Larson lights up superhero role
What we learned from ‘Captain Marvel’ trailer.
Finally, the world got its first look at Brie Larson as a Marvel superhero, and she’s definitely lit – quite literally, since she’s crazy powerful.
The first trailer for “Captain Marvel” (in theaters March 8) made its debut Tuesday with Larson in all her glory as Carol Danvers, the superhero that comic-book fans and everyone else has been waiting to see since Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury hit the button on a beeper with a familiar red-blue-and-gold star logo at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War.” While we’re still wondering how Carol will factor into Marvel’s future – specifically, her role in “Avengers 4” (out May 3) – the new footage showcases the universe’s past, as “Captain Marvel” takes place in the 1990s. (Hello, Blockbuster Video!)
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the duo behind “Mississippi Grind” and “Half Nelson”), the new film also features Jackson (with both eyes and sans Fury’s usual patch), Jude Law as the as-yet-unnamed leader of Carol’s outer-space crew Starforce, and Ben Mendelsohn as shapeshifting Skrull supervillain Talos.
Here are the most marvelous things that we learned from the trailer, and why everybody will be fixing to join the Carol Corps:
It’s a bit of a twist on an alien-invasion tale.
Carol crashes into a Blockbuster and is found by SHIELD agent Fury, though even he knows something’s up. “I know a renegade soldier when I see one,” he says of the Captain. “It never occurred to me that one might come from above.”
There’s an origin story complete with identity crisis.
Carol is clearly human but also is connected to the rest of the universe, specifically the Kree and the Spaceforce. She also has memories of time spent on Earth, from growing up to being a fighter pilot. “I think I had a life here, but I can’t tell if it was real,” she says.
Oh, hey, check out some old friends!
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a bunch of folks in the past decade and “Captain Marvel” catches up with some in their earlier days – not only Jackson but also fellow SHIELD dude Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Kree extremist Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Carol now has the coolest helmet in the MCU.
The green duds she shows up with aren’t great but the Captain has some neat improvements over the course of the trailer, including an appearance by her mohawk headgear – a fan favorite from the comic books.
She will totally punch out an old lady.
That is, if said old lady is one of the green-skinned Skrulls in disguise. Their appearance potentially has huge implications in the MCU: How long has their infiltration been going on and are any of our beloved heroes actually alien spies?
Did we mention that Carol is crazy powerful?
The new superhero showcases the first hint of her abilities when she tosses some blasts on top of a train, yet it doesn’t compare with what we see at the end, with her body surging with energy and her eyes turning into little suns. Get ready, Thanos!