The villain in the upcoming The Marvels, Zawe Ashton, didn't realize she was becoming a part of the MCU. According to Ashton, the actor had been having doubts about whether she wanted to continue to pursue acting or instead work behind the camera when she landed a few major roles. Besides the Captain Marvel 2 villain, Ashton also plays the antagonistic force in the Regency-era rom-com Mr. Malcolm's List, which takes a more inclusive and modern approach to the genre in the vein of Bridgerton.

Most plot details of The Marvels are still being kept under wraps. What's known so far about the follow-up to Brie Larson's heroic introduction as Carol Danvers is that it will bring several MCU properties together as Danvers joins forces with a few like-minded, super-powered women. Teyonah Parris will return as Monica Rambeau, who befriended Danvers as a child in the original Captain Marvel and gained her powers from the Westview Hex in WandaVision. Also joining the team is Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, the titular and newly-powered hero of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. The jury is still out on which villain Ashton will be playing in The Marvels, although there's been some speculation Ashton could play X-Men's Mystique, which would continue the process of properly folding the X-Men into the MCU at large after Professor X and Reed Richards appeared in Doctor Strange 2.

Related: Mr. Malcolm's List Cast & Character Guide

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ashton revealed that she didn't realize she was going to be joining the MCU at all, let alone as a villain. She initially met with the director of The Marvels, Nia DaCosta, to see how they connected as fellow artists. Ashton explained that she was focused on finding projects that bolstered female directors of color, but had no idea of DaCosta's connection to the Captain Marvel sequel when they planned to make a project together. Check out her full quote below:

"I’m still terrified to say anything because I didn’t even know [the casting news] had come out! I’m in such a bubble. [But] first and foremost, where these films [Mr. Malcolm’s List and Captain Marvel] are twinned is that I had been moving away from acting for a while. I didn’t see the pendulum swinging hard enough and thought my time can be better spent behind a computer or potentially behind a camera. I went unrepresented for a while ... I needed to reenter the business in a very new way. I [told] my team that I wanted to be of service to first-time female directors. Specifically, first-time female directors of color.

One of the first people that I was set up on a Zoom with was Nia DaCosta, and we vibed really hard ... We signed off after a couple of hours going, Let’s do something, even if it costs like five [cents] to make. Then [later] she called and asked if I would do her new movie. I was like, yeah, absolutely! Where are we [going]? In the backwaters of somewhere? How small is the budget? And it was this follow-up to Captain Marvel, which had not been on my radar at all. [Laughs.] The expectation was just to fulfill Nia’s vision.

I honestly have had the best time doing it. I genuinely have. My respect for everyone involved in these movies has gone through the roof, in a very nuanced way."

Zawe Ashton didn't know she was joining Captain Marvel 2.

The talented Ashton seems to have found an ideal match with The Marvels director. While met with plenty of mixed thoughts, DaCosta's innovative take on Candyman, which she also co-wrote, showed a filmmaker brimming with ideas on how to revamp a well-trodden franchise. It's exciting that Marvel continues to bring on diverse directors known for more independent projects. Chloé Zhao, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Anna Fleck and Ryan Boden, are amongst the recent indie filmmakers who have been enlisted to helm Marvel projects. What's more, the MCU has begun bringing fresh faces to the screen, too, with newcomers like Ashton and Vellani breaking new ground in a franchise studded with major Hollywood stars.

Getting cast in a major franchise movie role by "vibing" with a director over Zoom may seem unconventional, but for filmmakers, forming a strong relationship with actors is an essential part of the casting process. DaCosta and Ashton share common interests and are driven by similar passions, which seems to be leading to a fruitful working relationship. While Ashton may not have know she was going to join the MCU via The Marvels, the actor is set to provide the franchise with an exciting new villain when she finally makes her debut. Exactly who she is playing, however, remains shrouded in secrecy.

Next: All 11 Marvel Movies Releasing After Thor: Love & Thunder (& When)

Source: Vanity Fair

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