Marvel Rising Cast Knew We Wanted Diversity Thanks to Comics

Recently, Marvel Animation released the latest entry in its Marvel Rising line of films, “Heart of Iron.” Billed as a series focusing on a team of young and diverse teenage heroes, the Marvel Rising stories have highlighted some of the most lauded and impactful characters introduced by Marvel, including Spider-Gwen, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, America, and Ironheart.
Speaking as someone who grew up in the 90s, a relative heyday for cartoons, I’ve gotta say– I’m very impressed. The Marvel Rising team is comprised of characters who are emblematic of the recent push for real diversity in media. From their ethnic backgrounds to their body types, this crew is one that could not have existed even a decade ago. It’s one we’ve needed for a long time now– for all those growing up marginalized without someone to look up to in the media we consume– my younger self included.
So why are we ready for this team in 2019? To answer that question, the Beat recently spoke with a whole cadre of crew and cast members from Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron, including executive producer Cort Lane:

Sofia Wyle, who voices Riri Williams for the first time in “Heart of Iron”:

Kathreen Khavari, who has now been voicing Kamala Khan for over three years!:

Kamil McFadden, who plays Patriot, one of the couple of guys on the team:

And Squirrel Girl voice actor Milana Vayntrub, who opens up about her dyslexia and how comics are now aiding in the treatment of it:

For more coverage on Marvel Rising, check out the Marvel Rundown’s review of the new comics mini-series. Recently, the publishing arm also produced a month of variant covers featuring characters from the show!
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