Why Captain Marvel Will Blow You Away

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Captain Marvel is the most powerful hero the MCU has ever seen. Considering the Sokovia-crushing abilities we've seen from some of the Avengers already, that's saying quite a bit. With cosmic-level powers including super strength, durability, flight, and the capacity to survive the vacuum of space, Captain Marvel's skill set is closer to that of DCEU's Superman than anyone in the MCU. Additionally, Captain Marvel can absorb any kind of energy and release that energy as concentrated blasts, usually from her hands.

How does one prepare to play the most powerful character in a universe? Larson started training more than 9 months before filming began. She trained extensively in judo, boxing, and wrestling. Her strength training included 215-pound deadlifts and 400-pound hip thrusts. "A huge part of Captain Marvel is her strength," Larson said. "I knew if I could go through that experience, I would get closer to her and I'd understand her."

In Marvel Comics, the Eternals are an extraordinarily powerful, near-immortal race of cosmic beings who have existed for millions of years. Thanos is an Eternal. 'Nuff Said. With Marvel's Phase 4 potentially shifting to a future in the outer reaches of space, beginning in earnest with Captain Marvel, it's quite possible audiences will get some Eternals Easter eggs — or appearances — in this movie. 

Marvel Studios has already confirmed that an Eternals movie is in the works for Phase 4. Created by comic book legend Jack Kirby, the Eternals and their enemies, the Deviants, are two ancient alien races genetically engineered by beings known as the Celestials. In the MCU, Kurt Russell's Ego the Living Planet of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a Celestial. Eternals have special powers, well beyond those of mortal men. It's implied that the Eternals, with names closely resembling mythological gods, were the true inspiration for those myths in ancient times. If the mind of your inner nerd isn't completely blown by just how cosmic the MCU is about to get — starting with Captain Marvel — then you have a Celestial-level tolerance for awesomeness. 

Captain Marvel takes place more than 20 years before the events of Avengers: Endgame. The action is set predominantly in 1995, but with even more rad '90s references in flashbacks to Carol's pre-Captain Marvel life. The movie exists in a world before superheroes — a planet without the Avengers, and a Nick Fury with both eyes intact. In the trailer alone, audiences were shown references to Blockbuster Video, pagers, and Nine Inch Nails.

Marvel's marketing has really turned up the '90s kid vibes with Captain Marvel's official website. The website has the retro look of the internet's early days, and includes an "Identify the Skrulls" game, official photos from the film, information on the major players in the movie, and downloadable content. All of the '90s pop culture elements are certainly fun, but it's also a bold narrative choice. Going back 20 years to provide greater context to Infinity War and Endgame could prove to be a storytelling masterstroke that keeps the MCU going strong for another ten years and beyond.

When Marvel Studios held their first press screening for Captain Marvel on February 20th, some spoiler-free tidbits filtered out via critics' social media posts. An interesting detail that's emerged is the fact that — in keeping with the Marvel Studios' long-standing tradition of including mid- or post-credits scenes — Captain Marvel will feature two such teasers.

Los Angeles Times entertainment journalist Sonaiya Kelley revealed the existence of the epilogue scenes via her twitter account, tweeting, "Captain Marvel is an effective Avengers prequel in some ways akin to the 1st Captain America movie. It's pro-woman without being overdone with pre and post credit scenes that made me tear up and gave me goosebumps respectively." She went on to clarify her comments by revealing even more, tweeting, "By pre* I mean before the movie starts! Though there are two post credits scenes that are worth staying for and the anticipation for ENDGAME is definitely stoked by this film." It was also revealed that the movie begins with a touching tribute to the late Stan Lee.

In the Marvel Comics Universe, before she became Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers was a colonel in the United States Air Force. She had a decorated career as a pilot, spy, and NASA security officer. Throughout her adventures, she often paired with an undercover alien soldier named Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, who was posing as a human on Earth.

In the comics, Mar-Vell is actually the source of Danvers' powers. The film is introducing a new take on Mar-Vell, with the character played by Jude Law. In the film, Mar-Vell is Danvers' mentor in the Kree military unit known as Starforce. It's unclear how the movie will explain how she receives her considerable powers. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo addressed the difficulty of balancing Captain Marvel's super powers within the MCU's continuity. "It's always a concern of ours about overpowering characters, because the reason that people relate to these characters is their humanity, and that they're flawed," Joe said. "So we're all acutely aware of the dangers of having an overly powerful character. We like sensitive storytelling, so... we found a thoughtful way through it."

An important element of Marvel's consistent big-screen success is the studio's ability to continually reinvent its style of storytelling. Many of the movies in the MCU feel fresh because of the creative risks the filmmakers take. Captain Marvel wants to tell an origin story, but in a completely different way — it's a just-different-enough approach to the origin story. Speaking to Mashable, producer Jonathan Schwartz said, "In many ways, it's a classic Marvel origin story but told in reverse, structurally. You meet her as an awesome badass superpowered space hero, and then learn who the human is behind that aspect of herself."

The story begins on the planet Hala, where she is deeply involved in the Kree-Skrull War, battling on the side of the Kree people, and in full control of her potent superpowers. The audience is then taken back to Carol Danvers' home planet of Earth, where the origin story proper begins. Once there, Carol discovers her past may hold the key to her struggles in the present.