Summary

Rising stars like Captain Marvel may face uncertain futures in the ever-evolving Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Despite roadblocks, the character of Carol Danvers continues to play a vital role in connecting different storylines.
Brie Larson’s portrayal as Captain Marvel has been significant for representation and could pave the way for future appearances.

The first three films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were anchored by the core six Avengers, with the three primary heroes of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor being the primary focus. Marvel smartly realized that while comic book characters can remain forever, the actors that play them will not, and they would not always have those three heavy hitters to fall back on. Throughout Phase 3, it seemed like they had found a new batch of characters to be the New Avengers: Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Wasp (Evangeline Lily), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Following Avengers: Endgame, the stage seemed set for them.

Yet since then, the franchise has hit many road bumps. Due to Marvel Studios’ contract with Sony Pictures, they can’t put too much emphasis on Spider-Man in case the deal falls through like it did for that short period of time in 2019 following Spider-Man: Far From Home before a new contract was negotiated. In August 2020, the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman was a shock to everyone, and while Shuri (Letitia Wright) has stepped into the Black Panther role, it doesn’t feel the same without Boseman’s T’Challa. Ant-Man, Wasp, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel have all had polarizing sequels that now call into question their fate in the franchise.

Brie Larson’s comments, in particular, have some fans worried. While many had embraced the character, a small but vocal subset of fandom had attacked Larson and the character of Captain Marvel so much that before The Marvels came out when asked if she would return as Carol Danvers, she responded, “I don’t know, does anyone want me to do it again?” and recently at the SAG Awards when asked about Captain Marvel she said, “I don’t have anything to say about that”.

Now, obviously, Larson, like many MCU actors, is good at dodging questions regarding the franchise, but this comes after the box-office disappointment of The Marvels, which was the first flop in the MCU’s history which has cast doubt on whether Captain Marvel or Brie Larson will return.

Will Captain Marvel be replaced? More importantly, should she or should Marvel Studios stick to keeping her around?

Captain Marvel’s Role in the MCU After The Marvels
Walt Disney Studios

The Marvels was both a sequel to Captain Marvel but also continued storylines from WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. Due to Captain Marvel being set in 1995 and The Marvels taking place 30 years later in 2025, the film was tasked with answering the question of where exactly Carol Danvers had been all this time and why she never returned to Earth. The film revealed that following the events of the first film, Carol went to the Kree homeworld of Hala and destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, an AI that ran the planet. In doing so, it created a massive power vacuum in the galaxy that resulted in major destabilization that Carol Danvers was dealing with and laid the groundwork for some of the cosmic storylines that played out in films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok.

After teaming up with Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau to defeat the rouge Kree warrior, Dar-Been, Carol Danvers decides to reignite the sun around the Kree homeworld to give the planet a second chance. She then settles down on Earth in Monica’s old house in Louisiana, and she will watch over it until Monica finds a way back from the universe she is trapped in (revealed to be the X-Men universe in the films mid-credits).

Carol Danvers is now residing on Earth, and while she will likely still deal with cosmic threats, with her now residing on Earth, she can take a more active role in threats on Earth, and it is much easier for other superheroes to get into contact with. This could be the key to what to do with Captain Marvel: have her cameo and show up in small roles in other projects to be the collective glue that holds various projects together.

Where Will Captain Marvel Return?

One of the best elements of The Marvels that most fans agreed upon were the scenes between Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau. This character bonding has always been the strength of the MCU’s, and notably, a lot of the newer heroes have not gotten as many moments in the MCU to do that with one another. Captain Marvel could theoretically appear in many upcoming MCU projects. She could get a call from Sam Wilson and have a part in Captain America: Brave New World or even show up in Thunderboltsfacing off against The Sentry (which would reunite her with Lessons in Chemistry co-star Lewis Pullman). If they did a second season of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, do an episode when Jennifer Walters meets Carol Danvers and have her represent her in a galactic case.

With the Thunderbolts rumored to be dealing with the Celestial head in the middle of the Indian Ocean, one has to assume Captain Marvel will certainly be on the scene investigating the case and be able to explain its Celestial origin. This could be used as a motivation for her to go back into space and investigate the Celestials, allowing her to cross paths with the Eternals and pick up plot lines that Eternals teased. With both The Marvels and Eternals seen as the franchise’s two biggest underperformers, maybe combining the two properties together could be the boost both need.

Related: 15 Most Famous Marvel Superheroes Stan Lee Didn’t Create

Doctor Strange 3 is rumored to be in development and could come out before Avengers 5 or Avengers: Secret Wars. Doctor Strange 3 will likely involve the multiverse and could be an adaptation of Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers “Time Runs Out” storyline, which saw a group of heroes trying to stop a collapsing multiverse. Doctor Strange 3 could do something similar to Captain America: Civil War and unite various heroes from the MCU into a team-up film that involves saving the multiverse. Having Doctor Strange recruit Captain Marvel could take one of the MCU’s biggest heavy hitters, put her in a multiverse situation, and develop her dynamic with Doctor Strange and even other MCU heroes he recruits. It could even result in a feud between Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange about how to deal with the collapsing multiverse and allow Doctor Strange to mix “Time Runs Out” with Civil War II which saw Captain Marvel against Iron Man.

It is also very likely that Captain Marvel will play a big role in Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars, which, like how Infinity War and Endgame marked the end of Iron Man and Captain America, two Avengers films can give Carol Danvers a nice chance to have a final bow.

Why Marvel Should Not Give Up on Captain Marvel

There is no denying The Marvels was a box office disappointment, but there were many reasons for the movie’s box office failure that can’t be sourced to a single issue. What can be noted is that audiences that did see it did enjoy it, and since the film premiered on Disney+, it has been a big hit.

In the book The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, they outline how when Kevin Feige was a teenager after he saw a sequel, he was disappointed; he would come up with ideas for how to fix a sequel. The book says:

“That ‘I got to fix it’ attitude became a philosophical touchstone of Feige’s filmmaking career, and one that he acted on: he spent his adult life building a cinematic empire out of neglected IP and reviving characters that had gotten lost in the crowd”

This is clear from many of the MCU’s decisions. Despite The Incredible Hulk being seen as a disappointment, Marvel never gave up on the Hulk. He was still part of The Avengers (be it with a new actor) and has now been more popular than ever before on film. After years of the film being ignored, characters from that film have been making their grand return with Captain America: Brave New World, set to feature Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role as The Leader after seventeen years and also Liv Tyler returning as Betty Ross.

While fans might love Thor now, the character himself suffered a similar limbo period to that of Captain Marvel. While the first Thor was a decent box office hit, and the sequel saw a bump from The Avengers and Chris Hemsworth’s rising star status, both Thor and Thor: The Dark Dark World were seen as lesser MCU films. To this day, Thor: The Dark World is often regarded as the worst MCU film. Marvel didn’t give up on Thor and instead redefined him with Thor: Ragnarok and then with larger roles in both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which made him more popular than ever before. Even Thor: The Dark World got some love and attention, being included as a major part of Avengers: Endgame.

That means despite Marvel’s box office disappointment, fans and Marvel Studios should not count out the character just yet. Much like The Hulk, she might not be the lead of another film, but that doesn’t mean she should still not be a major player in the franchise. There are plenty of directions to take Captain Marvel, as The Marvels did a strong job giving Carol Danvers new dimensions to her character.

Brie Larson and Captain Marvel Are Important

Brie Larson was a huge get for Marvel Studios and still is to this day. When she was announced as Captain Marvel in July 2017, she was an Academy Award-winning actress, and to this day is the only starring MCU hero to be played by an Academy Award-winning actor (although Robert Downey Jr. posts MCU looks set to win an Oscar for Oppenheimer). She has also earned multiple award nominations for her role on Lessons in Chemistry this same year, so it can’t be said she is still not valuable to Marvel Studios.

The question is, does she still want to do it? It is no secret that Brie Larson has had to undergo a lot of unnecessary and unwarranted hate. After years of receiving negative comments from a loud group that won’t seem to move on, it can be overwhelming for any actor, and it certainly would be understandable if she wanted to remove herself from the toxicity for her own mental health. It would be disappointing for many but also understandable.

Related: MCU: Why Brie Larson and Captain Marvel Didn’t Deserve the Hate They Received

Yet we can only hope that she sees all the good that her depiction as Captain Marvel has meant to many, particularly young girls, all over the world. It is clear that Captain Marvel does sell a lot of merchandise and, as a figure, has spoken to many young girls who have gotten to see themselves as not just a superhero but one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel Universe. There will always be those who claim “girls don’t like superheroes,” but the numbers just don’t back up that claim as all one needs to do is look at the successes DC found with the DC Superhero Girls to the fact that the first Captain Marvel still made $1 billion worldwide.

Captain Marvel is an important figure, both in the MCU but also in the real world. This is a character that most audiences might not have known about when the MCU first began in 2008 but is now an icon. One hopes that Marvel Studios does not give up on Captain Marvel or Brie Larson, because one has to wonder how it would have been if they just scrapped The Hulk after his two movies failed, or if they just phased out Thor following his dissapointing reviews.

Stream Captain Marvel and The Marvels on Disney+

Captain Marvel Release Date March 6, 2019 Tagline Higher. Further. Faster. The Marvels Release Date November 10, 2023 Director Nia DaCosta Tagline Higher. Further. Faster. Together.