Will Captain Marvel Be A Time Travel Movie?!
Comic book and superhero movies are increasing to an absurd degree- some would even argue to a breaking point—and the only thing keeping the genre from sinking beneath its own weight is an increase in story diversity. Let’s look back on the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, they’ve all been superhero films, but each franchise has a unique twists that Kevin Fiege once called “genre mixing”.
The Iron Man films lean closer towards sci-fi with a dash of an 80’s action film thrown in. The Incredible Hulk was a fugitive film, the Thor films were fantasy films, Guardians of the Galaxy was a space epic, The First Avenger was a war drama, and the Winter Soldier was a political thriller.
And if we look to the future movies we can see continued diversity and genre mixing. Ant-Man has been pitched as a superhero heist film, Daredevil will explore a street level vigilante, Jessica Jones will likely be a Private Investigation show, and Iron Fist an Asian inspired Martial Arts show. We can assume that the Inhumans will serve as Marvel’s space filler for the X-Men, and a means of social commentary. Black Panther’s concept alone is unique in both the African location and the fact that it is a superhero that is also a king of a earthbound country.
So, this makes Captain Marvel sort of the odd woman out of the bunch. How will she be different from what we have already seen from previous characters and films? This article is the bases for perhaps a less spoken theory, which I find completely awesome. I'm not claiming this is what is going to happen. I'm not a studio executive. It’s just a cool idea.
For those that don’t know who Captain Marvel is, this film incarnation will be based on Carol Danvers, who originally worked under the alias Ms. Marvel before she got revamped and marketed as Marvel’s new main female superhero—another attempt to compete with the far more popular and successful Wonder Woman.
Captain Marvel was a pilot who got her powers when she was caught in an explosion involving the original Captain Marvel (an alien by the name of Mar’vel). Some of the Kree’s DNA fused with her and she gained the powers of flight, indestructible skin, super strength, and energy projection—you know the superman inspired basics that dozens of other characters have replicated.
So it’s not really her powers that will make the character interesting. We’ve seen them a million times before. That’s not to say that they can’t make interesting action scenes with her (and I’m sure they will!) but her powers are not unique enough to be the major draw for the audiences.
Now, because of her background from the cosmic side of Marvel, many people assume her story will draw from her many space adventure. Perhaps it will be about her battle with the Kree or maybe she'll go into space to fight another enemy. There’s just one problem with all that….we’ve already seen it!
Guardians of the Galaxy already has the space epic pretty well covered, even if it is in a more comedic tone then what they could do with Captain Marvel. But you also have too realize that out of the ten marvel movie two involved some kind of alien invasion (Avengers and Guardians), four if you count the two Thor films, even though those hedge closer to the fantasy genre.
So what is the point of having a superhero with generic powers and making her re-cover a part of the cinematic universe that has already been explored (and will be explored further in the Inhuman films, the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and the Infinity Wars)? Perhaps the only thing new that Captain Marvel has to offer is a female lead—right?
WRONG!
Let’s look back at when Carol Danvers first took up the mantle Captain Marvel. The first few issues had her going off on a time-traveling adventure. Sure it was short lasting and she quickly switched over to more cosmic adventures. But as brief as it was, it’s still worthy drawing attention too.
Even though the time travel aspect wasn’t long lasting within the pages of the comics, there are a couple reasons why it would be appealing from a film standpoint. For one, it definitively sets it apart from not just the other Marvel films but ANY superhero film out there. Off the top of my head, I can’t recall a time-traveling superhero film (inform me in the comment section below if I’ve forgotten one). It’s a new idea and it’s fresh. It will also allow the character to explore times in the universe that we haven’t seen yet.
And no....this doesn't mean she HAS to fight a dinosoar.
From Kevin Fiege’s perspective it could be especially appealing because it’s a sub-genre that the cinematic universe hasn’t touched yet. Even BETTER, it could easily tie into the story they already are building towards with the Infinity Wars. How so, you ask?
Infinity. Stone. Of. Time.
We have yet to see this sucker pop up and although it is possible (and more probable) that it will show up in another film, it could play a role in a Captain Marvel story, ESPECIALLY if the story is drawing from the time travel source material. By introducing the stone into a time travel Captain Marvel film, it's use would feel more organic to the story rather than shoe horned in. It would also help the relevancy of the film as with the 2018 release date, it is awkwardly positioned between the two Infinity War films.
With Captain Marvel’s limited rogue gallery, it would bring in various time travel villains from other sources. With Galactus over at Fox, who could possibly replace Thanos at the end of the Infinity Wars or Guardians 3? Oh, I don’t know…. Maybe a certain time jumping conqueror by the name of Kang?!
So now, with this scenario, you have something special that goes far beyond just an obligatory female lead movie. You have a new, interesting “genre mixing” that has not been done yet (or at least not done memorably), you open the doors to a new side of the marvel cinematic universe, certain villains become both relevant and viable, and you build further into the currant ongoing story. That’s why I would be beyond excited if the gang over at Marvel Studios decided to go this route.
Those are my thoughts on this bizarre theory. Tell me what you think below. Is this something you would want to see? If not, what would you like to see from the Captain Marvel film?