Being the bestie of a superhero was a long-running trope in the comics world before Jacob Batalon‘s  character, Ned, referred to himself as being Peter Parker’s “man in the chair” in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Actor Matt Lintz plays just that — specifically, high-schooler Bruno Carrelli, the keeper of Kamala Khan’s secret identity — in Marvel Studios’ hit Disney+ show Ms. Marvel. 

So, let’s talk about Bruno.

He’s a tech genius, and also trains Kamala to use her newfound cosmic powers. “It’s so cool,” Lintz says of the role. “I mean, you know, it’s like the Ned to Peter Parker, the Q to James Bond.”

He adds, “I mean, it was really cool having that dynamic of, you know — my best friend has these superpowers and we have to keep this huge secret, and traversing that. And the dynamics it creates was a challenge, but it was so fun!”

The actor, who starred in movies including Pixels and shows like The Walking Dead, laughs as he recalls he almost slept through the call in which he found out he got the key role. 

“I mean, it was insane. Like I was asleep in my bed and I got a call and I almost didn’t answer, but I ended up answering. It was my team saying I got it,” the 21-year-old says. 

“It was a role I really wanted. And, you know, I was, you know, like it was a long audition process and pretty grueling. And I really got attached to the character. And when I got that call, I mean, it was just this big sigh of relief and excitement.” – 

The fourth episode of Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney+.

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