As players are diving more and more into Marvel’s Avengers through the beta, they’ll meet Kamala Khan, a.k.a Ms. Marvel, played by actor and musician Sandra Saad. Khan’s in-game story drops the character in some unexpected circumstances—she’s tasked with reuniting the members of the Avengers. We’ll have more on that below, but it’s worth noting that auditioning for the role also dropped Saad in some unexpected circumstances.
“This audition process was nothing like I’ve ever experienced prior,” Saad told Newsweek. “Usually with a lot of voiceover projects and a lot of games, you just send in your audio clip and that’s it and then you go in [to record].”
Saad, who has voiced characters in Fallout 76 and Call of Duty and has a background in comedy, explained that the folks holding the auditions weren’t just considering her acting ability; they were taking note of Saad’s facial features, how her face moves when she talks, her height and how her body moves. She didn’t really know who she was auditioning for. The development teams were being very secretive, and it wouldn’t become clear until she arrived on the mocap stage.
All Saad knew about the character was that she was a “spunky” 16-year-old with “internal struggles.” After arriving to record mocap for the game, she found out she was playing Kamala Khan, a New Jersey teenager with the power to bend and shape her body to her will. Khan isn’t an Avenger when we first meet her—she’s just a big fan of the heroes—but when the world needs them, she has to reassemble the team.
The cast of Marvel’s Avengers includes some of the industry’s biggest names—like Nolan North, Troy Baker and Laura Bailey—so just like her video game counterpart, Saad was the newbie of the crew. But that newness helped Saad and Crystal Dynamics further flesh out the character in the game.
MAKING KAMALA HER OWN
Kamala Khan, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, was created by editor Sana Amanat, writer G. Willow Wilson, artist Jamie McKelvie and others at Marvel in 2013, making her a relatively new addition to Marvel Comics lore.
“There wasn’t, like, 50 years of history, 50 years of source material to delve into, so it was nice to look at the source material I did have available and take my time with it,” Saad said. “She is so new that it did give us a little bit more freedom to make Crystal Dynamics’ own version of Kamala Khan, because I personally am pretty similar to Kamala already.”
Shaun Escayg, storyline director for Marvel’s Avengers, crafted a story and characters to make them fit into the universe of the game, but he didn’t have to do much to bring Kamala Khan to life—according to Saad, he just let the voice actor bring her own personality to the forefront.
“Shaun was always reminding me that I don’t have to act too much, and that I’m already [Kamala],” Saad explained. “In getting to know me, Shaun said that I’m funky and excitable and all the things that make Kamala very relatable.”
That excitable nature is perfect to bring the Avengers back together in the game. After the events of A-Day, when a mission goes awry killing innocents, the team breaks up. With AIM, a research and development company looking to change the world using science, Kamala decides that she needs to bring the team back together when a more sinister motive is discovered. And Saad’s definitely up to the task: In the beta we’re able to experience so far, her performance is the highlight.
It isn’t easy for Kamala, though. In addition to having to get Earth’s Mightiest Heroes back on the same page, she’s trying to get a hold of and deal with her new powers. Fears of inadequacy and failure are ever-present, especially when she first meets Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk.
Saad explained that it was a very purposeful decision to have Kamala team up with Banner first.
“It’s like you’re seeing your heroes for the first time,” Saad said. “This is Bruce Banner, this is the guy who did X, Y and Z. Bruce Banner has so many similarities to Kamala. He feels like a monster that he can’t control and Kamala also has these powers that she doesn’t know and can’t control. They need each other.”
But there’s a lot more than angst in Kamala’s interactions with the Avengers; there’s plenty of light-hearted moments that balance out the story and bring levity to the characters.
“I’m a sucker for comedy and I think Kamala and the Hulk have some really fun moments,” Saad said with a laugh. “The Hulk doesn’t talk and Kamala, she talks a lot. So seeing those two opposites work together is super-funny. He’s huge and green and she’s petite and like ‘Na-na-na-na.’”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE REPRESENTATION
Saad, like Kamala Khan, is a first-generation American and she faced a lot of the same struggles that Kamala did, growing up as a person of color.
The actor says those experiences made it easy to tap into the character’s psyche when she was recording. And then there’s the extra resonance of being a woman—especially a woman of color—involved in a major video game, which isn’t lost on Saad.
“It’s a big deal. When I was younger it seemed like video games were for boys. A certain type of boy and only those could afford to play video games,” Saad said. “To see every type of person involved in a game and to see every type of person acting in a game and being such a big part of it is a really big deal and to be a woman of color who’s leading a Marvel game is a huge deal to me. Seeing a woman of color being the lead of a Marvel game, I’d be ecstatic knowing that I could grow up one day and be like that, so I’m honored.”
Earlier this year, the topic of whether non-POC should voice characters that are POC was raised, causing many animated series to recast roles. Saad hopes that this ongoing conversation leads to more opportunities for POC.
“There are so many wonderful actors of all kinds and I have been lucky enough to get to know such a diverse group of amazing actors when I came up in comedy,” Saad explained. “I came up at the Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade and in those communities and did the diversity programs and I’ve met so many amazing people who don’t get to have these opportunities.”
Saad believes that many roles are given to actors with name recognition and to someone that everyone’s just “comfortable” with casting. But she told Newsweek that it’s time that people start to take a chance on good actors who best fit the bill.
“Look around. I know so many actors who are just, like, dripping with talent who, sometimes, they just don’t get their shot because they’re not seen right away. I think you can try a little bit harder to find them,” Saad said. “Sometimes it’s easier to not look and put your faith in someone you put faith in before. Sometimes it works out, but why not try when the opportunity for representation is easily there? Growing up, I didn’t have someone to look up to who looked like me who was on television and working in video games or in whatever medium that you like. When you’re growing up, sometimes it’s impossible to see yourself reflected in a good light and the opportunity for representation is there if we just try a little bit.”
Saad added that she hopes that playing Marvel’s Avengers inspires gamers and teaches them something about themselves, too.
“Through this game, try to learn as much as you can what it means to truly embrace your powers,” Saad said. “I learned what it really means to embrace the things about me that made me different and I encourage everyone to do the same.”
Marvel’s Avengers is scheduled to be released September 4 for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.
