Ali is no stranger to the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, having written on last year’sLoki.
But serving as the head writer ofMs.
Marvelwas a much larger assignment and a far more personal one.
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan in ‘Ms. Marvel’.Marvel Studios
Marvelepisode 2 out now, EW caught up with Ali to talk about bringing Kamala from page to screen.
What was it like emotionally for you to help bring Kamala’s story to the screen?
BISHA K. ALI:Oh my gosh, emotionally, it was such a journey.
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan in ‘Ms. Marvel’.Marvel Studios
But what was quite revelatory for me was being with the writers in the writers' room.
We would be like, “Are we really talking about our experiences as Pakistanis in Marvel Studios?
We also felt excited to be like, “Yeah, this is us.
This is who we are.
We’re not going to represent a billion people.
How did you want to bring that youthful, teen vibe to this story?
I mean, that’s the heart of it, right?
Her world is really grounded, with her family and high school and her community.
[Laughs] There was a great deal of sharing.
It was important that what she’s going through felt universal.
You’re not wanting to hurt them, but you’re also wanting to stand up for yourself.
All of those things are deeply universal and things I think we’ve all been through.
She gets to represent them, and that’s really thrilling.
How did you work with the directors to develop the show’s visual language?
The whole team pitched in on this.
It started with a seed, and then it grows into a snowball.
I know it’s a mixed analogy, but I think you get it.
We were like, “How do you bring that to life?”
Kamala’s powersalso look a little different on screenthan they do in the comic books.
What went into developing her new powers and the introduction of the bracelet?
That’s a big old question, and look, I get the vibe.
It was a huge decision.
It certainly wasn’t me rocking up and being like, “Let’s throw out the powers!”
That is not my vibe at all.
I think we really accomplished that.
I think if fans can give it a chance, they might see our reasoning.
It’s a different story than what exists in the comics.
So the power changes were hotly debated.
Kamalawill next appear inThe MarvelswithBrie Larson’s Carol Danvers andTeyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau.
How closely were you working with that creative team to check that everything fits together?
Not because I’m spreading secrets, but because I just love to talk.
[Laughs] Actually, at the point when we started writingMs.
Marvel, I don’t think thatThe Marvelshad been lined up yet.
The creative team wasn’t all in place yet.
So we had a lot of freedom.
That felt like part of my responsibility.
That maturity across the arc of the show felt like something that was really needed.
That was the key piece.
Was there a day on set withIman Vellanithat really reinforced her casting for you?
Was there a day that made you say, “Oh yeah, this is Kamala”?
It wasn’t even on set.
When I first met her, I was like, “She’s our Kamala.”
I was like, “Yeah, that’s it.
We did it.”
In that moment, I thought about all of them.
I was blown away by that.
You also worked onLoki.
Was there something you learned from that experience that helped your approach toMs.
Everybody came to this show with one superpower.
I understood the flexibility it requires, but also the creative passion and drive it requires.
And how to just love it and enjoy it!
I learned all of that onLoki.
You get to do all the world-building.”
I was like, “No guidance, no notes?”
They’re like, “No notes.
Go do it.”
That for me as a writer and a creative was like, ugh, so delicious.
So I got to create the moon of Lamentis!
Anyway, sorry, I can go for hours talking about Lamentis.
And I think the same thing happened on this show.
She gets to be the avatar for the fans at home who’ve grown up on Marvel.
I think Iman understands that too, because she’s a fan.
I understand that because I understand nerd culture, having been in it my whole life.
And the writers understood that excitement.
All those creative debates, I just love them.
