Including how Ms. Marvel leads into the film.
It took the Marvel Cinematic Universe a long time to finally create a woman-oriented superhero film — too long, in many fans' eyes. But when Captain Marvel arrived in theaters in 2019, it was a massive hit. In the MCU top-10 grossing films list, it is only one of three non-crossover films to make the cut, and it's the only introductory film other than Black Panther on the list. A sequel for the movie was always inevitable, but with a non-Earth-oriented character, it was uncertain how a non-flashback movie would work. It turns out Phase 4's The Marvels will expand the series beyond just the titular captain.
Captain Marvel was a difficult proposition as a film's subject because she's just so damn powerful. She is a superhero who can find a needle-in-a-haystack dead ship in the middle of nowhere that happens to have Tony Stark in it and drag it home. She can race across the universe and back the way Olympic athletes dash around a track. Trying to make a film in which someone that powerful comes up against an obstacle she can't easily swat to the side is hard.
The first Captain Marvel film solved this by setting the story in the past, erasing Carol Danvers' memories. It centered the story around gaslighting Danvers into not realizing her own abilities so that her fight was within herself.
But that was only going to work once. Let's run down how a sequel will tackle this issue in the present day:
The Marvels Cast
Although Marvel has not revealed a full official cast list, fans know who will be in the film. Oscar winner Brie Larson will reprise her role as Captain Marvel. Marvel has also confirmed a few other characters: The first is Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris. She was initially introduced as a child in the first Captain Marvel film, the daughter of Carol's BFF Maria. The adult version, played by Parris, was introduced in WandaVision, which confirmed Maria had passed away from cancer. WandaVision also served as a semi-origin story for Monica, who gained superpowers after crossing Wanda's Westview boundary multiple times.
Another character confirmed by Marvel's CEO, Kevin Feige, is the star of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel series, Kamala Khan. Played by Iman Vellani, the Pakistani American teen from Jersey City has her abilities triggered by a bangle sent to her by her grandmother. After discovering she can create solid crystal platforms to stand on, and an ability to time travel, she also learns she has Djinn heritage that helps her manipulate the Noor dimension. She decides to become a superhero like her idol Captain Marvel, naming herself Ms. Marvel after her father reminds her Kamala means “Marvel” in Urdu. There’s also a hint her powers could be a result of a “mutation,” which may connect her to the X-Men.
Kamala will not be alone in crossing over from her series. The actors who play her family, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh, have also been confirmed to reprise their respective roles as parents Muneeba and Yusuf, and older brother Aamir.
In February 2021, Zawe Ashton was revealed to have been cast as the movie’s main antagonist. In June, South Korean star Park Seo-joon was also confirmed to have signed on.
As filming began in the summer of 2021, Samuel L. Jackson confirmed he will be reprising his role as Nick Fury via Instagram. Rumor also has it Ben Mendelsohn will appear in the new film as Talos the Skrull, but that has not been confirmed.
The Marvels Plot
Both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel on Disney+ concluded mid-and post-credit scenes setting up The Marvels. The WandaVision finale’s mid-credits scene involved a Skrull inviting Monica to go to space, which fans learned in the Spider-Man: Far From Home was where Nick Fury was taking a long-needed vacation. Most assume the newly christened Photon will begin her story meeting with Fury.
As for Ms. Marvel, its finale’s mid-credit scene actually brought Brie Larson back as Captain Marvel. It’s not the first time fans have seen her since Phase 4 began. She also appeared at the end of Shang-Chi, working with Bruce Banner to figure out what material his Ten Rings were and how they worked. But in the case of Ms. Marvel, something triggered the teen’s bangle, sucking her away and transporting her through her closet door to parts unknown. In her place, Captain Marvel stood, and seeing a room full of fan gear, got a worried look on her face and ran out of the room.
That’s all fans have to go on in terms of what comes next. Marvel.com does not yet have an official synopsis for the movie, just a hype line: "Prepare to experience it and fly higher, further, and faster with the film, directed by Nia DaCosta!"
The Marvels Filming Updates & Teasers
Fans got their first taste of the film in the Marvel Celebrates the Movies trailer, which premiered on May 3, 2021. It wasn’t much, but it showed the title for The Marvels.
Filming began in August 2021 and concluded in May 2022. Fans probably won’t see any footage until late 2022 at the earliest.
The Marvels Release Date
Captain Marvel's sequel was initially announced for July 8, 2022, following Black Panther 2 in May. However, the latter's shift to July pushed this one down the calendar to November, and then the next push into early 2023. The new date for The Marvels premiering in theaters is July 28, 2023.
Captain Marvel is streaming on Disney+ along with most of the Infinity Saga films. Both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel are streaming on Disney+ as well with all episodes.
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