A biography for Iman Vellanihasn’t been written yet.
“I was born in Pakistan, and we moved to Canada when I was 1.”
“Ms. Marvel' is really about allowing fans to live in fantasyland. It's cool to imagine a fan getting superpowers.”
“There's the subreddits, the fan forums, fan fic, cosplay and fan art. Then there's breaking down the trailers, frame-by-frame, and breaking down the posters, inch-by-inch. That's how I grew up and that's how obsessive I was over Marvel.”
“High school was really confusing for me.”
“Being 16 and dealing with high school and boys and relationships and family drama and culture and religion - it's so confusing and complicated. Whereas being a superhero, you fight crime and you look cool doing it.”
“Every big moment in my life also includes 'Iron Man.' Because I have that attachment to it, it means a lot to me even though you know, it's not like the greatest movie ever created, but to me it is.”
“I can't do my taxes, but I've seen 'Iron Man 1' a hundred million times.”
“The Marvels' is a fun movie, it's a good time.”
“Jon Favreau is such a wonderful director.”
“My parents used to give me a $20 allowance and I'd spend it all on McDonald's and 'Iron Man' comics. It was an unhealthy obsession.”
“From time to time, people find my Letterboxd and they make their own opinions about my opinions.”
“Marvel is one of the most accessible franchises in the entire world, and film and TV totally shape how we see people in this world.”
“No one's just Muslim or just Pakistani or just a 16-year-old kid from Jersey City.”
“I have a brother who's six years older than me and we only ever watched stuff that he wanted to watch - 'Lord of the Rings,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and the MCU.”
“Ms. Marvel' came out of nowhere and so I decided I'm not going to plan my future. I'm just going to see where life takes me. If it's an indie thing then great, if it's 'Fast and Furious 29' then great.”
“Oh God, Reddit was a huge outlet for me.”
“It's so important to to find people who are like-minded and connect with your passions.”
“A lot of the time, people of color don't get to be real individuals, but 'Ms. Marvel' shows Kamala and her community as real people. We want to make them as specific as possible, and I think that specificity is true representation.”
“I knew absolutely no one in the film industry.”
“I love a good movie where I can go crazy, be superanalytical and discuss the cinematography and the score and everything. I love when my mind gets put to work. I also love entertainment. I want to escape reality and have a good time.”