Iman Vellani’s MCU tenure is just beginning but she’s already proven she’s a star—and the right person to play a pivotal part of Phase 4. The actress leads the upcoming Ms. Marvel series on Disney+ before soaring onto the big screen for The Marvels. But she’s not just Kamala Khan on-screen, she’s also a bit of a Marvel encyclopedia off-screen. The actor went viral in a video in which she passionately told Deadline her take on the MCU’s Earth-616 designation per Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Spoiler alert: She is firmly team MCU is Earth-199999. No matter what Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has to say on the matter.
In a profile for Elite Daily, Vellani elaborated on her thoughts on the MCU’s timeline and revealed she’s not afraid to tell Feige he’s wrong. In fact, she frequently shoots him a text to tell him as much.
“Every time I talk to Kevin, we have this argument where I say, ‘The MCU is not 616,'” Vellani said. “He’s like, ‘It is because I said so.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s 199999.’ He hates it. So, we keep having this argument, and then they put 616 in the movie. I’m like, ‘Kevin, you know it’s not 616.’ He just sends me a sad face. I was like, ‘Great.'”
I have to say, it’s really fun seeing an MCU actor so passionate about something a lot of more casual fans might not really think about. But Vellani is 19, so like many of the younger MCU actors she’s grown up with the franchise. Plus, she is also a giant comics fan. So if there’s someone with the gumption to go up against Feige on his potentially controversial MCU takes, it’s Vellani.
While Vellani’s just entering her Marvel era, she’s already experiencing classic Marvel moments. And by this we mean Tom Holland’s spoiler alert. Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man: No Way Home shot on the same stage. Vellani revealed that while the two were chatting about their respective projects, he just flat-out showed her a picture of Tobey Maguire on set. It was always a terribly-kept secret but Holland’s chattiness absolutely tracks.
It sounds like we won’t have to worry about Vellani accidentally spoiling things but it’s always good to confront the cautionary tale nonetheless.