Actor Aramis Knight made his debut in Wednesday’s fourth episode of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel, and his team up with the show’s title character, played by Iman Vellani, was an instant hit with fans.
Knight plays Kareem, a masked vigilante crime fighter and one of the mysterious group of Pakistan-based heroes known as the Red Daggers.
A visit to her grandmother’s native Karachi to study the origins of her powers led Vellani’s Kamala Khan to be tracked — and later defended — by the group.
Knight tells ABC Audio he was sure he was auditioning for the character — who goes by the Red Dagger in the comics — when he heard about it, in spite of Marvel’s famous secrecy.
“When I heard … they were looking for Southeast Asian actors and that it was a Marvel show. Didn’t take much research to figure out that it was Ms. Marvel,” he smiles.
“And then I started reading the comics and found Kareem. And I was like, ‘Oh, this must be who I’m auditioning for. I mean, come on! Like, I look just like the guy!’ And I just had a feeling from then on.”
We wanted to know if Knight was ready to see cosplayers playing him. “YESSS!” he says.
“I’m trying to go to Comic-Con this year [in July], trying to take a picture with every person who dresses up as Red Dagger.”
He adds, “I’m really hoping we get some Halloween costumes. A couple of my friends have already promised me that they’re going to be ‘me’ for Halloween …”
The actor of Pakistani descent says, “Overall … I’m just excited to … represent for our culture, to be able to be a superhero, to be able to do what I love and to be a part of a company like Marvel. It’s just, it’s amazing!”
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