The first wave of Captain Marvel marketing has hit the web, and we've collected all the biggest reveals from the EW cover story. Before Earth's Mightiest assemble to take down Thanos in next year's Avengers 4, audiences will be treated to the MCU's first solo female film - Captain Marvel. Starring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, the movie is described as a 1990s period piece and will help familiarize audiences with the franchise's most powerful hero before she returns to Earth to help deal with the Mad Titan.
Understandably, Marvel opted to focus on their 2018 slate before unveiling Captain Marvel promotional materials, but with the film's release six months away, some fans are starting to get impatient. The trailer should be right around the corner, but first EW got the ball rolling with their massive feature. We've highlighted some of the most noteworthy nuggets in this space.
Related: Brie Larson Reveals What Sets Captain Marvel Apart From Other MCU Movies
Captain Marvel's Costume
One of the most important details of any superhero movie is the protagonist's costume. For fans longing to see their favorite characters brought to life on the big screen, this is an area the filmmakers need to get right. Audiences have waited a while to see what outfit Captain Marvel would don in her movie, especially after confusion regarding set photos that showed Larson clad in green. And finally, her costume has now been revealed.
Related: Starforce Explains Why Captain Marvel's Costume is Green
As seen on the latest EW cover (plus some still images), Captain Marvel's movie costume definitely adheres to the source material, sticking to the red and blue color scheme. As was theorized when those earlier set photos leaked, Carol's green costume is the uniform she wears while fighting alongside the Kree. It's unknown what circumstances lead to the costume change, but it should be a major plot point for the film.
Captain Marvel Is Not An Origin Story
Several first appearances by MCU heroes, including recent additions like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, have followed the traditional origin story formula, showing how the titular character got their powers and became the protector fans know them to be. There's no denying the comic book genre has gotten a lot of mileage out of this approach, but after so many characters graced the big screen, a case could be made it had gotten a little stale. So it's refreshing to hear Captain Marvel isn't a classic origin story.
When the movie begins, Carol is already a member of Starforce, fighting alongside various alien beings to keep the universe safe. Since this is the first time Captain Marvel has been in a film, there will likely be references to her origin to bring newcomers up to speed, but it doesn't look like the movie will get bogged down in the setup. In a way, this is similar to Marvel's handling of Black Panther in the MCU, as T'Challa was introduce in Captain America: Civil War with all of his powers. The method worked in that instance, so Marvel should be fine here.
Ben Mendelsohn's Role Revealed
With his turn in films like The Dark Knight Rises, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One, and Robin Hood, Mendelsohn has become the go-to actor for blockbuster movie villains. He'll add another baddie to his résumé in Captain Marvel, where he reunites with his Mississippi Grind directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Unsurprisingly, the veteran thespian is quite savvy with the media, frequently dodging questions and playing coy about his MCU role. But now, the cat's out of the bag.
Mendelsohn is confirmed to be playing Talos, leader of the Skrulls. As fans of the comics know, the Skrulls are shape-shifters, so Talos poses as a human to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. Most likely, this is what fuels Carol's return to Earth as she looks to save her home planet from an alien invasion. Lately, the MCU seems to have amended their infamous villain problem, so hopeful Mendelsohn is another memorable antagonist. If his prior work is any indication, he should be.
The MCU's Skrulls Revealed
As indicated above, Talos is commander of the Skrulls. He won't be the only member of that species featured in Captain Marvel. An image of the green-skinned foes was included in EW's photo gallery, with four walking onto a beach of some kind. It's been known for a while the Kree-Skrull war factors heavily into Captain Marvel's plot, so it'll be interesting to see what the Skrulls have planned.
There have been rumors the Skrulls will be featured in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which may be confusing for those not well-versed in Marvel film rights. As explained by James Gunn, the Skrulls are co-owned by Marvel and Fox, meaning both studios are allowed to use them in movies - similar to the Quicksilver situation. It'll be fascinating if the Skrulls are being established now for future use in the MCU, as fan theories have suggested a number of characters could be aliens in disguise.
Page 2: Nick Fury and the Kree
Nick Fury: Desk Jockey
Long before he was putting together an Avengers Initiative and shepherding Tony Stark into the world of superheroes, Nick Fury was a simple desk jokey for S.H.I.E.L.D. who was largely unfamiliar with the concept of costumed warriors himself. In Captain Marvel, audiences will get to see Fury as a younger man (with both eyes, no less). It should be fun to watch Samuel L. Jackson play this version of the character as he morphs into the fearless leader he's destined to become.
Related: Marvel Has Perfected CGI De-Aging - Here Are the Movies They Should Make
Marvel went the extra mile with Fury's portrayal, digitally de-aging the 69-year old Jackson so he resembles his 1990s-era self. The studio has had tremendous success with this technique over the years, most notably in the flashback sequences of the Ant-Man films. It can be a risk to lean so heavily on CGI for a human character, especially when it's for more than one scene. It's unknown how much screen time Fury has, but hopefully Marvel's intrepid visual effects artists are up for the challenge. If the first image of Fury in Captain Marvel is anything to go by, the team has outdone themselves.
Jude Law's Mysterious Leader
Carol Danvers may be a member of Starforce, but she is not the group's leader. That distinction goes to Jude Law's character, who curiously goes unnamed in EW's coverage. The popular belief is Law's playing Mar-Vell, but that's something the actor can't confirm himself. Apparently, Marvel is going to keep viewers guessing for the meantime and will unveil this information when the time is ready. However, some details about Law's character were revealed.
From the sound of things, Law will have a mentor/mentee relationship with Larson's Carol, helping her improve control over her powers. We already know Captain Marvel is the MCU's most powerful hero, so a little training will likely go a long way. As another Marvel hero would say, with great power comes great responsibility.
Korath Returns to the MCU
There will be plenty of familiar faces showing up in Captain Marvel. One such character is Korath, who hasn't been seen since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. Played by Djimon Hounsou (who is appearing in several comic book movies these days), most viewers will remember him as the one tracking down Peter Quill in that film's opening; his brief role immortalized by his iconic reading of the line, "Who?" when Peter announces himself as Star-Lord.
What's interesting about Korath in Captain Marvel is that he's aligned with the heroes, serving under Law's character in Starforce. During Guardians of the Galaxy, Korath was an ally of the villainous Ronan (who is also in Captain Marvel). Of course, since Captain Marvel is a period piece, it means things are very different. Ronan is not the radical extremist who fell to the Guardians. Hopefully, Lee Pace is able to explore different layers of the character and present someone a little deeper than the generic villain he played in Guardians.
Lashana Lynch's Captain Marvel Character
Before becoming a powerful superhero, Carol protected people by flying in the U.S. Air Force. In the military, she served alongside her friend Maria Rambeau, played by Lynch in the film. In the comics, Maria is the mother of Monica Rambeau. Maria's call sign, "Photon," is a direct reference to one of Monica's superhero identities in the source material.
Marvel Studios is known for playing the long game when planning their cinematic universe, so it'll be interesting to see if this ends up becoming more than just a fun nod to comic readers. Phase 4 seems like it's going to be set with the next wave of heroes that have been introduced over the past few years, but there's always room for more. Marvel rarely does things by accident, so they might have something in mind.
Page 3: Avengers 4 and Marvel's Future
Jude Law's Devout Warrior
Even though Marvel is being quite secretive about Law's character, the actor was able to unveil some details. He described his Kree as a "devout warrior," and based on images, he seems to be closely aligned with Ronan. Viewers of Guardians of the Galaxy known Ronan was a bit of a fanatic, so it'll be interesting to see if Law has similar extremist views - which could inspire a change of heart in Carol.
Related: Theory: Who Jude Law Is Really Playing In Captain Marvel
With the character's identity still a mystery, fans have been left to their own devices to piece the puzzle together themselves. One popular theory that's emerged is he's actually the Kree villain Yon-Rogg, making him the film's secret antagonist. It wouldn't be the first time Marvel made a mentor figure the enemy of the titular hero (it's a trick they pulled off in the first Iron Man back in the day), and time will tell if they've revisited that angle here.
Honoring Black Panther's Legacy
When Black Panther opened in early 2018, it was a game changer for the MCU and the film industry as a whole. It represented an important step forward for representation on the big screen, portraying a collection of interesting and complex characters that viewers all around the globe responded positively to. Even villain Killmonger became a fan-favorite, with many moviegoers understanding his point of view. It raised the bar for what's expected, and the makers of Captain Marvel hope to continue the trend.
Lynch, who as indicated earlier plays Maria Rambeau, told EW that Black Panther inspired her approach to Captain Marvel. She wants people to know that all African-American characters in the MCU will be "represented positively" and "represented accurately." Lynch hopes her Maria is just as relatable as the people in Black Panther.
Captain Marvel In Avengers 4
The post-credits scene in Infinity War ended with Nick Fury sending out a distress signal for Captain Marvel, setting the stage for Carol's return to Earth in Avengers 4. While the MCU is going to have to explain Danvers' absence in the first 20 movies of the series, many fans are excited to see her team up with Earth's Mightiest and defeat Thanos. There's already plenty of fan art online, imagining how the confrontation will play out next summer.
Considering Captain Marvel is the most powerful hero in the MCU, it shouldn't come as any surprise that her arrival will be a "change of the balance" and help level the playing field. The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy weren't able to stop Thanos, so extra help definitely isn't going to hurt. It should be fun to see Carol go toe-to-toe with the Mad Titan, as well as play off her fellow heroes.
Marvel's Female Future
Ideally, the Captain Marvel film will be another critical and commercial success for the MCU, since they have a lot invested in it. If it all goes according to plan, Carol will be part of the new wave of characters carrying the franchise into Phase 4 and beyond. But if Captain Marvel is a hit, it could represent another seismic change for the MCU as a whole. Kevin Feige is ready for female superheroes to take the spotlight.
The EW coverage included a quote from Feige, where he expressed a desire for women leading comic book films to stop becoming a "novelty." Last year's Wonder Woman proved there was an audience for these stories, grossing $821.8 million worldwide. It's too early to tell if Captain Marvel can reach that mark, but if it does well, it could open the opportunity for the in-demand Black Widow film, and maybe an all-female team up movie.
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We'll continue to update this space with more details as they roll out.
MORE: Every Captain Marvel Update You Need To Know
Source: EW
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