The second trailer of Captain Marvel has released, which is set to be released only a couple of months before Avengers 4. The first trailer teased Carol Danvers’ (Brie Larson) powers as Captain Marvel, a superhero who returns to Earth after years away. Unlike other films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel is a prequel of sorts. It’s not an origin story, but it does take place years before the events of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor.
Captain Marvel will be released on March 8th, 2019. It has been one of the most anticipated movies of 2019 superhero.
So far, we’ve had two trailers for Captain Marvel. Both have a similar focus, introducing Larson as amnesiac pilot Carol Danvers teaming up with a de-aged Samuel L. Jackson in a 1990s setting meshed with Marvel’s cosmic stylings. And… that’s it. If you come into Captain Marvel’s trailers as a Kree (or, heaven forbid, MCU) agnostic, then you’re going to be completely bemused by what’s here. And that is a big, big issue for Marvel.
The first Captain Marvel teaser released in late September to pair with Venom in theaters.
However, in terms of selling the movie, a lot was left unsaid. Indeed, the very basics of the character – that Carol Danvers was half-Kree, how that happened, or the powers that gifted her.
It took two months for Marvel to clarify that snafu. The second Captain Marvel trailer, released in December to show with the likes of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman and Bumblebee, – in stating she was a Skrull, the movie still didn’t clarify that she was a shapeshifter – and then, straight after correcting a teaser oversight, the trailer jumped right into ambiguity again. It vaguely teased Kree DNA tampering and mysterious pasts without ever explaining what that actually meant, leaving audiences none-the-wiser to the character or plot.
After two full trailers, it’s not clear what Captain Marvel’s story actually is, who the villains are, what Ben Mendehlson or Jude Law’s roles are, or even how its central hero gets her powers. Of course, most of that can be figured out online: the movie is one of Carol regaining her memories; Mendehlson is Skrull leader Talos; Jude Law is either Mar-Vell or Yon Rogg (an intentional mystery); and Captain Marvel got her powers from the explosion of a Kree/Quantum Realm device.
The original Captain Marvel, who debuted in the pages of Marvel Super Heroes #12 back in December 1967, was actually an alien military officer named Mar-Vell. He was a Kree soldier sent to observe Earth, but after not vibing with the intentions of his leaders, Mar-Vell decided to fight for the people of Earth instead of against them. Mar-Vell used his strength and durability (as well as his trusty uni-beam) to defend the Earth against the powers of evil.
Over the years, Mar-Vell was revamped numerous times, ultimately becoming the “Protector of the Universe” courtesy of creator Jim Starlin (who also created Marvel characters including Thanos and Gamora). In Starlin’s hands, Mar-Vell fought as a cosmic being (which gave Mar-Vell the ability to feel drastic changes within the universe), pitting himself against Thanos a number of times before dying of cancer.
Either way, it’s great to see Marvel jumping feet first into bringing a female superhero front and center (no shade to The Wasp) in what’s set to be the most important film they’ve released to date.
Watch the second trailer here: