Avengers: Infinity War teased Captain Marvel as the Infinity Saga’s biggest new addition to the MCU, yet Carol’s role so far has been disappointing.
Captain Marvel is returning in The Marvels (2023), yet the MCU is still wasting one of the MCU’s strongest Avengers. Though the MCU’s Carol Danvers appeared for the first time in Captain Marvel (2019) as part of Phase 3, the character has been a superhero since the 1990s in the in-universe MCU timeline. Still, not much has been shown of Captain Marvel in the MCU yet, even though the character had a crucial role in the Infinity Saga.
Had it not been for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and Ms. Marvel’s post-credits scenes, Captain Marvel would have missed the entirety of the MCU’s Phase 4. With so many new Marvel characters joining the MCU, it makes sense for established Avengers to appear less, especially after Avengers:Endgame. That being said, despite being more experienced than most of the Avengers, Captain Marvel as a character is still a relatively new addition to the MCU.
Avengers: Endgame Barely Delivered On Infinity War’s Captain Marvel Promise
Avengers:Infinity War’s post-credits scene teased Captain Marvel as the big new Marvel character that could level the playing field for the Avengers in the next film. With most of the Avengers gone following Thanos’ snap, Infinity War’s post-credit scene set up Captain Marvel to be the character that would give the surviving Avengers a chance to defeat Thanos. If Captain Marvel was Nick Fury’s last resource for a crisis situation on that level, then there was no question of how important the first Avenger would be to the MCU. Still, Captain Marvel was a prequel, meaning Danvers would only interact with the Avengers in Endgame.
Captain Marvel only increased the expectations for what role Carol Danvers would play in Avengers:Endgame, as it showed how powerful the character was. Still, while Captain Marvel appears right at the beginning of Endgame, the character only joins the action toward the end of the film. The Captain Marvel vs. Thanos fight was a great moment of its own and established Carol Danvers as one of the most powerful MCU Avengers. Still, Captain Marvel was gone during most of Endgame, only briefly appearing through a hologram between the cold open and the Battle of Earth. Compared to the Infinity War tease, Captain Marvel’s role in Endgame was disappointing.
Captain Marvel 2 & The Marvels Should’ve Been Separate Projects
Instead of a direct Captain Marvel sequel that could flesh out the character and show more of Carol Danvers’ mythos before the next Avengers movie, the MCU is jumping right into a crossover film with The Marvels. While the idea of Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel teaming up in a film is exciting, The Marvels and Captain Marvel 2 should both have happened. Captain Marvel 2 could have been released in Phase 4, for example, with The Marvels releasing in Phase 5 or 6. Captain America’s movie series had a similar problem, as Captain America 3 became almost an Avengers movie in Captain America: Civil War.
Even before Infinity War and Endgame, the MCU was already moving away from traditional sequels. Captain America 3 became Civil War, Thor 3 had the Hulk in a significant role, and the Spider-Man movies each featured a major Marvel cameo. Such a strategy continues in Phase 4 – Spider-Man: No Way Home brought multiple previous Spider-Man movie characters; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was about Scarlet Witch as much as it was about Stephen Strange; and Captain Marvel’s first MCU sequel will be a crossover. While bigger and potentially more successful, crossover films usually do not have as much time to develop the characters as the traditional Marvel solo films.
Can The Multiverse Saga Fix The MCU’s Captain Marvel Mistake?
Between Infinity War’s Nick Fury pager scene and Avengers:Secret Wars, Captain Marvel will have gotten only one solo film. In terms of character development, this is not a lot for an Avengers who is expected to be front and center in both The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Even if Captain Marvel does not lead the Avengers’ new lineup, Danvers is one of the strongest – and most experienced – Marvel superheroes, which adds to her importance for the rest of the Multiverse Saga. The Marvels will have the difficult mission of developing its three main characters while also focusing on the interactions between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Kahn.
If The Marvels can find that balance, then the potential returns of all three characters in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars become even more exciting. Still, it is difficult to predict what character dynamics Avengers 5 and 6 will have. Infinity War, for example, divided the MCU superheroes into teams spread across different locations, resulting in a fast-paced, action-packed Avengers film with little room for character moments aside from Thanos’ scenes. Endgame, however, had slower pacing for much of the movie, giving the original Avengers a lot of dialogue and calm moments before the final battle. Either way, Phases 5 and 6 must deliver on Captain Marvel’s full potential.
