In his weekly interview with Comic Book Resources, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso was asked to weigh in with his thoughts on the recent film slate announcement which included everything from Captain America: Civil War to Avengers: Infinity War. "It's a great time to be Editor-in-Chief. Right now, we live in a world where everyone knows who Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and Black Widow are. Pretty soon, they're going to know Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange and the Inhumans," he added before delving into the significance of diversity in superhero movies. "That's going to be make my job easier. And not only are female fans going to have another kickass female hero to root for, when the Black Panther peels of his mask, a lot of people are going to see a bit of their own reflection. They're going to relate to him on a fundamental level."
As to how this impacts the comic book side of things and which titles they'll be promoting moving forwards, Alonso said, "The fact that Marvel Studios' slate is so diverse says a lot about our commitment to have our books reflect the world outside your window. The beauty of Marvel characters is that each is defined by the person inside the costume, not the powers, so there is always characters that speaks to you. Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel will definitely speak to new fans." And in some very good news for fans of a certain Wakandan King (who currently stars in New Avengers), he teased: "I see big things for T'Challa. Big things."
"The launch of "Captain Marvel" was very important moment for us," the E-i-C added when quizzed on how it feels to see Captain Marvel - a character who was only given that moniker a couple of years ago - now being brought to the bug screen. "We wanted to create a compelling, three-dimensional, relatable kickass female character, and I guess that worked, but there's no way we could anticipate how Carol would connect with fans, particularly female fans, or things like the 'Carol Corps.'" As for how significant all of this is for new readers, he pointed out that things are changing for comic books and the type of people they attract thanks to these movies. "We are at a crucial turning point, where young women and girls are feeling more and more welcome to enter into the world of comics. There are a lot of reasons for this. It starts with the quality and diversity of comic books themselves. The emergence of graphic novels and digital comics also factors in. And, of course, the proliferation of comic book movies, TV shows and video games. The result is a "Geek Culture" that didn't' exist 10-15 years ago. It's chic to be geek."