'Ms Marvel' Directors Talk Opening Title Sequence & Comparisons to 'Batgirl'

The directors of the first episode of Ms Marvel are speaking out about the episode!

Duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah opened up in a new interview about the John Hughes movie references, the comic-book animations an doodles, and even the comparisons to the upcoming Batgirl movie, which they are also directing.

“All the John Hughes movies, like Ferris Bueller’s Day, are obviously a reference,” Adil told Variety. “The TV show Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, which is based on the John Hughes movies, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies, all the American high-school TV shows, like Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World. We tried to convey that style.”

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“Into the Spider-Verse was a big reference,” he continued. “It’s one of our favorite movies. What if we could do a live-action version of that? We came up with the animation and comic-book aesthetic, trying to get inside her dream world — like Scott Pilgrim also.”

He also dished that the comic book illustrations and doodles weren’t originally in the script and they had to fight for it to be included.

“So we really had to try to convince Kevin Feige and Marvel to allow us to do that.”

As for the comparisons to Batgirl?

“For both, it’s an origin story,” Bilall said. “They have to grow and find a way to be who they have to become — a superhero. On the other hand, it’s totally different. Ms. Marvel is so teenager, super colorful and young, and then you have Batgirl in Gotham City with Batman, which is darker. Their journeys are similar in that they have to learn to become a superhero and take responsibility and grow.”

Adil and Bilall directed episode one of Ms Marvel, and will also direct the final episode of the season. As previously stated, they’re also helming the upcoming DC film, Batgirl, which stars Leslie Grace in the title role.

Pictured here in the gallery: Ms Marvel‘s Iman Vellani and Zenobia Shroff attending a screening and conversation of the show at Paley Center for Media on Thursday (June 9), along with Ms Marvel comic creator Sana Amanat and another of the show’s directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

ICYMI: Meet the whole cast of Ms Marvel!

See what Iman said about talking with Captain Marvel‘s Brie Larson.