
It was very cathartic in a lot of ways for me to be given this platform and to express a lot of what I’ve been going through, through Kamala. I’ve always felt like I’ve lived vicariously through this character ever since high school. She is me, and I am her. And we’ve lived the same life. So I just feel so comfortable, whether it’s me playing her or me writing her. I feel like I understand her voice very well, because it’s very similar to my own.
Vellani Is The Perfect Writer For Ms. Marvel’s New Era
Vellani likens writing Ms. Marvel to journaling, saying she is as much documenting her life as she is writing for the character. The young actress is using the latest changes in her life as creative fuel for the radical shifts in Kamala Khan’s life. On the page, Kamala has recently died and been resurrected, faced the revelation of her Inhuman/mutant genetic origin, and is trying to find her place in the mutant community. Iman Vellani’s own life became drastically different upon being cast as Kamala, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The opportunity to co-author the new Ms. Marvel is not only a dream come true, it is an opportunity to process her experience.
Well before portraying the character, Vellani could relate to Kamala as a Muslim superhero fanatic. Now, she is able to bring her love of the character, and her understanding of Kamala, to the page. The opening scene of Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant reads differently when considering the MCU actor’s comments. The new series finds the character understandably experiencing an identity crisis, of sorts. Once a staple of the Avengers, and the Champions, Kamala now finds herself a member of the X-Men, fighting to protect mutantkind at their most dire hour. She is questioning who she is, and how it connects to her former life, as she fills a new role for herself.
Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant deftly sets the stage for this central conflict, with its protagonist discovering her new self, adapting to thrive under changed conditions. Iman Vellani has experienced something similar in the last three years, after becoming a world-renowned actor, playing one of Marvel’s biggest characters. Even the public reception to Ms. Marvel’s debut as an X-Men member can be compared to some of the negative social media reactions to Vellani’s casting as Ms. Marvel. The actor deciding to pull from her recent life to craft Ms. Marvel’s new series has made for a compelling first issue, which should have readers excited to see what’s coming next.
