Photo of ‘Ms. Marvel’ star Iman Vellani dressed up as the hero years before landing the role goes viral

Iman Vellani of Disney Plus’ “Ms. Marvel” donned the costume of the titular hero long before portraying her on screen in her upcoming acting debut.

The photo of a then-15-year-old Vellani on Halloween was spotted in Disney Plus’ newly released “A Fan’s Guide to Ms. Marvel,” a short behind-the-scenes special for the upcoming series. It was then shared across Reddit, where Marvel fans geeked out that she was also a fan of the character prior to landing the role.

In the video, the now-19-year-old actor reveals that she made the outfit after purchasing the blue dress from a thrift store.

She also gushes about her lifelong appreciation for comic books, having spent most of her allowance money on them.

“One day, I picked up a Ms. Marvel comic because it was just like, I’ve never seen a brown person on the cover of one. And I read it, fell in love with her,” she explains.

Vellani continues, “She was just so captivating and fun, she had problems that I had. She had boy troubles and problems in school, Iron Man helped her with her physics homework. She was a kid and it showed.”

“Growing up with little to no representation, I needed that,” she adds. “It was basically Marvel Comics saying, ‘Hey, you’re not alone.’”

Executive producer Kevin Feige compares Vellani’s character to Peter Parker, noting that they’re both meant to be the “relatable kid.” Fans on Reddit pointed out that Tom Holland, who plays Marvel Studios’ Peter Parker and his alter ego Spiderman, had also dressed up as his character years before playing him on screen.

“Ms. Marvel” is slated for release on Disney Plus on June 8.

Feature Image via Marvel Entertainment

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