That Avengers Convention In Ms. Marvel Could Really Happen
Where do I sign up?
The newest iteration of Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, was initially created in 2014 with the idea that she was a Captain Marvel fangirl. It made sense, as the new Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, had initially been Ms. Marvel when introduced in the late 1960s. Promoting the (originally male) Captain Marvel’s sidekick into the title and turning the sidekick into a teenage fan was a logical update of the dynamic. But even knowing Kamala Khan was a super fan did not prepare viewers for the mega fan event in the first episode of Ms. Marvel. Luckily for fellow superfans who saw AvengerCon and wished it was real, there may be some hope.
Warning: Spoilers for Ms. Marvel Episode 1 follow. When Kamala was introduced in the series premiere, she was a YouTube vlogger whose content focused on deep dives into Avengers history. Her current episode was all about how Captain Marvel saved the day in Avengers: Endgame and set the record straight about the superhero’s 20-year absence from Earth since 1995.
But Kamala’s primary focus was on the upcoming AvengerCon, the first-ever fan convention dedicated to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Her goal was to attend the show and compete in the Captain Marvel cosplay contest, which she hoped to win.
The scene in which she and her BFF, Bruno, arrived at AvengerCon and scoped out the booths is an easter egg fest that would keep any fangirl busy for days. The event’s location is Camp Leigh, where Steve Rogers became Captain America. There’s an array of characters cosplaying as various Avengers and other well-known characters (the M’Baku complete with an entourage is *chef’s kiss*). The merch stalls are filled with t-shirts fans only wish existed in the real world (Asgard Pride!). And of course, there’s the wall dedicated to Black Widow and Iron Man’s sacrifice — plus the giant Ant-Man suit, which plays a crucial role later on in the premiere episode.
Viewers aren’t the only ones who loved the faux convention. In an interview with Marvel.com, actor Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala, admitted her enthusiasm for the event was genuine, as she’d never been to a ComicCon in real life. “All the reactions you see on screen was just me living my childhood dream of being at a convention and being around so much Marvel merch,” she said.
The crew, too, went around taking pictures of everything, and the directors and writers posed for photos with the AvengerCon “staff.” But best of all, because Ms. Marvel was simultaneously filming next door to Spider-Man: No Way Home, the cast and crew from the Sony/Marvel feature film also came over to experience the set. Ms. Marvel co-director Adil El Arbi revealed at the press conference, “Tom Holland came back to see AvengerCon.”
Marvel Cinematic Universe president and CEO Kevin Feige pointed out that the timing explains why everyone was so excited by the idea, since they filmed the series in 2020 and 2021. “There hadn’t been a convention for a very long time,” he said. “It was very cathartic for all of us to see that.”
As for whether there will be an actual Avengers-focused convention, Feige hinted it’s already in the works. “There might be a few places you can go and visit the Ms. Marvel version of AvengerCon,” he said. If so, someone, please get me a t-shirt.
Ms. Marvel continues with new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
