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Dreams do come true: Ms. Marvel is headed to the small screen! After months of fans asking for it, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige made the big announcement at D23, Disney’s fan expo in Anaheim, California, during the Disney+ First Look Showcase on Friday (August 23).
The series will debut on Disney+, bringing to life the character who first hit the comic-sphere in 1976, but cemented her place as a fan-favorite hero in 2013, when she debuted as Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teen from New Jersey. In 2014, Ms. Marvel really made history by becoming the first Muslim character to lead her own series. Feige also promised that the shapeshifting hero will pop up in movies within the greater MCU landscape.
Excitement over a Ms. Marvel adaptation has been bubbling for quite some time. Writer, actor, and producer Mindy Kaling has publicly professed her love for the character on Twitter — and even told MTV News correspondent Josh Horowitz in June that she’d spoken to people at Marvel about one Ms. Khan. “I think the people I’ve spoken to [at] Marvel about it are so excited about the character, and I think that they’re trying to figure out what to do with it,” she said. “I told them I would help in any way, because I truly love her.” No word on whether Marvel will be taking Kaling up on her generous offer.
Of course, that’s not all the Marvel news we got. Feige also announced upcoming series Moon Knight and She-Hulk, also headed straight for Disney+. “Bruce Banner is no longer the only Hulk in the MCU,” Feige said triumphantly. That’s right — Thor and Hawkeye aren’t the only Avengers passing the baton to women. “Jennifer Walters is a Hulk. She’s a lawyer, and she’s gonna star in a show unlike anything we’ve done before.”
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany were also on hand to reveal a tiny bit more about their upcoming Disney+ series, WandaVision, and even offered a sneak peek at what the series will look like. Although they haven’t started filming yet, Feige presented a clip that spliced together familiar moments between the two stars with classic footage from The Dick Van Dyke Show — and apparently, that’s exactly what we’re going to get: a combination of classic sitcom moments and all the glory of the MCU. “This is going to be so wacky and fun, I am so excited to share it with everyone,” Olsen said.
Team WandaVision also announced that Kat Dennings will reprise her Thor character Darcy Lewis, Randall Park will reprise his Ant-Man and the Wasp character Jimmy Foo, and Kathryn Hahn will join the team as the nosy neighbor.
A bit more casting news came from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Feige welcomed stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan to the stage to announce that Emily VanCamp will appear in the series as Sharon Carter, a role she introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and that Wyatt Russell will play John Walker. Neither actor had any information to tease about what their roles will entail.
Additionally, Feige offered a deeper look into Marvel Studios’ first animated series, What If…?, which he previously announced at San Diego Comic-Con. The series will revisit old MCU storylines and explore what could have happened if one detail were changed. For example: What if Skinny Steve Rogers never became Captain America? The answer, per the footage previewed at D23, is that Peggy Carter would have taken up the shield as Captain Carter. Yeah. Let that sink in for a minute.
From the looks of it, this show — and, really, all of Marvel’s Disney+ content — is bound to be one glorious daydream.
TV
WandaVision
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier