With recent stirrings that Ms./Captain Marvel will cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the people of CBM.com have been on high alert. To quote Pasto, many people feel "There is no need for one single scene [in AOU]. At this point she should have her own film."
But should she? After all, when introducing a character in a movie, from Agent Phil Coulson to Thanos himself, you have to make sure of several things: That it will help the narrative, that people will like the character, and that the character will help make the movie money. They're even more accountable for this, because they have to make sure that Captain Marvel will fit into the greater storyline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And right now, ladies and gentlemen, I just don't see it.
It's important to note that once superpowered, Carol Danvers is one the most powerful superheroes on Earth. She has Thor-level power. She is resistant to bullets, she can actually fly at an incredibly fast speed, she's immune to most diseases, and she can blast orbs of energy from her hands. Not only this, but she has an incredible back story, a "rise-to-power" type due to her being treated unfairly for her gender. There is definitely solid story here that is sure to sell--I'm not denying that at all. But there are two reasons I have for Marvel saving this treasured character for post-Avengers 3 movies.
Let's backtrack to 2012's The Avengers. The end of said film showed Thanos turning around and grinning at the notion of courting death. While some fans simply refuse to get on the horse, all signs point to him being the main villain of Avengers 3. All actors are "locked up" through A3. A lot of things are building up to this movie. We already have three Infinity Stones established, possibly four, and that leaves 2-3 left to be established before our showdown. I think it's abundantly clear that Thanos is A3's villain, so for this article's sake that's what we'll go with. Let's look at all the heroes we know will face him in that movie:
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Captain America
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Thor
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Iron Man
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Hulk
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Ant-Man
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The Wasp
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Scarlet Witch
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Quicksilver
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Vision
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Dr. Strange
It's looking like the Guardians of the Galaxy will also be teaming up to take Thanos down, or at least a member or two. Other likely heroes are Falcon, Bucky, War Machine, Hawkeye, or Black Widow. Not to mention Joss Whedon can also pick from the heroes that will have been established on the Netflix series, and an
Inhumans movie is likely as well. Folks, I don't care how powerful Thanos is--yes, I've read
The Infinity Gauntlet--that's simply enough characters for Whedon to dream up a way to take him down, and I'm already concerned that it may be
too many characters! Yes, Carol Danvers is powerful, but she isn't needed for Whedon to tell a good story here.
He'll already have the burden of introducing new characters (Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Wasp) that weren't previously in the Avengers frachise, as well as mentioning what previously established Avengers have been up to since Age of Ultron. In addition, he'll have to make sure each character gets enough plot development and that they all work well with each other. Adding another character could very well be the straw that breaks the camel's back, especially one as powerful as Captain Marvel.
But I have an even bigger reason than that, and it's honestly simpler. If Marvel Studios want to keep their universe going for the long run, they're going to have to keep their brand fresh. That includes introducing new characters from time to time. Phase 3 will already have Ant-Man and Dr. Strange movies, and there's been a lot of talk about an Inhumans movie. With the plot element of magic definitely being a ticket-seller, I'm sure Dr. Strange will do just fine. Ant-Man is bound to do well too, since Marvel is currently on a roller-coaster high. Marvel's brand name is HOT right now, and they earn a ton of money with every movie they make. But they also have sequels to take care of, and we'll see sequels featuring Cap, Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy as well. That's why Captain Marvel is best saved for Phase 4.
With all these sequels and new characters to be introduced, I predict Marvel will keep on soaring in terms of success. Avengers 3 will be a showdown, and a lot people will wonder what's next--and I think a Captain Marvel film would be a great way to kick that off. While Iron Man--and to a lesser extent, Captain America, is the face of Marvel Studios, Captain Marvel gives a new chance to shake that up. If you don't think they'll play on the correlation between her name and the studios' name, you're crazy. Not to mention it would most likely be the studios' first female superhero film, and that the name "Captain" is empowering and shows leadership. After three Avengers movies, she will bring something new to the table. Whedon's Avenging time will most likely be up, and it could give them a "new start," so to speak, with them playing off their brand name with the hero.
So what do YOU think, citizens of CBM? Do you agree that Marvel should wait, or am I completely [frick]ing nuts? Sound off in the comment section below, and remember,
keep it civil!