Marvel’s ‘boys’ club’ image takes a hit after Iman Vellani’s heartfelt disclosure
Iman Vellani says Marvel’s impact has outgrown old assumptions — and she spells out who the franchise is really for now.
On the official Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday podcast, recorded with host Frank Alvarez, Iman Vellani dug into what Marvel meant to her long before she joined the MCU. Growing up in Markham, Ontario, she said she saw herself in the studio’s biggest heroes—even when the fandom had a reputation for being a boys’ club.
“Marvel was kind of known to be more of a boys' club. But all I knew was these heroes-- I saw myself represented in Iron Man, in Thor, in Loki. The fact that they were able to make it so personal to even a Brown girl in Markham, Ontario is just the magic of these films.”
Vellani talked about how that personal connection pulled her into the MCU as a superfan first, then as a performer. As Marvel’s audience widened, the spotlight grew on women-led heroes too, including Black Widow, She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel—the character Vellani now plays on screen as Jersey City teen Kamala Khan.
From fan to Kamala Khan
That fandom wasn’t just passion; it turned into homework she could use. While making Ms. Marvel and later The Marvels, Vellani said her deep comics knowledge became part of the process.
Appearing on The Revenge of Podcast, she explained that she’d flag anything that didn’t line up—whether minor details or bigger timeline issues—because she knows viewers will notice. She said that attention to detail from fans helped the team catch and fix potential continuity errors before they hit the screen.