By MUSLIM GIRLS ARE GETTING A MUSLIM GIRL SUPERHERO ON THEIR SCREENS.
Now that I have your attention, Disney has cast Iman Vellani to play Ms. Marvel (not to be confused with Captain Marvel) in an upcoming series that will be streaming on Disney’s service.
Ms. Marvel tells the adventures of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American Muslim girl living in New Jersey, navigating her superpowers, culture, religion, and more. She’s Marvel’s first Muslim to be the main character in her own book.
This is the first taste of many of us seeing Khan on our screens because Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige said she would appear on the big screen in future Marvel movies — which, full disclaimer, as someone who thinks DC Comics is superior, will get me to purchase Marvel movie tickets I usually wouldn’t buy.
Ms. Marvel tells the adventures of Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American Muslim girl living in New Jersey, navigating her superpowers, culture, religion, and more.
Although the Ms. Marvel comic books have been out for a while, we haven’t seen Ms. Marvel make cameos in the Marvel cinematic universe yet, or in any of the TV shows inspired by Marvel characters. And since we all take entertainment through various mediums, the more ways we can showcase representation, the merrier.
Needless to say, this is huge.
My heart soars for all the Muslim girls who will have access to a role model and think anything is achievable. Never in my childhood or teenage years could I have imagined that a series centering around a powerful, yet extremely relatable, Muslim superhero would become mainstream and accessible.
We don’t know much about Vellani because she’s a newcomer to acting, but thanks to the internet, we know she has terrific taste in movies and will fit right in with Marvel’s wholesome vibe. I wish her all the success in the world.
The show does not yet have a release date, but as of now, we at least get to smile at some seemingly scarce good news.