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Credit: MarvelMarvel is on shaky ground right now, but it seems like it’s pretty committed to the release of The Marvels (2023) – even if it has to ditch Brie Larson.
Over the past 15 years, Marvel Studios has solidified itself as a mainstay at the box office. However, its track record has faltered slightly in recent years. Since the release of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the studio has arguably released more misses than hits, with only Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023) standing out as major successes with critics and audiences alike.
Related: MCU Star Doesn’t Hold Back, Bashes Brie Larson’s ‘Captain Marvel’
Over on Disney+, its performance has been just as uneven. While Marvel’s foray into television got off to a strong start with WandaVision, viewership has plummeted for its more recent entries, with the Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson)-focused Secret Invasion scoring its second-lowest debut ever, and breaking the record for the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a Marvel project with its finale.
Marvel hopes to break its current trend with its upcoming release of The Marvels (2023). Serving as a sequel to Captain Marvel (2019), it sees Brie Larson return as Carol Danvers (AKA Captain Marvel herself), who is forced to team up with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) to tackle a kree threat – as well as figure out why the three are swapping places every time they use their powers.
Fans had doubted whether the film would still be released in November as planned. With the ongoing Writers Strike and SAG-AFTRA Strike, neither the film’s actors nor writers are allowed to promote the film without crossing the picket line. That means that its stars are unable to speak on the film’s release.
However, it seems like Marvel is pushing ahead regardless. The latest official press feature from Total Film included interviews with director Nia DaCosta, composer Laura Karpman, executive producer Mary Livanos, and Jo Vaughan (AKA the cat wrangler responsible for working with the real-life Goose).
Marvel usually relies heavily on its actors to promote its films. Considering the long-running nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actors portraying its superheroes have developed massive, enthusiastic fanbases. Interviews to promote its latest releases are typically hot across TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr, with the subsequent memes and GIFs propelling each film to internet fame.
But at the same time, Brie Larson has been a sore point in the Marvel community for years. Fans (namely a very misogynistic portion of fans) have found reasons to attack Larson since her introduction as Captain Marvel. She’s been accused of being rude, ungrateful, a bad actress – yes, despite owning an Academy Award for Best Actress – and the list goes on.
Related: Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel Ditches Sequel, Leaves Marvel With Problematic Storyline
A press tour featuring Larson likely would have driven even more negative sentiment online than one without (which is a pretty sad reality, considering that this is her film).
In any other world, there’s no way Marvel would have ditched Larson for a press tour. However, it seems like it’s happy to conduct one without her – and without Vellani and Parris. Whether this will impact the film’s performance or not remains to be seen. Watch this space.
Are you excited for The Marvels? Let us know in the comments!