Marvel is under fire for some of their rumored casting choices for Ms. Marvel, resulting in #FixMsMarvel trending online. One of the upcoming MCU projects on Disney+, the show will debut Iman Vellani as the titular character, Kamala Khan. But while fans are excited for her portraying the part, it's not like that for some of her co-stars.
Khan was only introduced in 2014, making her a relatively new character, buts she quickly became a fan-favorite being the first Muslim-American superhero to star in her own comic book series. Ms. Marvel was officially confirmed at D23 Expo by Kevin Feige himself, and the project is currently in production, with various set photos making their way online and giving the public their first look at the TV show. No official cast list has been confirmed by Marvel Studios thus far, but some reported additions to the series don't sit well with a lot of fans.
A dedicated fan-page for Ms. Marvel on Twitter with the handle Ms. Marvel News collated some of the rumored casting choices for the project that are deemed problematic. That includes Andrew Brodeur, who supposedly has multiple gender discrimination charges against him. The account also cited Matt Lintz rumored to play Bruno Carelli being a Trump supporter. Finally, the hiring of Yasmeen Fletcher and Zenobia Shroff being hired to play Muslim characters when they're not in real life. Given this potential casting news, #FixMsMarvel started trending, asking Marvel Studios to reconsider these choices. Read the whole thread below:
It's important to note that none of these casting choices has been officially announced by Marvel Studios at this point, so it's best to take them with a grain of salt. All that being said, Kevin Feige and his team typically don't confirm casting or any news concerning their upcoming projects without a designated event for it. Given this, it's possible that the aforementioned actors are indeed involved with Ms. Marvel prompting the Twitter account and all the other fans who share the same sentiments about the matter to speak out. While Marvel Studios has had a great track record when it comes to casting actors perfect for certain characters, they're not without any controversies. That includes the choice to cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One in Doctor Strange — a character who's Asian in the comics.
Fans in the comment section of the aforementioned thread are split about this issue as some of them point out that the actors' personal lives shouldn't hinder them from getting a job they're supposedly qualified for. Then again, one of the reasons why many are excited about Ms. Marvel is because of what it means with regard to proper representation on screen. Admittedly, Marvel Studios is lacking in this department, with films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, which put minorities at the forefront of their storytelling, being released much later than movies with a predominantly white cast. It's unknown if Marvel Studios will address this issue at this point, considering that they haven't officially announced any of these actors for Ms. Marvel.
Source: Ms. Marvel News