As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow in Phase 4, they're adding to the franchise's ever-expanding roster of characters with a full slate of new movies and TV shows. Taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by Disney+, Marvel has already fleshed out the universe in many exciting ways. Moon Knight is currently streaming on the service, and it will be followed later this year by Ms. Marvel, bringing Kamala Khan to the MCU.
At the Moon Knight red carpet premiere, Screen Rant talked with Ms. Marvel star Saagar Shaikh to discuss his role as Kamala's brother Amir, his excitement about joining the MCU, and more.
Screen Rant: How are you feeling? You're at a Marvel premiere. You're next.
Saagar Shaikh: Yeah, this is a lot, it's a lot, I'm really excited. It's a bit overwhelming because this is like my first red carpet. My first premiere.
Soak it in.
Saagar Shaikh: Yeah, it's a lot, it's wild. I love it. I'm hungry for it, I want more.
I was going to say this is kind of like the calm before the storm, because the next show...
Saagar Shaikh: Ms. Marvel, June 8th, Disney Plus. Subscribe. Yeah, I'm really excited for the world to see it. Kamala is just such a wonderful character, such a nuanced character, she's battling between so many different worlds, being Pakistani, being Muslim, being a kid, being an American, and now also being a superhero. She's kind of living in all of those worlds and balancing her life.
Now you're her older brother?
Saagar Shaikh: Yeah. I'm her older brother Amir. I don't know how much I can or can't say, but Amir is the older brother, he wants to be her guide, he wants to be the shoulder she can lean on, he wants to be the one that she looks up to while also looking up to her.
How are you with secrets, do you think?
Saagar Shaikh: I'm pretty good, I'm pretty good.
Have you ever worked on something like this, that is so freaking secretive?
Saagar Shaikh: No, I haven't. I mean, I did an Apple commercial once and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody. I'm actually not allowed to talk about that either.
That's so funny.
Saagar Shaikh: But I'm really good at keeping secrets, I swear.
What sets Ms. Marvel apart from anything that you think Marvel's done before, would you say?
Saagar Shaikh: I mean like Ms. Marvel, not just Kamala Khan but the show itself, has so much character and it's meant for so many different people, that I can't say all the MCU shows or movies are meant for. It's a different demographic. It's going to just capture a different audience. There's so many South Asian people, kids out there. I have three nieces that are looking forward to watching Ms. Marvel because nobody's ever seen a Pakistani Muslim superhero. When I was a kid, if I had something like Ms. Marvel growing up, I feel like I would feel normal and growing up I never felt normal, I always felt like the other, and I just think normalizing a Pakistani Muslim superhero woman is just so powerful to our future generations, it's going to be huge for the kids. I mean, that's what this is all for, right? It's for the kids.
What is your favorite Marvel project so far that's already been released? Do you have like a top character?
Saagar Shaikh: I mean, Loki is like the best, right? First of all, Tom Hiddleston is the coolest, and then on top of that just watching him play a character like Loki, it's just, it blows my mind seeing how nice Tom Hiddleston is and how humble of a person he is, and then watching him turn into this kind of maniacal Loki character. I think Loki is the coolest, he's not even superhero, anti-hero, anti-villain type of character. Time killing anti-hero.
Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes debuting Wednesdays. Ms. Marvel streams on Disney+ June 8.
