The Marvels has proven to be far from a box office hit and instead looks set to go down in history as Marvel Studios' least successful blockbuster. Analysts will spend a great deal of time attempting to figure out where it went wrong and Disney is no doubt pushing Kevin Feige to get the Multiverse Saga back on the right track.
Skipping the Captain Marvel sequel if you're an MCU fan isn't advised, though, particularly as it features an awesome ending with Ms. Marvel recruiting Kate Bishop to a team of Young Avengers.
Talking to Slash Film, actress Iman Vellani reveals that there was once an alternate ending which saw Kamala joined by multiple characters. She doesn't reveal who, and the plot leaks from this past Spring do nothing to clear things up as the sequence was supposed to be a post-credits scene (and wasn't shown to test audiences).
"There was another version where - does matter if I say it? There were more characters in it. I will not say which characters, but there were more characters. But that was way before we did additional photography. We knew we were going to get that scene. It was the last thing we ever shot on this film during additional photography. And so yeah, it changed a couple times. And I think what it ended up being, I think just Kamala and Kate Bishop is honestly perfect. They are so compatible."
"Hailee [Steinfeld] and I got along so well. She's such a fun human to talk to. And honestly, our back and forth, our banter was really funny, and I wish they kept some of that in there because that scene just kept going, Hailee and I just kept bouncing off of each other. So, I would be very excited if I ever got to work with her on a legitimate movie after this. So yeah, it's very exciting and I'm so honored that I get to be the one to bring this entire group together."
We'd bet on America Chavez and Cassie Lang being among them, but for whatever reason, Marvel Studios chose to leave them on the cutting room floor. The original scene is unlikely to ever see the light of day, though there's always a chance someone else involved with The Marvels will eventually slip up and spill the beans!
Elsewhere in this conversation, Vellani was asked about being a fan of the MCU and whether she believes there are any parts of it which need to be improved. Instead, the Ms. Marvel star shared her hopes that the fandom will chill out and perhaps judge Marvel Studios' recent misfires a little less harshly.
"I think a lot of things. I think not necessarily within Marvel 0 I think Marvel is very good about, they know where they go wrong, and they know how to fix it. It takes time to get there. I would like to see improvement within the fandom. I think people need to be a little more positive. These fandoms, the whole point of them is so that people who are passionate about these nerdy things, they can talk about it without being judged and can share their excitement with the only other people in the entire world who will reciprocate."
"So, it would just be like Marvel, they're growing and they're adjusting to the times, they're listening and responding to the fans' criticisms and feedback. So I think people just need to be a little patient, and let them cook. I think keep the fandom positive in the meantime, share what you are enjoying."
"Don't force-feed doom postings to everyone, because it's a lot to handle. Already the world is so going through a lot, Hollywood's going through a lot, Marvel's going through a lot. So it's just sad when fans throw wet blankets on anyone who's just trying to share their passion, their excitement, and love for these movies. At the end of the day, it's the movies that are made for people to escape real life, not the making of the movies. Who cares about how these movies are made? There's so many horror stories. Have you even read what happened on 'Wizard of Oz'? Just like, people, live your life, and then when you're ready for a little break, go see 'The Marvels.'"
Vellani makes some great points here and the negativity surrounding this movie has been a little disheartening to see. Marvel Studios has been more hit-and-miss than anyone would like late, but we're seeing them make moves to get past that and back to quality over quantity-style storytelling.
The Marvels is now playing in theaters.