Ever since Marvel Studios made its presence felt on the Disney Plus streaming service, things haven't been the same for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise once dominated the silver screen; now, it's dominating the small one, too. Granted, there have been some ups and downs along the way, some wins and some losses for the franchise, but all in all, it's helped expand the MCU in new ways, opening it up to vastly different methods of storytelling and new kinds of tales.
It all started with WandaVision in 2021, and that first year continued to produce hits like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, and Hawkeye, while more came in the years that succeeded it. It was clear: Marvel had a new vision for small screen domination, and it was pulling it off. What wasn't quite as clear was whether any of these shows would return for second seasons. There were obvious exceptions: WandaVision is a miniseries, while Loki was renewed for another season. But for others, there wasn't as much clarity.
However, as Marvel reportedly makes decisions about the future of certain shows, a number of recent comments from one of the studio's top names suggest that the MCU may not be done with one show in particular.
Brad Winderbaum's comments suggest the future is bright for Ms. Marvel
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Head of Streaming, Television and AnimationBrad Winderbaum spoke about the studio's passion for Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan. When asked by the outlet about the future of Iman Vellani's character, he responded positively, saying:
"I love Iman. She’s incredible. I love that character. I will tell you that she’s certainly a big part of the MCU to me. Ms. Marvel is a really important show to us, and without going into great detail, because I don’t want to spoil anything, she is top of mind. So it’s going to be exciting to see where she pops up next."
The fans of Ms. Marvel were understandably thrilled to hear these comments because, first thing's first, it confirms that the character will return to the MCU. It shouldn't have been in question, but after The Marvels - a movie that she was one of the leads in - underperformed at the box office, there was concern that Marvel might move away from some of those characters. To lose Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan would have been catastrophic given how wonderful she is in the role. So, of course, it's good to know that this isn't the case.
The other interesting thing about Winderbaum's comments is how he spoke about the Ms. Marvel Disney Plus series, referring to it in the present tense as "a really important show to us". Fans are speculating that this is a subtle confirmation that the show is still ongoing and perhaps even a hint that it could return for another season.
The show premiered on Disney Plus back in summer 2022 and was met with critical acclaim, but it has yet to receive an official renewal. Given that the character was set to return in The Marvels in November 2023, that was understandable, but it has been over a year since that movie's release and the studio has yet to announce if the show could return for a second season.
The main reason that Winderbaum's comments may allude to a renewal is the fact that a report earlier this year claimed that the studio was considering bringing the show back for another season. It lined up with the previous reports about Marvel's decision to revisit some of its original Disney Plus shows and either renew them for more seasons or cancel them completely. Subsequent rumors have claimed that the studio will bring back Hawkeye and Moon Knight for second seasons while She-Hulk: Attorney At Law was quietly cancelled. Ms. Marvel was somewhere in between, with the studio eager for it to return, but seemingly taking some extra time with the decisionmaking.
Regardless of whether Ms. Marvel returns as a series, we know that we'll see Kamala Khan again. That's wonderful news, because fans were extremely excited about where her arc was going. Her most recent appearance (in a post-credits scene in The Marvels) saw her sync up with Hawkeye's Kate Bishop about forming a new team, officially setting the journey towards the Young Avengers in motion.
All that being said, given how popular Ms. Marvel was, its flawless critical reputation, and Winderbaum's hopeful comments, it's easy to see why some fans might have seen this as a potential "confirmation" that the character's show will return in the near-future. And honestly, that would be a great thing.