The arrival of Ms. Marvel on Disney + marks the first Muslim superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the show, many actors finally get their due and the attention they deserve. Leading it all in the titular role is Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani who shines bright as Kamala Khan.
But amongst that cast, in a minor role, stands Anjali Bhimani. While many might not know who she is, her voice has been used in many video games and animated shows. Portraying Aunt Ruby, Bhimani appeared in the show’s first episode with a gossiping aunt commenting on Kamala’s dress while she and her mother are shopping for her brother’s wedding.
Anjali Bhimani is set to continue appearing in the show in a recurring capacity, and here is where you might have known her before she arrived in the MCU.
Recurring Roles on Television
With many acting performances under her belt, Anjali has been a part of many of the biggest television series in a recurring manner. From her appearances on The Sopranos, Modern Family, Pretty Little Liars, Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS, SWAT, Station 19, Blindspot and so many more, Anjali Bhimani has been on your screens for decades in one capacity or another.
While not having a leading television role just yet, she has been a pillar of television for almost two decades now, coming in for one or two episodes and making the most of the limited screen time she has been given.
Critical Role / The Legend of Vox Machina
Anjali joined the Critical Role family in 2019 when she joined the cast in a limited series called UnDeadwood. Critical Role centers around a group of voice actors who are best friends and play Dungeons & Dragons. Starting in 2015 on Twitch, it has evolved into one of the biggest web series and has become its property, with many side shows having spun off the primary campaigns.
Joining first as part of the UnDeadwood cast portraying Miriam Landisman, a charismatic buisness woman who arrives in Deadwood looking for work. She then joined the cast in a One-Shot to promote the new DOOM game DOOM Eternal. But her most well-known appearance in the Critical Role world comes from the Exandria Unlimited mini-series that aired in the summer of 2021. She portrayed a monk Fire Genasi called Fy’ra Rai in the mini-series and performed her again in a Battle Royale one-shot as well as the special episodes. Exandria Unlimited: Kymal. Anjali also returned to the Critical Role world and voiced the Head Cleric that Pike (Ashley Johnson) seeks help from in their adaptation of the show’s first campaign, The Legend of Vox Machina, on Prime Video.
Rampart in Apex Legends
Introduced in Season 6, Anjali voices Rampart in Apex Legends. A free-to-play battle royal-hero shooter game, Apex Legends has become one of the most popular and played video games of all time since its launch in 2019. Her character, Rampart, is a blue-collar, private business owner who just needs a big gun and a backpack full of scrap metal to get by . Having made a name for herself in the underground gauntlet circuit, Rampart climbed to the top by showcasing skills using her gear. She then started taking jobs, never shying away from letting people know how great she was or how bad they were; it probably led a group of assailants to ambush her and burn down her business. After being left with nothing but an Apex Card, Rampart saw it as more than just an invitation to compete, but a way to prove that even without her business, she was still the best out there.
In a multi-player game, the voice acting might not have the same effect as in other more storyline-based video games. But with the rise of Apex Legends and the multiple reworks on Rampart to try and make her into one of the more powerful characters in the game, Anjali’s voice has been heard by millions, whether it’s by playing it or watching streamers.
Symmetra in Overwatch
Probably her most notable performance to date, Anjali voices Symmetra in the extremely popular Overwatch game. A multiplayer first-person shooter game, Overwatch has become one of the most popular games since its launch; a multiplayer first-person shooter game and a newly announced sequel, Overwatch 2, will arrive in October 2022. First introduced as a support character, she has evolved into a high-level damage output character after her many re-skin over the years. Symmetra was the first playable video game character to identify as autistic. Still, the game’s developers had significantly downplayed that aspect of her character to avoid tokenization. Like many other characters in the game, Symmetra is an amputee with a cybernetic arm.
In the game’s backstory – and subsequent other media associated with the game – the Indian Vishkar Corporation developed a technology in which physical objects can be constructed. One of the sta architects was spirited away from an impoverished youth and trained to create such things. After helping to build a city out of hard light, she was assigned to expand the company’s global reach and received the codename Symmetra.
A controversial character choice, it is highly reported how the character has become associated with multiple instances of bad faith players and bullying on the game’s platforms over the years. While some have put hours into playing the characters and tried to show how the character could be helpful, it also became associated with players choosing the character in a trolling move and bad faith. Many players who have played Symmetra have reported bans and have had complaints filed against her, while the other side of the same coin has talked about how does who refuse to play anything but Symmetra are refusing to help their team.