Sandra Saad on voicing Ms Marvel: 'I landed a role that inspired me'

“With great honour and strength, I am proud to finally announce: I am Kamala Khan,” Sandra Saad tweeted almost a year ago.

Since then, fans have been eagerly waiting to see the American-Egyptian actor bring the character of Ms Marvel to life outside of the comic books for the first time.

With the Friday, September 4, release of the Marvel's Avengers video game, we got to see the elastic-limbed superhero in action at last. Despite sharing a storyline with some of Marvel's better-known characters such as Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow, Saad not only managed to ensure that the character gets her dues, but her performance pretty much steals the show.

A large part of what makes Saad's portrayal of the optimistic and confident Ms Marvel so memorable is that the actress was careful to ensure she is presented as three-dimensional and "not a token".

"She's a real person," Saad told The Independent. "I feel like, all too often, when you do see Muslim characters – or specific characters that have something about them that's different – they focus really heavily on that and that's all that becomes of the character."

This incarnation of Ms Marvel, also known as Pakistani-American teenager Kamala Khan, made her first appearance in an August 2013 edition of Captain Marvel, and landed her own comic book series in February 2014.

“The great thing about Kamala Khan is she’s not just Muslim. She’s not just Pakistani. She’s not just hopeful. She’s a fully actualised, three-dimensional character with a life, a background and a family. She’s a first-generation American – she’s a lot.”

This is not Saad's first foray into voicing a video game character. She's previously lent her voice to a number of characters in Fallout 76 as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but her role as Khan/Ms Marvel marks the first time she's taken a lead role.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a role that inspired somebody,” she said. “I landed a role that inspired me.”

Saad told The Independent that she shares a number of personality traits with her character, including her cheerful optimism. "All of us actors are very similar to the characters," she said of her co-stars in the game, which includes Nolan North (Iron Man), Troy Baker (Bruce Banner) and Laura Bailey (Black Widow).

“So it’s easy to just keep it rolling with our own input. Working with Troy and Nolan, and all those guys, you definitely get a lot of improvisation between the lines – just kind of like: ‘Do what you feel.’”

Speaking about the necessity of having more diverse representation within the entertainment industry, Saad said: "I feel like, why not? If we can make an effort to look for actors of colour, you can find them.

"I know that this is a really big thing with casting offices. You might like to play it safe and stick with the same people that they’re used to, whatever their background is from.

"But just taking that extra step to look for a new talent can be very important for those people watching who are that same race.”

Other key dates

Finals draw: December 2
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020

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Williams at Wimbledon

Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)

Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)

MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.

While you're here

Europe’s largest economies hit by coronavirus infections surge

Fed officials say rush to reopen the US economy has backfired

Points tally

1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Points to remember

Debate the issue, don't attack the person
Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
Listen actively without interrupting
Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Key findings of Jenkins report

Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

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