Ms. Marvel head writer Bisha K. Ali opens up about how Wandavision showrunner Jac Schaeffer ultimately impacted Marvel's newest series. Ms. Marvel welcomes young hero Kamala Khan to the MCU, played by Iman Vellani in her first major role. The series follows Kamala as she learns to harness her new superpowers, having been a long-time super-fan of Captain Marvel. The series serves as an origin story for the character, who is set to make the leap over to the big screen in next year's The Marvels, alongside Brie Larson's Captain Marvel and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau.
Ms. Marvel joins the MCU's ever-growing lineup of series that stream exclusively on Disney+. This expansion into TV marked a turning point for the MCU, starting with WandaVision in 2021, which enjoyed enormous critical praise upon its release. Since then, various other MCU TV titles have been released, bringing back previously established MCU characters (including Loki and Hawkeye), as well as welcoming new heroes and villains to the ranks (such as the recent Moon Knight). With each series tying into the wider MCU, the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw the first direct film link to a Marvel show, serving as a sequel to Scarlet Witch's ending in WandaVision.
While discussing Ms. Marvel during a recent interview with Screen Rant, head writer Ali opened up about how Schaeffer, WandaVision's showrunner, played a role in Ms. Marvel's creation. Having also served as story editor on Loki, Ali discussed how each of the writer's rooms were just down the hall from one another, meaning she got the opportunity to learn for Schaeffer, calling her a "generous, kind mentor." Ali went on to discuss how the showrunner's "guidance and knowledge" was integral to the creative process of Ms. Marvel.
Exclusive: "When I was on Loki, Winter Soldier was on the other side of the hall and next door was WandaVision. Jac Schaeffer has been such a generous, kind mentor and a person has become a great friend of mine. Being able to build those relationships first as I stepped into this role - and particularly Jac, as I believe I couldn't have gone through any of this without her guidance and knowledge - was a huge help to me in this creative process when I went into running Ms. Marvel."
WandaVision was not Schaeffer's first Marvel project, having also been credited as a writer on Black Widow. Schaeffer now pivots to both write and produce the upcoming WandaVision spinoff series, Agatha: House of Harkness. The writer has also signed a three-year deal with Marvel that will have her oversee projects for both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox. After Schaeffer's guidance and support for Ali as she began creating her next MCU series post-Loki, following the release of Ms. Marvel episode 1, the show has received an incredibly warm welcome from both audiences and critics alike. Already, many viewers are excited to see where Ali's "creative process" will take the show's titular hero.
It is sweet to hear that the writing teams at Marvel take such a collaborative approach to the creation of their projects. Having nailed down the formula for success with WandaVision, Schaeffer would certainly be the perfect mentor, and it is heartwarming to learn about Ali's admiration for the creator and gratitude for her guidance throughout Ms. Marvel's creation. Hopefully, Ali and Schaeffer will get the opportunity to officially collaborate on a future MCU project, given the pair have proved through WandaVision and Ms. Marvel that both their talents are essential to the franchise.
