Iman Vellaniis a Pakistani-Canadian actress. She is known for starring as Kamala Khan in the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022).
Career
In September 2020, it was revealed Vellani was cast as the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero Kamala Khan for Marvel Studios and Disney+'s streaming television miniseries Ms. Marvel. Vellani's aunt had forwarded her a casting call for the role, which led to her submitting a self-tape before being asked to audition in Los Angeles – and eventually having two screen tests: an in-person one in February that year, as well as a virtual one over Zoom in June. Kamala Khan co-creator Sana Amanat, who served as an executive producer on the series, said Vellani revealed in her Zoom screen test that she, like Khan, is an Avengers fangirl. Amanat said, "She showed me every corner of her room, and it was covered with Avengers. Then she said, 'Oh, wait; I'm not done', opened up her closet, and there was more Marvel everywhere".
In June 2022, Vellani appeared in A Fan's Guide to Ms. Marvel, a documentary short about the production of the series. Featuring interviews with the filmmaking team and her, it was released on Disney+ before the premiere of Ms. Marvel. On June 8, 2022, Ms. Marvel premiered on Disney+, marking Vellani's onscreen debut. Both the series and her portrayal of the title character received widespread praise. Kathryn Porter of Paste wrote that Vellani "shines" in the role and that there was "no way to explain how great she is in this other than to say that she embodies the true spirit of Kamala Khan". Mohammad Zaheer of BBC Culture called her "an adorable bundle of charisma" in a role "tailor-made for her", while Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter said that Vellani's full of "youthful verve and irresistible moxie" in her role. The miniseries concluded on July 13, 2022, consisting of six episodes. In July, Vellani appeared in Disney Wish's CGI–immersive interactive experience, Avengers: Quantum Encounter, reprising her role as Khan. The following month, she appeared in Assembled: The Making of Ms. Marvel, a documentary special focused on the process of conceptualising and creating the series, featuring on-set interviews with Vellani, cast members, and creatives. The special was released on Disney+, as the tenth installment of the anthology docuseries Marvel Studios: Assembled.
Vellani is set to reprise her role as Kamala Khan in the 2023 film The Marvels, a sequel to the 2019 film Captain Marvel, which is also intended to serve as a continuation of Ms. Marvel. She will also voice an animated version of the character for Disney+'s series adaption of the fifth episode of the animated series, What If...?.
