‘Ms. Marvel’: Who Is Matt Lintz’s Bruno Carrelli and Is He in the Comics?
The friend-zoned sidekick of Kamala Khan.
Anticipation for Ms. Marvel is quickly rising now that the series is one week away from its release on Disney+. The series follows Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a superfan of Captain Marvel, who finds herself in the role of a superhero after she gains superpowers. Ms. Marvel will also be setting up the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels. Vellani will be reprising her role as Ms. Marvel for the film, alongside Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris.
Ms. Marvel is a particular exciting series as it will introduce us to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Muslim superhero. The casting has been celebrated as Marvel moves to introduce more diverse characters. The series is also the second Marvel project to feature a Pakistani-American, after Kumail Nanjiani portrayed Kingo in Eternals. Meanwhile, Khan’s entire family and her friends will also appear in the series, making for a very diverse cast.
After all, Khan is still very much a kid in Ms. Marvel, hence, she will rely heavily on those around her for support. In particular, she will rely on her two best friends Bruno Carrelli (Matt Lintz) and Nakia Bahadir (Yasmeen Fletcher) for help. While these two are both close friends of Khan, Carrelli is the only one privy to her identity as Ms. Marvel. As Bahadir remains in the dark about Khan’s identity, Ms. Marvel will definitely rely on Carrelli’s advice as she navigates being a superhero.
Who is Bruno Carrelli and is he in Marvel comics?
Lintz’s Bruno Carrelli is a prominent character in the Ms. Marvel comic books. Just like in Ms. Marvel, Carrelli is also Khan’s best friend in the comics. He is the son of Italian immigrants—raised Catholic by his grandparents. While he boasts a genius-level intellect, his grandparents struggled financially and worried about how they would put him through school. When the Khan family learned of his situation, they graciously paid for Bruno’s school fees. As a result, Kamala and Carrelli grew up together and became best friends. They bonded over their love of Tween Mutant Samarui Turtles and remained best friends from the second grade onward.
When Khan developed her superpowers after encountering the Terrigen Mist, she revealed her secret identity as Ms. Marvel to Carrelli. For a while, Carrelli was the only person who knew Khan’s alter ego. Hence, he became a trusted confidant and sort of sidekick to her. He proved quite useful due to being intellectually gifted, especially in the fields of science and technology. At one point, he even invented stretchy clothes that could accommodate Khan’s elasticity, thus, helping her perfect her costume.
Of course, his closeness to Khan resulted in him developing a crush on her. However, he was met with opposition on pretty much every side. For one, Khan’s family discouraged him because they wanted their daughter to marry a Muslim man. Also, while Khan always harbored feelings for Carrelli, she did at times crush on other boys. At one point, the two come close to kissing, but are interrupted. When Carrelli does finally admit his feelings to her, she confirms that she returns those feelings, but can’t be involved with him due to her duty as a superhero.
Bruno Carrelli in the MCU
Carrelli’s presence in Ms. Marvel seems to be closely following his comic book arc. As seen in the trailer, he is clearly Khan’s best friend and offers her guidance in her superhero doings. Likely, the series will explore Carrelli’s crush on Khan, as it has always been an underlying aspect of their friendship. Exploring crushes and love triangles will be good for the series, as it reflects that Khan is very much an ordinary high schooler when she’s not a superhero. Additionally, we are likely to see Carrelli’s inventiveness (and science-savvy skills) at work as he serves as Khan’s sidekick.
That said, he could also have a more tragic story arc, as Carrelli was once injured while attempting to help Khan. An explosion occurred in Civil War II that left him paralyzed on one side of his body. Fortunately, a brace developed from vibranium ultimately helped him walk without crutches. Whether he is injured or not, Ms. Marvel will likely explore to some extent how Khan attempts to protect him once he’s involved in her superhero quest.
It is unknown if Lintz will appear in the MCU elsewhere after Ms. Marvel. As Khan’s best friend, though, there’s a chance he could also appear in The Marvels. There’s even a small chance he could appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. After all, in the comics, Lintz did temporarily attend school in Wakanda, due to his giftedness. During his time there, he developed his vibranium brace and struck up a close friendship with Kwezi—T’Challa’s nephew. It would surprising to see Lintz in the film, but he certainly does have ties to Wakanda and Ms. Marvel, creating many opportunities for him to potentially resurface elsewhere in the MCU.
(featured image: Disney)
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