Credit: Marvel StudiosCaptain Marvel (2019) is hardly one of the most beloved entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But although it was met with a prickly reception from audiences, it still went on to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which led to a sequel being green-lit by the studio.
And while Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel is also among the least favorites of the franchise’s female superheroes, that didn’t stop her from returning. After being teased in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), she has made five appearances across the silver screen and the small screen.
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Now, Brie Larson, who plays the super-powered air force pilot Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, has revealed that taking the role wasn’t easy, saying that she thought Marvel had “made a mistake” in casting her, while speaking about how the role ultimately transformed her as a person.
During her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, here’s what she said about having been cast as one of the Avengers:
“Pure fear [of] failure. I thought that I was like supposed to do my own stunts. They casted me and I was like, ‘They low-key don’t understand that I’m an introvert with asthma, like, they made a mistake… I got to figure this out real quick.’ So I started training, and I learned that I was actually much stronger than I realized, and that my allergies were what was causing my asthma. So, I just took allergy medicine. And I could lift heavy weights and it really transformed my life. And Captain Marvel changed me as a person way more than I ever [would’ve thought].”
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With a solo movie to headline, Larson certainly had a lot resting on her shoulders at the time, especially as she hadn’t been introduced as a supporting cast member in a previous movie, like Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow was in Iron Man 2 (2010), or T’Challa/Black Panther (the late Chadwick Boseman) in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
And though her on-screen persona is yet to impress Marvel fans (her character is often criticized for being overly powerful), the character is clearly doing something right, as she has since appeared in two movies, one animated series, and one live-action series.
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Following her solo outing, Captain Marvel returned for Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which she helps Tony Stark/Iron Man return to Earth after being adrift in deep space. During the third act, she also lends a much-needed hand in the epic battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Larson reprised her role for a third time in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) during a mid-credits scene, and again this year in the Disney+ show Ms. Marvel (2022), during a mid-credits scene in the finale “No Normal”.
Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel also appears in the Disney+ animated anthology series Marvel’s What If…? (2021), in the episodes “What If… Ultron Won?” and “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”. However, she is voiced by Alexandra Daniels and not Brie Larson.
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As per Marvel.com, here’s the official synopsis for Captain Marvel:
Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom.
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Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel), Ben Mendelsohn (Talos and Keller), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Lee Pace (Ronan the Accuser), Lashana Lynch (Maria Rambeau), Gemma Chan (Minn-Erva), Annette Bening (the Supreme Intelligence and Mar-Vell/Dr. Wendy Lawson), Jude Law (Yon-Rogg), and Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson).
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Brie Larson will be reprising her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in The Marvels (2023), which will also star Iman Vellani, Teyonah Paris, and Samuel L Jackson, as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Nick Fury, respectively.
The film will be released in theaters on July 28, 2023.
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Marvel’s Phase Four will end on November 11 with this year’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and Phase Five will begin on February 17 next year with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
Other upcoming MCU movies are Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Blade (2023), Captain America: New World Order (2024), Thunderbolts (2024), Fantastic Four (2024), Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2025).
Are you excited to see Brie Larson return as Captain Marvel in The Marvels? Let us know in the comments down below!