2019's Captain Marvel introduced us to Carol Danvers, and while the movie was by no means perfect, it did a solid job of adding this insanely powerful new hero to the MCU. We also got to learn more about the Kree/Skrull dynamic, with Marvel Studios putting an unexpected twist on things by not making the alien shape-shifters the antagonists we expected.
After a couple of brief appearances in the last two Avengers movies, Brie Larson will reprise the role in The Marvels. However, as the title suggests, Carol will be sharing the spotlight with Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau.
Talking to Variety, Vellani recalled finding out she would be part of the sequel and admitted she expected to make little more than a cameo appearance as Kamala Khan. "It was a night shoot when they were announcing everything at Disney Investor Day," the actor recalls. "Right before they announced The Marvels cast, I get a text from Disney PR, I get a text from Brie Larson and I get a text from our producers all at the same time saying I'm in the movie."
"Then they announced it on the screen. I was like, 'Thank you.' I had a hunch I was going to be in it, but more of a cameo role, not an actual main character, so it was cool."
The Marvels will mark Vellani's first blockbuster role, and she had nothing but good things to say about her experience working with Candyman director Nia DaCosta. "[She] is my favourite human ever. I think she's so talented and so caring and considerate. She's very much an actor's director."
"She would always give positive reinforcement, even if she didn't have any notes. She'd be like 'That little thing you did with your hand, I really liked that.' And I'm like, 'Oh, wow. She noticed!' She really cares and checks up on you."
While it hasn't been confirmed quite yet, the prevailing theory is that the source of Kamala's abilities is Kree in nature. That will explain what drags her into the battle between them and the Skrulls, and lines up with the comic books - to an extent - where the Kree were responsible for the early experiments that led to the creation of Inhumans.
We're guessing a first look at The Marvels is still a while off, though don't be surprised if Ms. Marvel ends with some sort of tease setting the stage for what promises to be an awesome team-up.
The third episode of Ms. Marvel arrives on Disney+ tomorrow, while The Marvels will finally arrive in theaters on July 28, 2023.