Ms. Marvel Director Adil El Arbi Pitches What A Brie Larson Cameo Could Look Like In Ms. Marvel - Exclusive
The "Ms. Marvel" creators did an excellent job at seamlessly melding Captain Marvel's inspiration into "Ms. Marvel" without letting the pseudo-Avenger overshadow the epic nature of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). Kamala is still her own person with a rich family and cultural history, but she's grounded in ethics and passion by her hero Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Though it's not easy to meld a fan favorite concept into something new, the "Ms. Marvel" Powers That Be created something truly special and groundbreaking when they launched the series.
From Kamala's powers to the cultural homage in her cuff, a dash of Captain Marvel exists in the teenager who certainly stands tall (and strong) on her own — but will the show ever have a Brie Larson cameo? During an exclusive interview with Looper, Adil El Arbi revealed what a Brie Larson cameo could look like on "Ms. Marvel." He and Bilall Fallah also dished on which aspects of Captain Marvel and the '90s the directors wanted to include in the series, along with the slate of '90s shows and movies that inspired them.
Teaming up with a teen
On whether or not Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson have seen any of the episodes and what a Brie Larson cameo might look like if it were to happen in the series, Arbi said, "We don't know if they saw it yet. We don't know exactly what's going to happen in 'The Marvels,' but we know that Brie Larson is in it and Iman Vellani as well." Though a team-up between the badass women is almost a certainty in "The Marvels," what might it look like if Larson shows up in New Jersey to hang out with her biggest fan?
Arbi elaborated, "But if Brie Larson would come up or Captain Marvel would be in our show all of a sudden, she would be like this big sister — this mentor to her. That would be a little bit like Iron Man with Peter Parker, with Spider-Man. That would be the dynamic or the vibe." We've already seen how great Captain Marvel is with kids, and now fans are hype to see how she does alongside a spunky teenager.
A toast to the '90s
There's no denying that there are some great homages to the "Captain Marvel" movie and the '90s as a whole in "Ms. Marvel." On which of these aspects the directors had the most fun including, and what was most important in honoring Captain Marvel's legacy in the show, Fallah said, "We wanted to say true to the character, and through the comic book and in the comic book, you have Kamala Khan, who's a big fan of Captain Marvel." He added, "We used a lot of the aspects that were in the comic book in the show. For me, the favorite piece is in AvengersCon when she's coming there, and she sees that statue flying: Captain Marvel. That felt like magic for me too, when I saw that." It certainly felt magical to fans, too.
When it comes to Arbi, the director was massively inspired by '90s films. "When it's in terms of the '90s, for us, that [means] John Hughes, his movies, 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' and the TV shows. We are from Belgium, so American high school is very exotic to us," Arbi said. "It's very special and weird — you look at 'Parker Lewis Can't Lose,' 'Saved by the Bell,' 'Boy Meets World,' and countless other high school comedies that we saw."
A show like "Ms. Marvel" has long since been on the directors' bucket list. Arbi added, "We were like, 'Okay, if one day we get the chance to do that, it's going to be this '90s American high school vibe.' That's what we tried to convey in the show." Mission accomplished — in the best way.
New episodes of "Ms. Marvel" stream Wednesdays on Disney+.