What better way to celebrate Women's History Month and feminine power than grab some popcorn and sit in a cinema for the ride of a new the Marvel blockbuster, "Captain Marvel," the first solo female superhero movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film stars Brie Larson as the lead character, Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel.
For those unfamiliar with Marvel Comics lore, Carol Danvers was originally created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan. Danvers first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of the Kree superhero Mar-Vell in "Marvel Super-Heroes #13" (March 1968). Danvers resurfaces with superhuman abilities after her DNA was fused with Mar-Vell's during an explosion, and becomes the hero Ms. Marvel in a self-titled series in January 1977, at first written by Gerry Conway and later by Chris Claremont. Her title of Ms. was clearly a nod to the strong feminist movement of the '60s and '70s.
With "Ms. Marvel #1" in 1977, writer Gerry Conway played a significant role in the character's development, writing in his introduction to the series, "you might see a parallel between her quest for identity, and the modern woman's quest for raised consciousness, for self-liberation, for identity."
With the arrival of "Captain Marvel" on screen, Disney is asserting her considerable power in the MCU, by creating a vibrant origin story and establishing her position as one of the most powerful Avengers, with her return already certain in the upcoming "Avengers: Endgame."
Larson, who is better known for her nuanced performances in more independent cinema, like her award winning role in "Room," gives Danvers a feisty, thoughtful, and physical performance as Danvers who is trying to not only unlock the secrets of her past, but harness her superhero powers.
In this video report, film journalist Katherine Tulich sat down with Brie to talk about the challenges of taking on the role and the responsibility it contains. She also spoke to the film's co-directors, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (the first female director of a Marvel film), as well as British actress Lashana Lynch (who plays Danvers' best friend Maria Rambeau), to talk about the importance of future generations of girls seeing a superhero movie like this.
