Ms. Marvel introduces viewers to the MCU's first Muslim-American superhero, with Kamala Khan's family background playing a key role in the series. The character of Kamala Khan made her comic book debut back in 2013, and in truth nobody at Marvel expected her to be quite such a hit. Writer G. Willow Wilson has even admitted she had a three-issue exit strategy if pre-orders were too low to sustain sales.
But Ms. Marvel did not fail. Instead, the character become one of Marvel's most notable new creations of the last decade, and just nine years later Marvel Studios has produced a Ms. Marvel Disney+ TV show. The series is unique for its portrayal of Muslim-American culture within the MCU - albeit with the addition of the multiverse. Meanwhile, the decision to root Kamala Khan's story in her family history has led to an unusual focus on events surrounding the Partition of India.
Screen Rant had the opportunity to speak to Travina Springer, who plays the part of Tyesha Hillman in the MCU. Tyesha is engaged to Kamala's brother Aamir at the start of the series. They seem blissfully in love, though she has no idea just how wild the family she's marrying into will turn out to be. Naturally, Springer couldn't reveal any spoilers, but she did nonetheless shine a light on the complexity of her character.
Screen Rant: To open up our interview, could you tell us a little about your background?
Travina Springer: I went to Florida State University. I'm an army brat, so I moved a little bit around, I did some acting classes and some theater stuff here and there. I have a background in American Sign Language - in high school I took a lot of languages, and that was one of them, I was just geeking out about languages. I also have a background in comedy, I do stand-up and sketch - prior to the pandemic. I've been acting for a while.
And I'm the older sister - I have a younger sister too, that matters! I think it really affects how people show up in the world, if you're the middle child, or the baby.
Screen Rant: I understand you're a writer as well as an actor. Do you feel those skills complement your ability to interpret characters and bring them to life?
Travina Springer: I think so. Writing is a newer thing for me, I do it with my stand-ups and I'm working on a solo show. I think they do complement, you can see when writers write things down and how they bring it to the page, and how an actor can bring it to life. They complement each other, so I think it's absolutely helpful in understanding the nuances that are written down and what the writer might imagine. As an actor, I can enhance that, take it as an idea - as my own spinoff.
Screen Rant: Could you tell us a little bit about your character in Ms. Marvel?
Travina Springer: OK, let me see, I'm gonna try to do my tightrope dance here. I will say that Tyesha is a very confident, self-assured woman who isn't afraid of following her own path. She's just like a really cool character to play, I feel very honored to get to wear her.
She's also a convert to Islam, her faith is very important to her, and her family is as well. All of those things influence how she shows up in the world. I will also say that they dress her very well! It's really, really exciting, that part. For the fans who are very familiar with the comic books, it's inspired by the source material.
Screen Rant: What drew you to this role in particular?
Travina Springer: I think I was really drawn to their basic description of her; that she was witty, I'm like, "I'm witty!" And that she's confident, and the way she described her, she had all these layers to her. She loves everything nerd, and she's a gamer, and I think... it's exciting to see all of that listed, all these other things about how she moves in the world. Those things complement each other very well.
I was also drawn to the fact Tyesha's a convert, like myself. That was really cool to have that authentic connection to the character, and to the story, where it felt it was performative for me.
Screen Rant: I'd noticed the parallel there, I was wondering did you feel that commonality really helped you to step into her shoes?
Travina Springer: Yes. I felt like it did, because I'm Muslim, I'm involved in my community and I understand that world. It wasn't like I have to do a bunch of research. Even with the audition piece, I resonated and connected with it, there wasn't as much work to do. As an actor, that's always nice - it was easy.
And yes, I think I had a mindfulness about how we carry out ourselves differently, and observe our Islam differently, but I have an awareness to it and there was a sacredness to it so I was able to bring that to my performance.
Screen Rant: It sounds really authentic.
Travina Springer: Which is really special, because you don't always get that in Hollywood. I feel very honored that I get to authentically play a black Muslim convert in the MCU, it's a huge deal.
Screen Rant: You mentioned the initial casting, What was it like auditioning with Marvel?
Travina Springer: I received the audition like I do for other auditions, but when I got the opportunity... everything was virtual. I had to offer a little bit of my blood, my social security number, put a rent deposit down before I could even get the material... It was a lot, I was like, 'It was a lot!' It's so top secret, you can't put your audition anywhere. My reps didn't even see my tape.
Screen Rant: How did you hear you'd got the part?
Travina Springer: A little dove set down with a little note written in code. Does this mean what I think it means? Blink twice.
No, my team called me, and I was so excited. This was deep into the pandemic, Hollywood had barely opened up when we started filming, it was very exciting.
Screen Rant: You mentioned the comics a little. How familiar are you with the comics themselves? How do you feel your character's been adapted?
Travina Springer: I didn't know much about Ms. Marvel at all before I got involved with the project. I was introduced to it, I started to dive in, I read as many issues as I could, I researched her. I will say that I think, in general, the MCU likes to be inspired by their comic books. There are a lot of things that are the same, the essence, but I think there are some things they've taken creative liberties with.
Screen Rant: I have to say, to me from all you're saying, Tyesha feels a bit more well-rounded than she is in the comics. Did you play a part in putting together her backstory, or was it sort of mandated by Marvel straightaway?
Travina Springer: There was space to make creative input, especially from an authentic perspective. But I think the source material was so strong already, there wasn't much I needed to add.
Screen Rant: You're interacting a lot with the series star, Iman Vellani. What was it like working with her?
Travina Springer: Oh, Iman is just so fantastic. I believe she was perfectly cast for Kamala, it's so seamless how she is as a person, her essence, and how she plays as a character. It was very fun working with her, she's a newer actor but you almost couldn't tell. I felt a responsibility as someone who was more seasoned to make sure she was okay, and check in on her, but it was nice to just watch her blossom through the series as the filming went on. I'm thinking, 'Is she being overwhelmed?' But she focused very well.
Screen Rant: You've done a few different performances in the past. What's it like working with Marvel Studios, and how does it compare to other productions you've been part of?
Travina Springer: Marvel is so huge. It's like, you can't get bigger than Marvel. I guess the massiveness, the depth of stories they have, the material. It's just so vast. I think the fanbase is very specific with Marvel, that's something that's very different, and newer to me compared to other projects.
We create something, and you hope people have an awareness, or people will find out about it. But people really clock this Ms. Marvel thing. 'We knew this was coming, we can tell you the plans,' and I'm thinking, 'How do you know this?' I just play dumb, I'm like, really? I don't know what you're talking about. Marvel? What's that?
Screen Rant: What was it like working under those almost post-pandemic conditions, but not quite?
Travina Springer: It was stressful in general, you wanna keep everyone safe so we can create our show and our story. But at the same time, we're not front-line or healthcare workers. But I felt safer on set because of all the unions, I felt safer on set than I did going to the grocery store because of all the testing, I was like, 'Please dig into my brain, I wanna know!' Constant, three-times-a-week COVID tests, masks on, it was interesting. But I'm like, 'Keep me safe, so I can work, so we can create!'
Screen Rant: Have you had much reaction on social media, fans interacting with you?
Travina Springer: From what I've seen, a lot of it's been positive, people were excited to see the show and the existence of my character. I mean, when have you seen a black Muslim hijabi presented in this way with layers in the MCU? It doesn't exist. I think a lot of people were excited to see a version of themselves presented on a large scale. But nothing crazy - yet.
Screen Rant: You've got that to come.
Travina Springer: But I love all the fans, everybody's been really nice, so I'm grateful people are excited about the show.
Screen Rant: We'll understand if you can't say, but... do you know if you'll be involved in The Marvels at all?
Travina Springer: That's such a fun question, you'll just have to wait and see.
Screen Rant: And to wrap up - if you could actually choose to be a Marvel superhero, who would you choose to be?
Travina Springer: I feel like... You know, I'm going with my default choice. The Black Panther, you hear that Sarah Finn? Maybe Tayesha shows up in the Black Panther. It's such a cool costume, all of that.
Ms. Marvel Synopsis
A great student, an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. But Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school—that is, until she gets super powers like the heroes she's always looked up to. Life is easier with super powers, right?
Check out our other interviews with Ms. Marvel stars Mohan Kapur, Zenobia Shroff & Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Yasmeen Fletcher & Matt Lintz, as well as Iman Vellani herself.
