Following the heavy-hitting culmination of Phase Three that was Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel announced the arrival of a new hero: Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is at the height of its popularity having gone from strength to strength in recent years, and the on-screen debut of such a wonderful character therefore couldn’t have come at a better time.
The story will follow Danvers (Brie Larson) as the titular Captain as she comes to terms with the truth about her past, as well as the introduction of the Kree-Skrull War into the MCU. Among the cast is Jude Law as her mentor and MCU veterans Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser (who was last seen in Guardians of the Galaxy). The trailer hints towards a somewhat distant past, questioning who to trust and who not to; after all, if Skrulls can disguise themselves as anyone, who can you trust? Is Captain Marvel’s declaration at the end of the second trailer hope for Avengers: Endgame? Will this explain where the Captain has been for the past 20 years before being called upon by Fury? We can hope so, and also hope that Captain Marvel is the beginning of a new wave of female-led superhero movie.
Let’s not forget the soundtrack either! Marvel films always seem to have such unique and captivating scores, each displaying the hero or villain’s personality in more than just words. From the samples found in the trailers, I am more than excited to hear the music style in Captain Marvel. The samples are suggestive of an ability to initially evoke a 90s style, but also suggest something more than what it originally appears – almost like Carol in a way.
Marvel’s recent years have shown that its style and creativity can still deliver: Black Panther recently made Oscars history by being the first superhero film nominated for an Academy Award and having major success at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Captain Marvel itself has other big shoes to fill; besides filling in some of the gaps for Avengers: Endgame, it may also be introducing some new villains and cast members for Marvel’s Phase Four.
The movie itself follows the rise of the female superhero – Gal Gadot’s stint as Wonder Woman in the 2017 DC movie (directed by Patty Jenkins) shows female superhero movies can and, most importantly will, be successful and powerful. This could be the beginning of Marvel acknowledging this, and the start of movies focusing on Black Widow, Pepper Potts, Gamora, to name a few. Fans have been calling for a Black Widow origin film since Avengers Assemble in 2012, so perhaps this is Marvel testing the water to see how female-led films might be received? Will fans finally get their wish?
Captain Marvel is looking to be an enjoyable rollercoaster, mixing comedic timing with its tension and drama and carting onto the trend set by the Guardians movies and Thor Ragnarok. It deserves its status as one of 2019’s most anticipated movies and it’s clear that the universe building this movie is set to undertake will have ramifications throughout the MCU for years afterwards.
Captain Marvel, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, will be released in the UK on the 8th March (International Women’s Day) via Marvel Studios.
