Warning: This article contains spoilers from Ms. Marvel episode 4.
Aramis Knight joins Ms. Marvel as the knife-wielding warrior Red Dagger. His character, also known as Kareem, recruits Kamala Khan, taking her to his gang’s secret hide-out where Kamala learns about the ClanDestine's plan – and realizes just how much danger she’s in. In a heart-racing final sequence, Kareem and Kamala are under attack from the villainous group. They race through the streets of Karachi, but there's a surprise twist in store: the episode ends on an almighty cliffhanger as Kamala finds herself mysteriously pushed back into the past.
Following the heart-racing episode, Total Film spoke to Knight about what’s next for Kareem, the actor opening up about his dynamic with Kamala, filming those fight sequences, and his hopes for his character's future in the MCU. Here’s the conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Total Film: So, how does it feel to be a superhero in the MCU?
Aramis Knight: It's amazing. It's a dream come true. It was something I never would have expected for myself, especially to be a part of a show that's so much about culture and representation. It's really a dream come true.
Becoming a superhero comes with a lot of training for fight sequences – how did you find this for Ms. Marvel?
I came off a show called Into The Badlands, which was a post-apocalyptic martial arts show. My mentor is Daniel Wu, he started the collegiate Wushu Team and he's one of the biggest action stars in Asia. He's my mentor, and he trained me for years and years on that show. So coming in, I already had prior experience in martial arts and I knew that would help a lot with Red Dagger because that's such a big part of his life. And I was able to train on the show, maybe not at the magnitude that I trained on Badlands, but definitely, when we were in training, they saw that I was able to really do some stuff and they really utilized my abilities, which I was super thankful for.
Your character's first meeting with Kamala Khan, it’s such a great scene, and it's almost exactly like in the comics. Did you study the comics at all when preparing for the role?
Yeah, definitely. That's where these characters were born. Also, they're quite new characters, so I realized that there wasn't so much material on them as a guide to follow. The show is really going to take the form of who these characters are because the comics are so new. But I definitely referred to the comics. And even during the auditioning process, like reading the comics and seeing Kareem, I was like, 'Oh, wow, I think I can really do something with this.'
We’ve only got two episodes left this season – what can you can tease about where we're heading next?
I think that Kareem becomes a great ally for Kamala. She can really lean on him for support, not only in her personal life, but going through trials as a newfound superhero, somebody who doesn't know a lot about the lifestyle. I become a great ally for her, as well as someone who she can call when she's in trouble.
For those who know the comics, there’s a lot more of Kareem’s story to tell. Do you see yourself having a future in the MCU?
Yeah, I would love that. I definitely think Kareem has a future in the MCU. I look forward to you guys seeing it and hopefully doing more.
Ms. Marvel continues on Disney Plus on Wednesdays. Check out our Ms. Marvel release schedule to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the show.
