With a rumoured runtime of a mere 1 hour and 45 minutes, there are concerns among fans that The Marvels might be in trouble. That would make it the shortest MCU title to date and, in 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder also clocked in under 2 hours and largely disappointed (while not a guarantee, a runtime like this typically suggests a lot had to be cut which wasn't working).
The Marvels will be released in theaters less than a month from now, and regardless of what's happened behind the scenes, excitement for the Captain Marvel sequel appears muted.
That's evident from early box office tracking, though many fans have been left to question what the issue is. Is four years too long to make people wait for Carol Danvers' next adventure? Has the marketing campaign failed to hype this movie up as a must-see event?
We'll be exploring those questions early next week, but a new TV spot teases - and potentially spoils - at least one big surprise in The Marvels.
As you can see below, it appears Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Photon will be getting some backup from an Asgardian ally. Based on past rumours, it won't be Thor who shows up to lend a helping hand; instead, it's going to be the King of Asgard, Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie.
We've heard that she and Carol were going to be romantically linked in this movie. Unfortunately, that's likely one of many moments - including Monica Rambeau being named "Photon" - which has been left on the cutting room floor.
Check out this new TV spot for The Marvels below.
In The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe.
When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels."
The movie stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon.
The Marvels is currently set to arrive in theaters on November 10.