Iman Vellani

Iman Vellani, born August 12, 2002, is a Canadian actress and comics writer. She is best known for her role as Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to portraying the character across streaming television, film, and interactive media, she has expanded her career into comic book writing, co-authoring multiple series for Marvel Comics as well as original standalone works.

Of Pakistani background, Vellani was born in Karachi to a Sindhi family and raised as an Ismaili Muslim. She relocated to Canada at one year of age and later attended Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario. In 2019, she was selected as a member of the TIFF Next Wave Committee at the Toronto International Film Festival. Prior to entering the acting industry, she had planned to study integrated media at the Ontario College of Art & Design University.

In September 2020, Vellani was cast as the lead in the Marvel Studios and Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel. She submitted a self-tape after her aunt shared a casting call, leading to auditions in Los Angeles and virtually over Zoom. Executive producer Sana Amanat noted Vellani's personal fandom of the Avengers during her audition process. The series premiered on June 8, 2022, marking Vellani's onscreen debut. Her performance earned her a Saturn Award, alongside nominations for an Astra TV Award and a Critics Choice Super Award.

Following her debut, Vellani reprised her role as Kamala Khan in the interactive experience Avengers: Quantum Encounter on Disney Wish in July 2022. She made her feature film debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Marvels, released on November 10, 2023, which served as a sequel to Captain Marvel and a continuation of Ms. Marvel. In September 2025, she voiced the character in the Disney+ animated series Marvel Zombies. Outside of the Marvel franchise, she was cast in Shiver in November 2024, Mouse in April 2025, and secured her first leading feature film role in Suffering is Optional in May 2026.

Vellani made her comic writing debut in August 2023 by co-writing the four-issue limited series Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant alongside Sabir Pirzada. The pair subsequently wrote a four-issue sequel series, Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace, which launched on March 6, 2024. They continued their collaboration on Ms. Marvel Annual #1 in July 2024 and contributed a short story to the Marvel 85th Anniversary Special in August 2024.

In May 2026, it was announced that Vellani had written her first solo comic book series, titled Chachu. Featuring art by Marianna Ignazzi and colors by Jordie Bellaire, the five-issue limited series was published by Image Comics and Tiny Onion starting August 5, 2026. The series is set in 1979 and follows a young Pakistani-Canadian woman traveling to California to reconnect with her estranged uncle.