With Ms. Marvel Always delightful every week, it’s no wonder fans can’t wait to see Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel teams up with their cosmic comrades. Kamala will round out the trio that includes Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. Speculation swirls about the threat that will bring these heroes together, especially given Monica’s frosty relationship with Carol.
The main villain of Wonders would be played by Zawe Ashton, but it is not known exactly who she represents. As previously stated, there is reason to believe that Ashton will take on the role of General Ael-Dan.
Ael-Dan was a male Kree character who appeared for a very brief stint in the old Captain Marvel comics (three issues to be precise). Casting Ashton in the role would mean a gender reassignment of the character at a minimum, but it could be a way to use an existing character with very little background as a springboard for a more fleshed-out MCU appearance.
No matter who she plays, Ashton has been tight-lipped about her casting until recently. Now she has started to share her feelings by joining the MCU roster.
Zawe Ashton surprised to join the MCU
In an interview with vanity lounge, Wonders Star Zawe Ashton explained how she joined the world of Marvel. According to her, it was largely by surprise.
When asked what it was like to join the Marvel Universe, Ashton remarked that she was “always terrified to say anything because [she] didn’t even know [the casting news] was out.”
Ashton went on to remark that she had “I stopped acting for a while” in the hope that his efforts “be better spent behind a computer or potentially behind a camera.”
His role in Wonders comes more like a coincidence than anything. Ashton was clear that in order for her to start acting again, she “needed to re-enter the business in a very new way:”
“I went unrepresented for a while. While I was on Broadway, I really emptied the decks. I needed to re-enter the business in a very new way. I [told] my team that I wanted to put at the service of novice directors. Specifically, female directors of color for the first time.”
Among the first directors she spoke to was Nia DaCosta, who at the time was working on Candyman. According to Ashton, the pair clicked and “really a fan of Jane Austen and Persuasion.” At the end of their conversation, Ashton made it clear that she wanted to work with DaCosta on her next project, even though it was something that “costs like five [cents] TO DO.”
When DaCosta called her to sign her to his next project, Ashton replied: “Yeah, absolutely! Where are we? [going]?”
So [later] she called and asked me if i wanted to do her new movie. I was like, yeah, absolutely! Where are we [going]? In the backwaters somewhere? How big is the budget? And it was this follow-up to Captain Marvel, which was not on my radar at all. [Laughs.] The expectation was just to realize Nia’s vision.
While joining the MCU was a surprise, Ashton was clear that she “I had the best time doing it” and that while working on a Marvel project, she “The respect for everyone involved in these films has exploded, in a very nuanced way.”
The very promising future of the MCU
Although Ashton didn’t reveal much about the exact identity of her mysterious villain, she did address some excellent points about the state of cinema and the changing landscape in both the MCU and Hollywood. in general.
The industry remains, even today, heavily dominated by white cisgender male designers. Ashton’s journey to the MCU is directly tied to her desire to support women — and women of color in particular — who often struggle to break into the field. Marvel’s decision to cast Nia DaCosta to direct a movie like Wonders goes a long way in showing that they share some of Ashton’s dedication to shaking up the status quo both on screen and behind the camera.
This type of barrier has become something of a hallmark of the Captain Marvel brand. Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, wanted the press covering her film to be as inclusive as possible. Ms. Marvelthe most recent entry, was the first Marvel project to cast an actor with no acting experience in the lead role when Iman Vellani took the place of Kamala Khan and became the MCU’s first Pakistani Muslim superhero.
Phase 4 has done an incredible job of making the fantasy world of Earth-616 more like the one we live in. By providing new opportunities for actors, directors, and writers of all persuasions and choosing to tell a wide range of stories, Marvel has created a much more colorful cast of heroes than it started out. It is certainly for the best; with as wide a cast of characters as Marvel has to draw from, everyone deserves to find someone they can relate to on screen.
Zawe Ashton’s Mysterious Villain Will Take On The MCU’s Cosmic Trio When Wonders debuts on July 28, 2023.
