The Casting Rumors for Disney Plus's 'Ms. Marvel' Are Being Met With Much Disappointment
Updated March 22 2021, 12:38 p.m. ET
When Marvel mega-fans have huge expectations when it comes to the casting for films, there is bound to be some level of disappointment. However, it seems that there has never been such backlash like that for the casting of Disney Plus’s Ms. Marvel TV series.
Marvel now has some explaining to do when it comes to their rumored casting choices for Ms. Marvel, resulting in #FixMsMarvel trending on Twitter. So, who was cast in the series, and why are fans so up in arms? Here's why the rumored casting is causing controversy.
Fans are pleased that Iman Vellani will play Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel.
One upside to the casting decisions regarding Ms. Marvel is that of the lead character, Kamala Khan, who will be played by Iman Vellani. Kamala Khan, who was introduced to the Marvel Comic Universe in 2014, 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 the D23 Expo and the project is currently in production. While there is no official cast list — aside from Iman — for the series yet, rumors have been spreading about her possible castmates, and let’s just say that people are not thrilled.
A Twitter account dedicated to ‘Ms. Marvel’ broke the news about the casting controversy.
A Twitter account with the handle @MsMarvelNews, seemingly a fan account for the series, spoke about some of the rumored casting choices for the project and explained why these choices may not be the best for the series and for Marvel.
One name mentioned is Andrew Brodeur, who allegedly has multiple Title IX charges against him. The account wrote, “Andrew Brodeur, who based on his social media activity will likely be involved in the show, has had multiple Title IX allegations filed against him ...”
Some who reportedly went to college with Brodeur have come forward to say that he was a known predator at school. Even further, women have come forward to say that they were one of the ones assaulted by him. These allegations did not begin with Ms. Marvel, however.
Tweets dating back to when Brodeur starred in the Netflix film, Tall Girl, have alleged that the actor has Title IX charges against him and have made "multiple girls extremely uncomfortable, including a 15 year old girl when he was 20."
Fans are also upset with non-Muslim actors playing Muslim characters.
Rumors claim that actors Yasmeen Fletcher and Zenobia Shroff have been hired to play Muslim characters on Ms. Marvel when they're not Muslim in real life. “Yasmeen Fletcher has not done anything as egregious, but we find it inappropriate that a half-white Christian girl was apparently cast as Nakia Bahadir,” the account writes.
While some fans are calling for a complete recasting, others have faith in the brains behind Marvel and believe this will all work itself out. “They’re casting rumors not confirmed, Sarah Finn has cast many successful projects and generally does an amazing job," a fan wrote.
If you need support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.