While The Marvels has failed to stabilize MCU’s ship, becoming one of the biggest misses from the industry giant at the box office, Iman Vellani’s run as Ms. Marvel has remained unaffected by it. Since making her MCU debut with Ms. Marvel, which became the highest-rated MCU show upon its release, the 21-year-old is now set to take center stage for MCU’s next chapter.
But Vellani’s impact on the Marvel universe isn’t just limited to one medium, as her first comic book run, inspired by Billy Joel’s River of Dreams, has just hit the shelves.
Iman Vellani’s First Comic Book Run Was Inspired by Billy Joel’s Last Album
The four-issue limited comic-book run titled Ms. Marvel: the New Mutant, co-written by Iman Vellani alongside Sabir Pirzada, brings Ms. Marvel into a whole new light, reintroducing her as an X-Men. With this issue, she also became the youngest female to write a Marvel comic. And while reflecting on her work, Vellani revealed that Billy Joel’s last studio album River of Dreams served as the major inspiration. She further draws parallels between the album and the comic-book run, as like Joel’s work, the comic takes a deeper dive into Kamala fighting her inner demons.
During her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she said,
“I’m obsessed with River of Dreams, it’s like my one of my favorite albums, my favorite song. And it’s like he very much explores, you know, we go in, I mean, it’s a play of stream on consciousness and dealing with our inner demons and, you know, finding yourself, And I think that’s a lot of what Kamala’s journey is in my book.”
Further expressing her fondness for the musician, stating that one of her dreams involves being serenaded by Joel, she revealed that her other dream involves being cursed by Samuel L. Jackson.
It Was Nothing but Hugs From Samuel L. Jackson
Following his decades-long run in Hollywood, Samuel L. Jackson has cemented himself as one of the very best, and his profanities have been the highlight of his career, especially in Tarantino-led films. And while Iman Vellani hoped to get cursed by Samuel L. Jackson on set during The Marvels after she jumbled several takes, this didn’t up being the case, as it was, “nothing but hugs” from his part.
“That’s just how I heard it. I was trying to get him to swear at me for so long… Nothing but hugs.”
While time will tell whether Billy Joel will end up singing for the Marvel Star, getting cursed by Samuel L. Jackson is still on the cards, as she is here to stay in the MCU.
