Ms. Marvel Comic Co-Creator Sana Amanat On The Disney+ Series And The Changes From The Comics - Exclusive Interview
"Ms. Marvel" writer Sana Amanat is no stranger to the Kamala Khan story — given that she co-created the comics. As it turns out, the comic writer behind Marvel's first Muslim superhero was the perfect person to produce the Disney+ series "Ms. Marvel." While the series pays homage to the source material, the creators weren't afraid to switch things up, either.
"Ms. Marvel" isn't Amanat's first foray into TV, however. In addition to associate producing the 2013 documentary "The Muslims Are Coming!," the Marvel Comics editor co-executive produced a series of Marvel shorts along with the documentary series "Marvel's Hero Project."
Looper spoke to Sana Amanat in an exclusive interview where she dished on turning the comics into a series, the most significant changes they made, and her greatest regret regarding the show. She also gushed about why Iman Vellani is the perfect Kamala Khan and recalled her conversation with Brie Larson a few years ago.
Reinventing the Ms. Marvel comics
You helped bring "Ms. Marvel" to life in the comics. What has it been like seeing her come to life in the show, and why do you think Iman Vellani was the right person to bring Kamala to life?
It was amazing seeing the entire comic come to life. It was amazing, and it was really emotional, actually. I feel very, very thrilled that she's out in the world in such a big way. It's always been my hope that we make a show out of her. It's wild that I get to be a part of it.
Meeting Iman was meant to be. She is the perfect Kamala. She is so vibrant and so funny and sweet and very talented and smart — and such a huge fan herself. It's fun to see all these different elements. We've learned so much from her, as I feel like she's probably learned from us. But I feel very lucky to have met Iman and have her in our lives.
Kamala's powers and origin story are altered a little bit from the source material. How was that decided on, and what do you think of the changes and how they impact the visual experience?
The power change was linked to larger stories in the Marvel universe. We thought that [it] would be fun to explore that and also link her powers more to her cultural and familial heritage. It's a different take on the powers. Visually, there [are] a lot of visual similarities and because we can do some fun things ... I like to say it feels a little "Spider-Man"-y because you can jump on a platform and [throw] a big fist and grab a shield and flip it around. It also feels very playful [in] the way that the comics felt playful. It has the essence of what the comics were all about, but at the same time, we're evolving it in a really fun way for more stories in Kamala's life.
The teen team-up everyone wants
Were there any aspects of the comics' powers or storylines that you wanted to see in the series that ended up not panning out for some reason?
Yes, for sure. You know what the biggest regret of mine is? That we did not have the first panel of Kamala in Issue 1 where she's smelling bacon, and she says, "I just want to smell it." We were supposed to film it. We didn't get enough time — biggest regret of my life. Then, in reshoots, we weren't able to rebuild the Circle Q to do it. It's sad for me because I really wanted to get that line. One of my favorite lines is her smelling bacon and saying, "I just want to smell it." There are more stories, but that was a funny moment.
"Doctor Strange" introduced another powerful team to the MCU: America Chavez. It seems like Kamala and America would be the perfect team-up. How do you think these two teens could team up at some point in the MCU, and what would you most like to see come from that dynamic?
To me, that's the beginning of a Young Avenger story of seeing America and Kamala together. It'd be super fun and funny, and I could see them as probably best friends, being really buddy-buddy. It is funny because Xochitl [Gomez] and Iman [Vellani] are actually friends in real life. That's been lovely to see. They just met each other. It's wild how life imitates art sometimes and vice versa.
A love letter to Captain Marvel
"Ms. Marvel" is a love letter to Captain Marvel. What aspects of honoring that character were important for you to include in Kamala's own powers and empowering Kamala as a woman? What would you have liked to ask Brie Larson if you had the chance to sit down and talk to her about that role and that inspiration?
I did get to talk to Brie Larson. I talked to her a couple years ago, for ... actually, we did a fun InStyle magazine interview about it, and I think she was most excited. This is before any of it came out, before "Ms. Marvel" came out, before Iman [Vellani] was cast.
But [Brie Larson] was most excited about the fact that Kamala was someone that existed in the world for Carol and what kind of interesting dynamic that was going to create for Carol and her own story. Because in the MCU, she's still struggling very much with what happened to her and her relationship with her past and with the friends that she lost and trying to put the pieces back together. In a lot of ways, that's also this identity story.
Seeing Carol as an important part of Kamala's life is very, very important to the show. We wanted to make sure that it was less about white worship, if you will, and more about this understanding that there are people in the world out there who are doing great and big things, and what happens when you measure yourself against them and they don't look like you — and what that says about your sense of self. That was incredibly important to us. It was less about Carol herself and more about what Carol represents. That's why it was really fun when they finally met in the comics.
The first episode of "Ms. Marvel" debuts on Disney+ on June 8 with subsequent episodes airing Wednesdays.
This interview was edited for clarity.