With Captain Marvel now in theaters, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has started addressing some spoilers from the movie and in this lengthy new interview, he touches on a number of topics.
They include Mar-Vell's appearance, a Secret Invasion adaptation, two possible time-setting options for the sequel, Stan Lee's future cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and more.
It goes without saying that MAJOR SPOILERS follow from this point on, so you'd best stop reading now if you've not seen the movie. To check out all the highlights, hit the "View List" button!
The Big Reveal That Annette Bening Is Mar-Vell
"It was late in the development of the movie," Feige says when asked where the idea to include Mar-Vell in such an unorthodox manner came from. "[As] we were approaching shooting, we were casting male -- We were looking for a male Mar-Vell and developing the script at the same time. We spoke to a few people, but as you've now seen in the movie, it's a limited role."
"It was, I believe, Anna [Boden] who came up with the suggestion in a script meeting that, "Why don't make the S.I., the vision that she sees, Mar-Vell?" It's interesting learning how things came together and it sounds like it was then that they decided Annette Benning was the best choice to play both Mar-Vell and the Supreme Intelligence.
"The idea was just before we brought Annette on. So, it was relatively late in the development process and one of a handful of things that happened as the script was taking on its final form, that was an epiphany that Anna had, and it was like, "Oh, of course! That's perfect!" And we stopped looking for another actor."
Is Secret Invasion Coming To The MCU?
Captain Marvel portrays the Skrulls in a sympathetic light and by the time the credits roll, the stage has not been set for a Secret Invasion adaptation of any sort. However, there's nothing to say that can't become a reality down the line if Feige is to be believed.
"I think like the Kree and like humanity, there are good Skrulls and there are bad Skrulls," he says. "But one of the things we wanted to do in this movie is, you know, don't judge a book by its cover and tap into people's preconceived notions of the pointy-eared green aliens being evil and subverting that."
"But I do think to continue fleshing them out and making them these three-dimensional actual beings, the Skrulls, you would encounter good ones and bad ones."
What The Captain Marvel Sequel Could Explore
The movie only briefly touches on the Kree/Skrull War, but ends with the stage being set for the conflict to continue. Will a sequel show Carol Danvers squaring off with Ronan and the Supreme Intelligence? Feige chose his words carefully, but it definitely sounds like the next instalment will also take place in the past.
"Well, we don't know what she did, right?" he asks. "She said she was going to and she went flying off at the end, and then we jump many years into the future. What happened in that intervening time, I think, is something that would be a lot of fun to explore at some point."
There Are Multiple Options On The Table
"We have ideas for both," Feige says when asked if the next movie will actually remain in the past or jump ahead to a post-Avengers: Endgame MCU. "We'll see. We always think and dream about potential additional adventures, but really focus on the one we literally finished a week and a half ago. [Laughs]"
As for whether or not there's a timeline mapped out for Carol Danvers, he adds: "In a general fashion. The blanks are filled in as we make the movies, and until it solidifies into an actual film, there are multiple branching timelines."
Are We Getting A Phase 4 Slate Announcement?
Fans are understandably anxious to know what comes next for the MCU and Feige had this to say when he was asked whether or not some sort of slate reveal is coming a little later this year:
"You know, we very specifically have been holding back on anything leading up to Endgame, and as connected to that, Far From Home. Because that was our focus, that's where we wanted the focus of the fan base to be on. Once those films are out, I think is when we'll announce what's coming next. How far we'll announce in the future? I'm not sure we'll announce five full years necessarily, although we know five full years. But we'll be making some sort of announcement, yes, and I'll pull back the curtain on what's been in the works."
You have to believe that some announcements will be made at Comic-Con - assuming that Marvel Studios doesn't skip the event. It's also feasible that we'll get another "Marvel Event" of some sort.
That Touching Stan Lee Tribute
Captain Marvel begins with a lovely tribute to "The Man" as the regular content in the Marvel Studios logo is replaced with his cameos before a message pops up thanking him. What led to that becoming a reality? Based on Feige's remarks, an awful lot of thought was put into that.
"It was soon after he passed, and we were thinking about what to do and how to do it and whether to release something or put something out online. And we figured, as we always have, the way to pay honor to him is the way we've been trying to do while he was alive, which is the movies. I had always thought in the back of my head, should that day ever come -- which as I've previously said, I wasn't sure it would.
"Like, I envisioned him at 127 -- that I would want something sort of touching and rousing up front, as opposed to sort of depressing at the end. I know that, not specifically but in general, a celebration is what Stan always wanted as opposed to any sort of mournful event. So, it happened very, very quickly soon after we got the unfortunate news.. We put that together and our visual development department, led by Ryan Meinerding, illustrated all those illustrations of him that you see, before we then go into the clips."
Will We See "The Man" In Spider-Man: Far From Home?
After confirming that Stan Lee will be seen in Avengers: Endgame, Feige pointed to a Spider-Man: Far From Home cameo being a possibility, as at least a couple more have been shot featuring the legendary comic book creator.
"We'll see," he teased. "We're heading-- We shot a couple of others, so we're coming up on the last of them, yes." Does that mean we'll see him in Black Widow?
Some Teases For The Future
When the interviewer told Feige that they want to see Kamala Khan, Nova, an LGBT superhero, and Taika Waititi's next project, he had this to say about the likelihood of them happening.
"I think all of those are percolating and-- Let's put it this way: They're all percolating. I do want to keep the focus on this one and on the immediate future, but everything you just named are percolating, some closer than others." That's an interesting tease, and we'll hopefully learn much more soon...