Captain Marvel didn't feature any sort of romantic subplot for Carol Danvers, but with Brie Larson talking openly about there needing to be better representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Russo Brothers promising that a well-known superhero will be outed as being gay, a large number of fans are hoping that this HERo ends up filling that void.
Nothing has been confirmed in that respect, but when I recently had the opportunity to talk to
Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, I asked them for their thoughts on fans rooting for the character to be gay, and whether they ever considered exploring her sexuality in the film.
Fleck: "That was one of those things when we were in the writing stage, and the sky was the limit and the movie could be anything, we were discussing: 'Are we going to get into any type of romantic relationship with this character?' It wasn't like there was a philosophical opposition to pursuing that storyline; it just came down to real estate in the story we were telling. We knew we were telling a story of self discovery and we wanted friendship, and her friendship with Maria, to be a huge part of that. There was no room for any romantic storyline for us. I know people have made their own conclusions about that and I think that's part of the fun of making these movies is that they become the audience's movies and they get to create any kind of narrative they want for what's happening off the screen. For us, as storytellers, it's a friendship and a story about that and self discovery."
Understandably, the filmmaker chose his words carefully here, but it doesn't sound like it's off the table and may have been an idea that was raised during the early stages of development.
A quick Google search results in a huge number of websites and fans talking about their interest in seeing Captain Marvel embark on a relationship with either Maria Rambeau or Valkyrie, and it's hard to believe that hasn't found its way on to the radar of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
We'll have much more from Boden and Fleck over the next couple of days so, for now, be sure to share your thoughts in the usual place.
Hit the "View List" button for a recap of some of
Captain Marvel's best Easter Eggs, references, and cameos!
The Last Blockbuster Store
While Blockbuster's time has been and gone, one store remains in Bend, Orgon. It's become something of a tourist trap given the nostalgia factor and all but what you may not realise is that
Captain Marvel actually travelled there to shoot scenes for this movie.
It would have been easy for Marvel Studios to just create a mock-up or use VFX to bring this location to life but the fact they used the real deal is a testament to the authenticity they were looking for while bringing this 90s set adventure to the big screen.
ASIS
You may think that the entire subplot of a lightspeed engine has been added at random by Marvel Studios but, in reality, this is a plot point which has been borrowed from the comic books.
In the Ultimate Universe, Mar-Vell came up with the ASIS aircraft (the same name used in the movie) that he was working on while disguised as Dr. Philip Lawson. Some changes are obviously made - including making Mar-Vell a woman - but it's easy to see how that comic influenced what ended up on screen.
Street Fighter
Captain Marvel takes place in 1995 but Carol Danvers went missing in 1989. However, flashbacks to the time she spent with Maria Rambeau in Pancho's Bar show her playing
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition.
Well, that wasn't released until 1992 so it's hard to say whether this was a continuity error on Marvel's part or whether she was supposed to have been playing a different game back then (the first one, perhaps).
Budapest
During a conversation with Carol, Fury talks about once doing spy work in Budapest. Could this have been a reference to the mission that went horribly wrong for Black Widow and Hawkeye which we first heard about in
The Avengers?
It seems unlikely given the timings but it's hard to imagine that Marvel Studios didn't realise this would lead to fans speculating about a possible connection when you take into account the fact that #EverythingIsConnnected (supposedly).
Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.
During the course of Captain Marvel, we return to a location which is bound to be familiar to those of you who recently watched The Avengers. Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. is indeed housed in the same facility that Loki ended up destroying in that superhero ensemble and it's actually quite sad to think about Fury's decision to ultimately weaponise the Tesseract after Mar-Vell's hope to end wars with it.
The Avenger Initiative
Right at the end of Captain Marvel, Nick Fury is shown working on a plan to assemble a team with remarkable abilities for the "Protector Initiative." However, upon learning that Carol Danvers' callsign in the Airforce was "Avenger," he makes a key change and sets the stage for
Iron Man's post-credits scene.
In the comics, Carol's callsign was "Cheeseburger" after she ate one of those and threw up during a test run. Needless to say, Marvel Studios ditching that was probably for the best.
Stan Lee's Cameo
The late, great Stan "The Man" Lee makes one of his final appearances in the MCU here in a cameo which actually harkens back to a real-life event.
Shown on the train Carol boards to track down a Skrull, the legendary comic book creator is reading the
Mallrats screenplay and practising his lines. Those of you who haven't seen the movie may not realise that he actually made an appearance as himself in the Kevin Smith helmed release and seeing as
Captain Marvel is set in 1995 (the year that hit theaters), the timing works perfectly.
Carol's Missing Memories
Carol Danvers suffering from amnesia isn't new even though Marvel Studios uses it to great effect in this movie to tell her origin story in a somewhat unconventional manner.
In fact, the hero forgetting her past has happened on three separate occasions now; the first came when she first got her powers, the second when Rogue inadvertently took her memories, and the third when she had a brain lesion and once again completely forgot who she was.
Lieutenant Trouble
While Captain Marvel's memories of her past are cloudy at best, she remembers calling the young Monica Rambeau "Lieutenant Trouble." Well, it turns out that was a nickname given to an entirely different character in the comic books.
In those, the young "Kit" Renner was referred to by that moniker by Carol while she was back on Earth but it seems as if Monica has taken that for herself as she's someone who looked up to the hero in a similar fashion in this adventure.
Kelly Sue DeConnick's Cameo
Comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick is well-known for being the woman responsible for transforming Ms. Marvel into Captain Marvel and her work is said to have heavily inspired the movie.
Well, keep a close eye on Carol as she leaves that train and you'll notice a woman with red hair and glasses who suspiciously looks the hero up and down only to receive a similar glare. That is indeed DeConnick, making a well-deserved cameo appearance!
The Right Stuff
While Carol is walking through Blockbuster Video, she stops and takes a look at a movie called
The Right Stuff. As you may recall, that revolves around a group of American Astronauts and Air Force test pilots who go "higher, further, faster" in a bid to push mankind to the next level.
It's no wonder this catches her attention as the hero is bound to have watched it at some point!
The Mid-Credits Scene
As expected,
Captain Marvel sets the stage for
Avengers: Endgame with a mid-credits scene featuring Captain America, Black Widow, War Machine, and Bruce Banner discussion Nick Fury's pager before it finally stops sending a signal and Carol Danvers arrives looking for Fury.
Right now, it's hard to say whether the movie will begin with Carol having already met the team or whether this was a scene taken somewhere from the first act. We'll find out in six weeks...