The Marvels Mid-Credits Scene Gave Iman Vellani A 'Heart Attack' [Exclusive]
This article contains spoilers for "The Marvels" mid-credits scene.
Not to be dramatic, but I think I would die to protect Iman Vellani. It's been a while since an actor has come onto the scene and so clearly exuded superstar power on screen, but Vellani's turn as Kamala Khan in both the "Ms. Marvel" series and the latest venture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nia Dacosta's "The Marvels," is proof-positive that she has "IT." Not only does she bring a dynamic grasp on comedic timing, but she's also got an infectious energy to every scene, beyond her character's fangirl obsession with Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. This is probably because Vellani is as effervescent and full of positive energy off-screen as she is in front of the camera. During /Film's own Ethan Anderton's interview with Vellani, he asked about the mid-credits scene (our explainer here) and whether or not she knew it was coming, and got to see that excitement in real-time.
Vellani is a known Marvel fan, so despite working on the film, a huge reveal like the mid-credits was bound to inspire a real-life fangirl response. In typical, hyperbolic, Gen-Z fashion [complimentary], Vellani said that seeing the moment "literally" gave her a heart attack. Honestly, I also had a minor heart attack when Kelsey Grammer's Beast appeared on screen, but mostly because I immediately started thinking about how the conversation went down when he (I assume) outright refused to sit for 6 hours to get back in the Beast makeup and instead opted for CGI. I digress, but Vellani's excitement was palpable, and even without an accompanying video, you can practically hear the joy in her voice just by reading her response.
'How could you keep this from me?'
"I read the script, but they wrote a different name," she tells Anderton. "It wasn't Beast, so I didn't know they were filming that." Vellani didn't tell Anderton who the different name was. Still, it's obvious Marvel wanted to play this reveal close to the chest, probably to avoid a similar incident like when Tom Holland spoiled "Spider-Man: No Way Home" for Vellani. She also knew that whoever they were filming was going to appear with heavy CG, so she didn't know who was actually on set but was under the impression that they were shooting something completely different. It wasn't until she saw the final cut of the film last month that she learned the truth. "I saw the scene, and I literally had a heart attack on my bed," she jokes. "I texted Nia and Mary [Livanos], our producer, immediately. I was like, 'How could you keep this from me? I was here the whole time.'"
Although the big surprise was hidden from her, Vellani says she is happier that she didn't know ahead of time. "Honestly, I'm glad I could have experienced that scene as a fan, and it wasn't spoiled for me. But yeah, I'm so excited to see where that ends up going. And Beast is one of my favorite characters." I am also excited to see where all of this ends up going with the incorporation of the X-Men into the MCU, and with Ms. Marvel herself fangirling out about it, I'm certainly in good company.
"The Marvels" is currently playing in theaters everywhere, and you owe it to yourself (in this writer's opinion) to see one of the most delightful films in the MCU.