Ms. Marvel remains Marvel Studios' best-reviewed TV series, and while it lacked a truly compelling villain, Iman Vellani's performance as Kamala Khan more than made up for any misfires.
It helped, of course, that the show featured a memorable ending which saw the title character learn there's a "mutation" in her genes. The classic theme from X-Men: The Animated Series briefly played over the scene, confirming her status as the MCU's first mutant.
We don't know what this means for Kamala moving forward but, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss The Marvels, Vellani revealed that the scene was added during reshoots.
"That was sort of a late surprise. We did do that in additional photography, but I think they were just waiting on the go-ahead to be able to film it," she tells the trade. "Even when we were filming it, we didn’t know if it was going to make the cut at the end of the day. So I was praying. I emailed Kevin and I was like, 'This needs to be real,' because what an honor it is to be called the first mutant in the MCU. It’s just so cool."
The Marvels doesn't elaborate on that, even with a post-credits scene [SPOILER ALERT] featuring Monica Rambeau stranded on an alternate Earth with Binary and Beast of the X-Men.
In a separate interview with Slash Film, Vellani shared her excitement for that cliffhanger before being asked if she hopes to continue telling Ms. Marvel's story in a second season on Disney+. The actress is understandably keen and went on to share her hopes for Ms. Marvel season 2 to be followed by a Young Avengers project.
"I would love for a second season. Not only Kamala has so much story left to tell, but [in] her community, I think we've established a lot of wonderful characters. Her best friends, Bruno, Nakia, Zoe, her school, her religious community, her family. I know people really responded to the Khan family very well from the movie. So I just want to explore more of that. I want to see Kamala grow up a little bit. I want to see her go to college, have a prom."
"Honestly, I'm living vicariously through this character. So every experience that I did not get because of the pandemic, I want her to get it, so I can have a prom and have a graduation. But yes, I want that slice of life to be more like Disney+ in a TV show format. Then I think it would be cool to have a Young Avengers type thing - team up, big spectacle, obviously in a movie, yeah, that would be ideal. Hopefully people can start a petition or something to get them going."
Even after The Marvels has largely disappointed at the box office, we're sure it won't be the last time we see Ms. Marvel in action. A second season seems like a safe bet given how well-received that first batch of episodes was, though with Marvel Studios scaling back on streaming content, Young Avengers may be next for Vellani.