In addition to the upcoming Moon Knight series, Ms. Marvel is another Marvel Cinematic Universe television series on its way to Disney Plus which we’re highly anticipating. Although it hasn’t yet been officially revealed who will be playing the titular role of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, it’s been heavily rumored that the role has already been cast, a rumor that is substantiated further by the fact that Marvel is currently in search of actors to play supporting roles on the show.
According to MCU Direct, the following four roles are currently being sought out for the upcoming Ms. Marvel Disney Plus series. One is for a man in the middle aged to older age range who will play leader at the local mosque:
> Male, 50-70s, Middle Eastern, he’s the Sheikh at the local Mosque. Warm, kind and understanding, he’s always there to lend an ear.
Another is for a determined 30-year-old woman named Fariha:
> Female, 30s, Sudanese, smart and intimidating. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, no matter what (or who) gets in her way.
The third is for a physically intimidating but humorous man named Aadam:
> Male, 30s, Egyptian, Sudanese, Arab, Muslim, he’s a big guy, physically intimidating at first glance, but comedic, funny and smart.
And the final role calls for a character named Aunt Ruby:
> Female, Pakistani, 50s-70s, vibrant, spirited and animated. She’s always in the know and never at a loss for words.
While the names aren’t exactly the same as they appear in the Ms. Marvel comic books, we can extrapolate some of the roles given their descriptions. The Sheikh for instance will almost certainly be Sheikh Abdullah, the imam of the Islamic Masjid of Jersey City which Kamala’s family attends; Sheikh Abdullah is known for giving Kamala advice in her times of teenage crisis. One such example is when Kamala was upset over being caught kissing a boy in public, an action which goes against the tenets of Islam and the Sheikh was willing to hear her side of the story as well as offer his wisdom on the situation.
Aunt Ruby will most likely be Ayesha from the comics, who is the sister of Kamala’s mother Muneeba.
Fariha does not at this time seem to have an equivalent in the comic books, but from her description it seems she could be a rival to Kamala or someone who will be pitted against her in an antagonistic role.
Aadam sounds like he could be similar to Amulet, a newly introduced Arab-American superhero in the latest The Magnificent Ms. Marvel run.
The Ms. Marvel Disney Plus series will feature the exploits of rising star Kamala Khan (who recently played a huge role in Square Enix’s The Avengers game), Marvel’s first Muslim superhero to star in her own comic book title. Kamala is a Pakistani American teenager who lives with her tight-knit religous family in New Jersey; she sports polymorphous superpowers, which give her the ability to extend her limbs, torso, or neck to great distance; adjust her height and stature; alter her appearance as well as rapidly heal from wounds.
The series’ first season is set to premiere in 2022 with Bisha K. Ali (Four Weddings and a Funeral TV series) attached as showrunner. Directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) will direct at least one episode; Academy Award and seven-time Emmy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was also revealed to be directing an episode by The Hollywood Reporter.
What do you think the Ms. Marvel Disney Plus casting call portends for the show? Are you looking forward to seeing the characters as they’re described in the breakdowns being implemented in the show?
