In just one episode,Ms. Marvelmanaged to stand out in the massive Disney Plus' massive MCU library, partly thanks to a crucial decision made by the pilot episode’s directors, Belgian duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. That decision ended up impacting the entire series' visuals with some clever inspiration from boys named Spider-Man andScott Pilgrim.
The pair, known collectively as Adil and Bilall, first rose to prominence in Hollywood after directing the 2020 blockbusterBad Boys for Life,though their past experience directing European crime movies had prepared them well for the role. Still, when tackling the almighty media juggernaut that isMs. Marvel, both men knew they had to bring something extra to the table, andthanks to Kevin Feige’s approval, they’ve managed to give Kamala Khan something unique.
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Speaking in an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, El Arbi and Fallah said they were rather surprised that Feige let them bring the “vibrancy and colors of the comic book” because it’s completely different fromall the other MCU moviesand shows. However, the Marvel Studios chief gave them full creative license with the condition that they “Don’t go overboard. Don’t do it every five seconds." Instead, the comic book flair and pop-up text would be true to the character, which is exactly what they wanted to create in this dream world, “the fantasy world of Kamala Khan,” as they describe it.
Although El Arbi and Fallah were only booked for the series opener and the sixth episode finale, it was their decision and not head writer Bisha K. Ali’s to include these subtler comic book flourishes that ended up impacting the entire aesthetic of the show. Still, the two directors are humble enough to recognize that “Obviously,Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldwas also a big inspiration and reference." So wasSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with the duo naming those two as their prime drivers for deciding this was the way to go forMs. Marvelin this new superhero teen drama entry.
Besides discussingMs. Marvel, El Arbi and Fallah also talked about their other big upcoming project, DC’sBatgirl, though one of the first things they pointed out is how supportive Marvel Studios was of such an opportunity. WhileBatgirl’s release date hasn’t been confirmed,Ms. Marvel’scharacteristic visual stylesuggests the two could have pulled off something similar for Barbara Gordon.
