Marvel Studios officially entered Phase 3 of the MCU with Captain America: Civil War earlier this year, and this particular phase will include even more fan favorite comic book superheroes making the jump to the big screen. In addition to solo efforts for bothSpider-Man and Black Panther, Phase 3 will include the first film co-headlined by a female superhero — 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp — as well as the origin story of Captain Marvel. at Comic-Con International in San Diego this summer, it was announcedRoom’s Brie Larson will portray Carol Danvers, who will be the strongest hero to join the MCU.
In an interview with Vulture, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was asked about the upcoming Captain Marvel movie, which has a script written by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy). Feige specifically spoke about Carol Danvers’ powers, how they compare to other MCU heroes, and how they’re rooted in character drama:
It’s very important to us that all of our heroes do not become silhouette-perfect cutout icons. All of the Marvel characters have flaws to them, all of them have a deep humanity to them.* With Captain Marvel, she is as powerful a character as we’ve ever put in a movie. Her powers are off the charts, and when she’s introduced, she will be by far the strongest character we’ve ever had. It’s important, then, to counterbalance that with someone who feels real. She needs to have a humanity to tap into, and Brie can do that.
Additionally, Feige talked about the forthcoming announcement of the Captain Marvel director. Previously, it was reported that Marvel Studios would announce both the star and director by the end of the summer. Although Larson was confirmed to star, it remains to be seen who will direct. A number of female directors have been on the shortlist for Captain Marvel — including Rebecca Thompson (Electrick Children), Niki Caro (McFarland, USA), and Lesli Linka Glatter (The Walking Dead, Homeland) — but Feige offered an update on when we’ll receive official confirmation, “I expect to have a director by the end of the year.”
Feige went on to explain that the process of selecting a director takes time within the Marvel structure since it includes a number of pitch meetings before the studio chooses the best person for the job. For Captain Marvel specifically, there are many factors to consider:
With Captain Marvel, there’s so much potential in the comics and there have been so many incarnations of her powers and the characters who’ve had that mantle that we’ve been focusing in on exactly how do we tell her origin. How does it fit into the cosmic side of our universe? How does it fit into what we’re doing with the next Avengers movies? So really, that’s what’s been delaying that particular announcement.
As indicated by the shortlist of directors, fans can likely expect a woman to helm the film, as Feige previously indicated it’s a priority of Marvel to include more diverse directors in the MCU. Additionally, considering the number of factors that go into deciding a director for a Marvel movie — and the number of names who have been rumored to be in the running to helm Captain Marvel — it’s understandable that the decision has taken a great deal of time. Still, with a star in place, fans eagerly anticipating Carol Danvers’ big screen debut are likely looking forward to learning who will directCaptain Marvel.
Kevin Feige: Captain Marvel ‘Strongest’ Hero, Director News By Year End
