What you need to know about Captain Marvel, who will play a big role in the next 'Avengers' movie
Warning: Do not read if you have not seen "Avengers: Infinity War" yet.
- The "Avengers: Infinity War" after-credits sequence teases Captain Marvel, who Brie Larson stars as in a solo movie in March 2019, before appearing in the "Infinity War" sequel next May.
- The character's real name is Carol Danvers, and after being exposed to alien technology, she becomes Ms. Marvel in the comic books.
- She has since become Captain Marvel.
- Her solo movie takes place in the 1990s and also stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
By the end of "Avengers: Infinity War," things don't look great for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Thanos achieved his goal, and half of humanity is now gone, with many of the Avengers vanishing into dust.
But Nick Fury has an ace up his sleeve. Right before vanishing, Fury places a distress call to an unidentified character in the film's after-credits sequence. The audience only sees a symbol on a pager that falls to the ground as Fury disappears.
That symbol belongs to Captain Marvel, the next big character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who makes her solo film debut in March 2019.
Captain Marvel will be played by Oscar-winning "Room" star Brie Larson. If the after-credits scene in "Infinity War" is any indication, she'll play an integral role in defeating Thanos in the "Infinity War" sequel next May.
Her solo film will take place in the 1990s, so the events of the film will obviously happen before "Infinity War." But we know that Samuel L. Jackson's Fury is a main character (his first starring role in a MCU film since "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in 2015), and other characters from the MCU's past will also make appearances, such as Agent Coulson and the "Guardians of the Galaxy" villain, Ronan.
We assume that "Captain Marvel" will set up the character as a force to be reckoned with, and detail why Fury has kept her a secret up until now. Judging by his scene in "Infinity War," he regards her as an absolute last resort.
But who is she exactly?
The character, whose real name is Carol Danvers, was introduced in Marvel Comics in "Marvel Super-Heroes" issue 13 in 1968. She is one of many characters to take the title of Captain Marvel. After being exposed to alien Kree technology, she becomes Ms. Marvel. It isn't until 2012 that she takes the title of Captain Marvel in the comic books.
The Kree are the alien race that Ronan belongs to. Jude Law's character in the "Captain Marvel" movie, Mar-Vell, is also Kree. In the comics, Mar-Vell is the first Captain Marvel, and is a Kree military officer. Mar-Vell will most likely act as a sort of mentor to Danvers in the movie.
Danvers has superhuman strength, speed, flight, and can absorb energy to project it back at her enemies, which will probably help in her fight against Thanos.
When Danvers got her own solo comic book as Ms. Marvel in the 1970s, it was regarded as a progressive move. Similarly, Captain Marvel will be the first female character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get her own movie - something that "Wonder Woman" last year paved the way for as a critically and commercially successful female-driven superhero film.
Danvers has been a big part of Marvel Comics in recent years. Most recently, she played a key role in Marvel's "Civil War II." The storyline centers on a new, young superhuman with the ability to see the future. This pits Captain Marvel and Iron Man against each other over whether it is morally right to target supervillains before they have committed a crime, and change the future in the process.
Next month, she will star in a new "Avengers" comic book that reunites Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, and also includes MCU favorites such as Black Panther and Doctor Strange.
Needless to say, Captain Marvel is having a moment, and it will reach new heights in next year's "Infinity War" sequel.
"Captain Marvel" comes to theaters March 8, 2019. The untitled fourth "Avengers" movie comes to theaters May 3, 2019.
More on the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
- Thanks to Thanos, 'Avengers: Infinity War' is Marvel's 'Empire Strikes Back'
- 'Infinity War' had a record-breaking Sunday at the box office
- Ryan Reynolds posted a funny letter in which Deadpool gets rejected by the Avengers