Very little is known about the sequel to Captain Marvel, the billion-dollar blockbuster featuring Carol Danvers, probably the strongest Avenger of them all – or at least, canonly in the top two, as established in WandaVision. But the recently announced title for the sequel of the film: The Marvels, promises a very smart choice for the MCU going forward.
The seeds for the Captain Marvel sequel to be about more than just Captain Marvel had been planted for a while. Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Maria Rambeau, and a character that was present in the original Captain Marvel – albeit as a little girl – got extensive screen time in the first MCU show released on Disney+, WandaVision. The show even set up Monica’s return, leaving the door open as to how, exactly she would reappear, but making it clear fans should be looking towards space. WandaVision also served as Monica’s origin story of sorts, with the character displaying some of her comic book powers after exposure to Wanda’s hex magic.
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It always made sense that if Monica was going to show up somewhere, it was going to be the Captain Marvel sequel. Carol comes up in a very tense moment during WandaVision, and though it is never established why, Monica seems less than happy to hear her name. It might be because her mother, Maria, presumably Carol’s best friend, died all alone from cancer after Monica was dusted. But Monica isn’t exactly privy to what went on when she was gone, and there’s a lot she might be in the dark about. Either way, she and Carol are due for a good talk, and fans are due for some explanation about what exactly her powers entail, not to mention who exactly she was meeting up with after WandaVision.
And then there’s Ms. Marvel, the Disney+ show that is set to introduce Kamala Khan. In the comics, Khan isn’t the first character to go by Ms. Marvel, but she’s the one most commonly associated with the moniker in the past decade or so. Kamala made her debut in Captain Marvel #17 in 2013 as a 16-year old Pakistani American who idolized Carol Danvers. In 2014 Khan was given her own Ms. Marvel comic series, becoming Marvel Comic’s first Muslim character to headline her own comic book. She is also set to become Marvel’s first on-screen Muslim superhero.
Very little information has been released about Kamala’s origin story in the new Disney+ show, or what her powers will look like. Fans are also still in the dark about how her connection to Carol Danvers will take shape. The most common speculation is very much in line with the comics, a mentor-mentee relationship. This seems particularly likely considering the age difference between the characters, and the fact that the MCU’s other established mentor-mentee relationship, that of Tony Stark and Peter Parker, is no more. Ironically, many fans have pointed out that the Tony and Peter relationship always looked a lot like the Carol and Kamala relationship from the comics.
This all paves the way for The Marvels, instead of Captain Marvel 2. It might not be the female team-up movies fans had asked for – and are still holding on for – but it’s certainly a choice that could bring interesting storytelling possibilities, not just for Carol, but for Monica and Kamala as well. Plus, if it works, then the MCU pretty much has to commit to the ultimate female superhero team up: A-Force. What reason would there be to say no if one female team-up movie is successful? If the MCU knows how to do anything is up the ante.
Captain Marvel was a successful, empowering origin story. But the way the movie ended, and what the MCU did with Carol Danvers going forward, left the character in a very weird spot, with no emotional attachments to anchor her. Fans are already familiar with her powers. They’re already familiar with her strength. Without Maria – or Nick Fury – though, a sequel was always going to need to establish some new people around Carol. No better way to do it than introducing two other superheroes in their own right, and especially, two WOC, particularly at a time where the MCU is struggling to diversify its superhero roster.
Neither Monica nor Kamala should see their stories become just about what they can bring to the character of Carol Danvers, but there’s no denying that the interactions with both of them will help deepen Carol, in a way Captain Marvel, an origin story, couldn’t – and the two Avengers movies didn’t have time to. Monica has been set up as a character in a collision course with Carol, so the payoff to that is not just important, but necessary. Kamala Khan literally goes by the moniker Ms. Marvel, so meeting her hero is not just an afterthought for her. The Marvels might be, on paper, a Captain Marvel sequel, but all three characters can get meaningful interactions out of this team-up. All three can be better because of the way they have chosen to tell this story.
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