Marvel star Iman Vellani praised for stranding up to Kevin Feige over ‘wrong’ Doctor Strange 2 moment
‘I did not appreciate that,’ she said
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Your support makes all the difference.Ms Marvel star Iman Vellani is getting praised for standing up to studio president Kevin Feige.
Feige has overseen the Marvel Cinemaic Universe (MCU) and its many film and TV projects since it began with Iron Man in 2008.
However, he seems to have met his match in 19-year-old Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan – Marvel’s first onscreen Muslim lead character – in the new series.
After casting Pakistani-Canadian star Vellani in the series, Feige swiftly realised she was a Marvel obssessive – and one who will attempt to put him right where she sees fit.
In a new interview, Vellani revealed her frustrations with the latest Doctor Strange film’s addressing of a long-standing theory, regarding the world the MCU is set in.
In the sequel, Benedict Cumberbatch’s character comes across America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a superhero with the ability to travel a variety of universes that are filled with Marvel characters old and new.
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
Strange finds himself travelling the multiverse with Chavez, and they end up in a world where they become imprisoned by the Illuminati, a secret group made up of several recognisable faces.
Before Strange comes face to face with the Illuminati, though, he discovers that a variant of his former lover Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) is working there. It’s this version of Palmer that utters a line that’s generated an excited response from viewers around the world.
Palmer tells Strange that the universe hes travelled to is known as Earth-838. She then reveals that the world of the MCU is known as 616.
Marvel Comics readers have been trying to work out whether the MCU universe was Earth-616, which is considered the “main” universe. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio previously claimed it was in Spider-Man: Far from Home, but some fans thought the character might have been lying.
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However, the confirmation in Doctor Strange 2 has divided comic book readers, with some believing there to be many discrepancies with the way the world has been translated on screen.
Others, who branded the reveal “wrong”, felt that the film universe should be numbered differently so that it could exist as another world within the multiverse, which the film characters could perhaps find their way to in a future film.
Vellani is one of these fans, who said at a red carpet event for Ms Marvel: “No, I mean, I’d like to say, [the comics are] 616. I don’t believe that the MCU is 616. As much as Kevin Feige can make us think that it’s 616, it is 199999.”
The actor said she even text Feige to tell him he was wrong, to which he replied with a sad face emoji.
Vellani also said she didn’t appreciate the fate of Black Bolt (Anson Mount), who is killed off moments after his appearance.
“I don’t care what anyone says,” she said, adding: “He’s my guy. I think they did him dirty. I did not appreciate that.”
Many shared Vellani’s quotes on Twitter, praising the actor.
“Petition to replace Kevin Feige and make Iman Vellani the new president of Marvel Studios,” one fan wrote, while another added: “She knows what’s best.”
One fan quipped: “If I were Kevin Feige, I’d worry about my job now that Iman Vellani is in Marvel.”
Ms Marvel begins today (8 June) on Dinsey Plus, and will air weekly.
The debut episode featured many Easter eggs, one of which shared a funny detail about Vin Diesel’s Guardians of the Galaxy character Groot.
Find The Independent’s review of episode one here.
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