I really do think The Marvels lost something when they were unable to send Iman Vellani on a press tour ahead of the film, outside of like, the day before, given the strikes. It certainly wouldn’t have saved the film, but Vellani has been giving lots of interviews after the fact, and it’s shown why the 21-year-old should probably be the new spokesperson for the entire MCU.
I’ve seen a number of great quotes from her, but I think the best one is when she was asked about how badly The Marvels underperformed at the box office, with the lowest debut weekend of any MCU movie ever.
Speaking to Yahoo, here’s here answer regarding the situation:
“I don’t want to focus on something that’s not even in my control, because what’s the point?” she says of the relentless focus on the movie’s box office. “That’s for Bob Iger.”
“[The box office] has nothing to do with me,” Vellani continues. “I’m happy with the finished product, and the people that I care about enjoyed the film. It’s genuinely a good time watching this movie, and that’s all we can ask for with these films. It has superheroes, it take place in space, it’s not that deep and it’s about teamwork and sisterhood. It’s a fun movie, and I’m just so happy that I can share it with people.”
She goes on to say how she experienced negative sentiment about Marvel even before she joined the MCU, back in high school when she was really into Marvel and was apparently shunned a bit for that. She said it still makes her sad when fans are so harsh and don’t let people be excited about films, that no one should be a “wet blanket” over someone else’s excitement.
Regardless of The Marvels’ performance, it’s likely that Vellani will continue to appear in multiple places in the MCU. There may end up being a second season of Ms. Marvel now that The Marvels has wrapped, something Vellani says she is lobbying Marvel and her good friend Kevin Feige for. There’s the tease that she’s going to lead the Young Avengers, (spoilers) recruiting Kate Bishop in the finale of the film. And it does seem possible, if not likely, she may show up in the proper Avengers movies coming down the line in a few years, even if she’s just in a supporting small role. As we recall, Infinity War and Endgame pulled really every available Marvel hero in for that fight.
I cannot speak highly enough of Vellani, who I always say is the best-cast MCU hero since Tony Stark. I hope to see a lot more of her, and I do think Marvel knows she’s a star, regardless of how The Marvels itself has performed.
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