‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Mehwish Hayat Weighs in on Possible Clandestines Spinoff Series (Exclusive)

After wrapping up the groundbreaking first season of Ms. Marvel on Disney+ last week, there are still plenty more questions surrounding 16-year-old Muslim superhero Kamala Khan’s origins and powers. But one of the most surprising twists highlighted in the series opposing comic book lore is her relation to the Clandestines through great-grandmother Aisha — played by award-winning Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat. While the Clandestines work hard to keep their secrets hidden from humans, the family line of elusive and powerful immortal beings from the Noor Dimension still holds plenty of wonder for a potential spinoff or prequel series.

[Possible spoilers ahead for Ms. Marvel Season 1] But could it ever happen if the Marvel Cinematic Universe wanted to expand the mythology of Ms. Marvel further through these characters mistakenly referred to as Djinn, adapted from Arabic and Islamic lore? In an exclusive with PopCulture.com about the series, Hayat spoke about the show’s strength rooted in authentic representation while weighing in on how a Clandestines spinoff prequel would be a great idea — though, in all transparency, she is not confirming any such production nor her part in it. But Hayat would love to see Aisha’s backstory develop further in light of her finding the bangle off a possible severed Kree wrist.

“First of all, I don’t know about it, obviously, if there is going to be a prequel or something, I hope there is. But there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered, like, ‘What were we doing? Why were we not being able to go back home? Why were we stuck in that place where we were as Clandestines?’ And Waleed [Farhan Akhtar] knows Aisha, when he meets Kamala, he says, ‘Oh, your great-grandmother’s story’s of a legend.’ How do they know each other? What happened? Exactly, how did they come in contact?” Hayat told PopCulture exclusively. “Also the fact that, when Aisha says, ‘This bangle is not going to work, it’s not going to work,’ so how did she know that it’s not going to work? And the fact that she decided to stay there with the family, but also she did not probably want the bangle to — because obviously, it was going to destroy the whole world.”

Sharing how there are “so many” things that can “still be addressed and can be explored,” Hayat says if a prequel of some kind happens or a backstory of the Clandestines with Aisha or the Red Daggers and their relationship, she would be game for it. “I think so much can be done and there are amazing show creators out there who must, at least, listen to us.”

One thing Hayat is most certain of is her newfound ability to keep a secret — a quality every MCU actor needs to have. But it wasn’t easy, she admits while laughing, “You have no idea.” Revealing she shot her parts in March 2021, Hayat says a lot of the filming took place during the height of the pandemic when everyone was stuck in their homes. “I was in Bangkok shooting… So imagine not being able to take photos and post, so I disappeared. For those two months, I was not posting anything at all. Even if I would post something, it would be a selfie, which will not show where I am and it was the most difficult part, keeping a secret. But it actually proved something to me — that I can really keep a secret,” Hayat laughed. “So yeah, I was very good at it.”

Though there is not much background on Aisha in the comic books — just four pages to be exact — Hayat reveals to PopCulture that her greatest attraction in taking on the character was in the way she was written for the Disney+ adaptation and the “mystery” that surrounded her identity. “In each episode, you would hear about her — you would hear something either negative or positive, but there was a lot of mystery and curiosity around her. There was this whole buildup, and when you actually see her in the third episode, you’re like, ‘Oh, that is Aisha. Okay, cool,’ and then the bangle and everything,” she said. “But after that, you see her as this warrior when you see her first, but then you see her vulnerabilities, her strength and as well as her, I would say, still being able to understand that she had this human side to her, or this need to want to have a family. And once she did, she decided to stay there, make her home on earth. I think so much that’s still unanswered, and still, there’s a lot of mystery around her character.

“The fact that her family, her daughter meant so much to her and she even sacrificed her life in order to protect them and get them to safety. I think it was so wholesome, her character,” she continued. “And playing her, I think there were so many layers, and as an artist, it was a challenge, but at the same time, it was such a treat to be able to play her. And I hope to have done justice to her character.”

Ms. Marvel will return for Season 2 and its first season is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+. For more with Mehwish Hayat and all things Ms. Marvel, keep it locked to PopCulture.com for the latest.