In the Ms. Marvel finale, Kamala Khan suddenly discovers from her best friend Bruno that she has a rare genetic mutation within her DNA. Now, Ms. Marvel directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have revealed their reaction to the finale's plot twist, which introduced the concept of mutants into the MCU, thus teasing the X-Men's debut.
The only other time the MCU has incorporated or even mentioned mutants was through the classic X-Men '97 theme song, which happened to play briefly during the entire finale scene. This singular scene is a huge moment for the future of mutants, given it’s the first confirmation that they exist in the Earth-616 MCU timeline after all. However, hardcore MCU fans will also know that technically the first tease of mutant activity was featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film explored an alternate version of reality in which Charles Xavier ends up leading the Illuminati. This decision to transform Kamala into a mutant was a big deviation from the original comic book source material.The newfound sense of creative direction and risks were something that became a huge topic of debate amongst fans in anticipation of the Ms. Marvel series’ finale. A big percentage of fans dished out criticism to Kevin Feige for further perpetuating the erasure and lack of representation of Inhumans in the MCU.
On the other hand, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani retaliated back, expressing that she feels as though her character's newfound mutant identity does some-what connect to the original version found in the Ms. Marvel comics. Now, the directors are taking a moment to reflect on what it felt like to take that gigantic creative leap forward. In a recent interview with TVLine, Arbi and Fallah confess that they were actually in the dark when it came to the finale's twist - that is until they came across screenwriters Will Dunn, A.C. Bradley, and Matthew Chauncey's script. However, even after taking the time to devour, read, and analyze the script, the directing duo claimed they still had no idea where the mutant storyline was headed or how important it would be down the line.
Abri and Fallah revealed that only Feige knows what Kamala's fate will be after the shocking introduction of mutants into the MCU. “That was the best kept secret of the whole show. We didn’t even know about it until we suddenly had a script," the duo shared. "So, when we had it, we asked, “What’s that about? What’s going to happen?’ Kevin Feige would say, ‘Just shoot this, put the little music on and that’s that - should you be part of the future of Ms. Marvel, then you’ll know a little bit more.’ Kevin Feige has the master plan, he’s the only one who knows.”
Given the glowing success of Ms. Marvel, it's quite obvious why Feige would go to such lengths to protect any spoilers - so much so that he wouldn’t even let the directors in on the surprise untl the very last minute. The Ms. Marvel finale's mutant plot twist has a much greater purpose than just serving as a shock for fans of Ms. Marvel. It seems as though this news will greatly affect the entirety of the MCU's future and what it will hold, further expanding its realm of possibilities.
Although season 2 of Ms. Marvel has yet to be confirmed and may never happen given the show was intended to just be a miniseries, Kamala Khan has without a doubt left an impact on the MCU. As for Ms. Marvel star Vellani, she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and is set to make her next appearance as Kamala in The Marvels, which will be released in theaters next year.
Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: TVLine