Nobody Could Have Played Ms. Marvel But Iman Vellani

glamour.com:

By Iman Vellani is so perfectly cast as Kamala Khan—a.k.a. Ms. Marvel—that it's hard to believe it's real. Despite this being her first professional role, the 19-year-old actor feels like a seasoned vet on the in which she plays a high school student enamored with all things superheroes only to find herself suddenly wielding powers of her own.

And acting skills aside, it is Vellani's personal connection to Kamala that feels like the kind of lore worthy of a comic book series.

Like the character, Vellani grew up obsessed with all things Marvel. So much so that when she auditioned for her high school's drama department, she said her dream was to play a role in the MCU.

She even once dressed up in a Ms. Marvel costume she made with her grandmother for Halloween. When I ask Vellani to name the biggest difference between her and Kamala, she quips, “My favorite person is Iron Man, not Captain Marvel.” She later tells me she didn't splurge with her Marvel paycheck, unless you count buying nicer comic books.