Ms. Marvel is the new Iron Man and Iman Vellani is Robert Downey Jr.

The ending of Marvel Studios’ The Marvels shows that Iman Vellani is the next big thing for their company.

Ever since Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios has been missing someone to lead the company to the next level. Iron Man is dead, Captain America is old, and Thor isn’t the leader type. Over the years, a lot of characters have become popular. However, none of them had what it takes to carry the torch. It looks like there’s been a plan all along. Kamala Khan will be the superhero leader and Iman Vellani will be the face of the franchise.

Iman Vellani is the new Robert Downey Jr. of the MCU

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe started, Robert Downey Jr. was exactly what their universe needed. RDJ was a recognized face that epitomized everything that Tony Stark is. He’s charismatic, and confident, and knew how good he was. It also helped that there weren’t a lot of expectations with Iron Man. Iman Vellani is the same for Kamala Khan.

Before getting the role of Kamala Khan, Iman Vellani was a comic book superfan. Especially when it came to Ms. Marvel. Kamala was the first Muslim superhero in Marvel Comics to headline a series. Iman, being Muslim, was proud of this. This led her to cosplay as Kamala and make videos highlighting her fandom. Marvel Studios took notice and the rest is history.

Whenever Iman does press, she remains humble and appreciative. This embodies everything fans want from their star. Someone who isn’t oblivious to the opportunity that’s been given.

It also helps that she knows the source material and wants nothing more than to make Kamala a better character. There’s no wonder her writing debut (Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant) has been so good. She loves the character and the company understands what they have.

WARNING! SPOILER FOR THE MARVELS AHEAD

Ms. Marvel is the new Iron Man

At the end of The Marvels, Kamala Khan shows up at Kate Bishop’s place. Kamala is sitting in the dark just like Nick Fury did in Iron Man. This time, the scene was tailored for Iman’s character.

First, Kamala was more playful when recruiting Kate Bishop. This added to her playful personality. Having Kamala become serious at that moment wouldn’t make sense. Second, instead of recruiting just any team, Kamala wants Kate Bishop to join a team of young superheroes. This appears to be the beginning of the Young Avengers.

That scene was a sign that Marvel is letting Kamala be the leader of the next Avengers project. Fans may have thought that Sam Wilson would be the next Avengers leader, but this is better. There aren’t many heroes more popular than Kamala. And, if the MCU is going to continue to prosper, they need a well-known and profitable character. And, as unfortunate as it is, Sam Wilson isn’t that.

Using Sam Wilson just because he’s Captain America would have been a mistake. It takes more than a popular comic book name to bring in ticket sales and streams. Instead, go with the character played by a beloved actress to take the reins and lead Marvel to the promised land.

Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see if this works out.