The Marvels director Nia DaCosta is a major fan of Marvel Comics, so much so that she agrees with one of the movie’s co-stars about one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s more controversial changes to the source material.
Per Total Film, DaCosta and actor Iman Vellani reportedly had several conversations about the MCU at large during the film’s production, with both “bristling” over how the MCU handles incursions. The filmmaker stated that she finds the on-screen explanation in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness “always very stressful.” At the time of writing, it’s currently unknown whether The Marvels will feature any such multiversal events.
In the MCU, an incursion is described as what “occurs when the boundary between two universes erodes, and they collide, destroying one or both entirely,” a phenomenon experienced by Doctor Strange when he visits a reality that has almost entirely imploded. The comics have a different take on the multiversal crisis, as established in Jonathan Hickman’s run on New Avengers when it’s revealed that incursions are caused when the Beyonders hatch a plan to destroy Molecule Man, a character that is identical in every reality. The consequences are similar to the MCU though, in that when Molecule Man dies two Earths smash together, ultimately destroying either one or both.
Iman Vellani Fights Back
For her part, Vellani has been an outspoken and devoted fan of both the MCU and the comic books that inspired the franchise, going so far as to correct Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige over what she believes is a major error in Multiverse of Madness. “Every time I talk to Kevin, we have this argument where I say, ‘The MCU is not 616,'” Vellani said. “He’s like, ‘It is because I said so.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s 199999.’ He hates it. So, we keep having this argument, and then they put 616 in the movie. I’m like, ‘Kevin, you know it’s not 616.’ He just sends me a sad face. I was like, ‘Great.'”
The Marvels stars Vellani as she once again dons the superhero costume of Ms. Marvel as she embarks upon an intergalactic adventure with Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau aka Photon (Teyonah Parris). The trio becomes the victims of what is teased as a “quantum entanglement,” as using their powers make them swap locations.
The Marvels is scheduled to land in theaters on Nov. 10.
Source: Total Film, via X