Captain Marvel Will Appear In AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – PART I
Captain Marvel was originally slated for July of 2018. Then it was moved to November of that year. Now it’s finally settled on a March 2019 release date, just two months prior to the big finale, the Russos’ second Avengers: Infinity War movie, but it seems Carol Danvers might show up a little sooner.
At an event at the Smithsonian Institute, one of the Russos mentioned Captain Marvel by name when talking about the characters appearing in their next Avengers film, at which point a fan immediately tried to push for a proper confirmation. Their response?
"Um....Captain Barvel. Totally different character."
I’m not sure which Russo brother was responsible, but I assume it was the one who cameos as a dead body in Captain America: Civil War at the behest of overlord Feige. This wouldn’t be news if the discussion were about Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 (both films are going to be retitled, by the way) since Captain Marvel comes out between the two films, but it appears her introduction might take place before she gets her own solo film. That’s fine by me since the Russos did a hell of a job introducing Black Panther, but it does bring up a couple of questions.
Will we be introduced to a fully formed, suited-up superhero? Or will the Avengers meet Major Danvers of the U.S. Airforce? If she’s already well into her superhero-ing days, there’s little chance she won’t get involved in all the Infinity Stone action if it comes down to it, so I guess what we’re really asking is whether or not Captain Marvel will be an origin story. Probably not, for my money, though I have to wonder what route they’ll be taking with her origin.
Carol was formerly Ms. Marvel, and she took her name from the original Captain Marvel, the Kree warrior Mar-Vell. We know the Kree exist in the MCU (they’re the blue people from Guardians of the Galaxy) and if he does show up, whether in flash-back or Marvel time, it won’t be for very long, since they need to get the ball rolling on Carol’s captain-hood. If they scrap Mar-Vell altogether, it’ll be interesting to see how they go about her name and iconography.
The Marvel legacy is fairly important in the Marvel universe (the former being the name, the latter being the company) and it’s something that ends up being passed down, usually in important ways. Kamala Khan, the current Ms. Marvel, got her name and look from Carol, and Carol’s own outfit was designed to respect the legacies of both the Airforce and her fallen mentor. Not that the Russos necessarily need to do all this – if audiences can accept The Vision, they can accept a human woman who can fly and punch things – but keeping Mar-Vell out of the equation entirely might close off the possibility of some interesting stories and characters.
I guess time will tell. We knew Carol’s early introduction was always a possibility, but it’s nice to have a confirmation from somebody who knows what’s up, even if it’s going to get him imprisoned on the Raft. Avengers: Infinity War – Part I hits theatres May 4th, 2018.
