‘Captain Marvel’ photos and details: Brie Larson on the role, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, young Samuel L Jackson
Marvel’s Captain Marvel is becoming increasingly anticipated following the cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War. A cover story rollout from EW gives fans their first real look at the project.
One big bit of news is that the titular hero Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larson), will not be uncovering her origins. Instead, the movie will begin with Carol fully in command of her powers, having “left her earthly life behind to join an elite Kree military team called Starforce, led by Jude Law’s enigmatic commander.”
However, “before long, Carol finds herself back on Earth with new questions about her past. And she’s got a formidable enemy in the form of the Skrulls — the notorious Marvel baddies made all the more dangerous by their shape-shifting abilities. Ben Mendelsohn plays their leader Talos, who spearheads a Skrull invasion of Earth.”
“This is not a superhero who’s perfect or otherworldly or has some godlike connection,” says Anna Boden, who’s the MCU’s first female director. “But what makes her special is just how human she is. She’s funny, but doesn’t always tell good jokes. And she can be headstrong and reckless and doesn’t always make the perfect decisions for herself. But at her core, she has so much heart and so much humanity — and all of its messiness.”
“She can’t help but be herself,” Larson tells EW. “She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She’s also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she’s the first one out there and doesn’t always wait for orders. But the [not] waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw.”
EW’s cover (below) finds Carol somewhere between the Earth and the sky.
Law plays the Starforce commander and mentor to Carol, known to fans as Mar-vell.
In Law’s own words: “These extraordinary powers she has, he sees them as something of a blessing and something that she has to learn how to control. That’s a motif throughout the piece, the element of learning to control one’s emotions and to use your powers wisely.”
On his character.
“He is driven by a belief in the divine leadership of the Kree people,” Law says. “So he’s almost a devout warrior — unquestioning, conservative, but inspirational.”
Larson says their relationship leads to a bit of animosity within the group: “There’s a lot and back and forth that comes with the two of them, which kind of creates a little bit of tension with the rest of Starforce,” Larson adds. “Like, ‘Why do they have a special relationship, and why isn’t it me?’”
“I never saw myself doing something like this, mostly because I like being anonymous,” Larson explained. “I like disappearing into characters, and I always felt like if I was out in the public eye too much, it potentially limits you in the future.” And Larson took some time to come around on the commitment, waiting several months to officially sign on, but ultimately it was too big of an opportunity to bring a character like Captain Marvel to screen.
“Just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering,” she explained. And Carol Danvers is a complex character — part Kree and part Human — a sometimes impulsive warrior at odds with herself.
“You have this Kree part of her that’s unemotional, that is an amazing fighter and competitive,” Larson said. “Then there’s this human part of her that is flawed but is also the thing that she ends up leading by. It’s the thing that gets her in trouble, but it’s also the thing that makes her great. And those two sides warring against each other is what makes her her.”
The Kree people value community over individual, and while Guardians villain Ronan (played by Lee Pace) also appears in Captain Marvel, before he’s the zealot seen the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Carol is a human pilot with Kree DNA, then there’s Djimon Hounsou reprising his Guardians character of Korath, Gemma Chan playing a sniper named Minn-Erva. Algenis Perez Soto, Rune Temte, and McKenna Grace also star.
“This is not a superhero who’s perfect or otherworldly or has some godlike connection,” co-director Boden told the outlet. “But what makes her special is just how human she is. She’s funny, but doesn’t always tell good jokes. And she can be headstrong and reckless and doesn’t always make the perfect decisions for herself. But at her core, she has so much heart and so much humanity — and all of its messiness.”
New photos show the Kree and human versions of Ben Mendelsohn as the Kree leader, Talos.
Also revealed is the young version of Samuel L. Jackson, in his ninth appearance as Nick Fury, complete with a facelift and a demotion to S.H.I.E.L.D. desk jockey. Not only has he yet to meet any superheroes, he has the use of both of his eyes for once. Clark Gregg will also be back as a younger version of Agent Coulson.
Lashana Lynch stars as Maria Rambeau, one of Carol’s oldest friends who’s an ace Air Force pilot with the call sign “Photon,” and a single mother to a young daughter. Fans will recognize a tie in to Marvel Comics’ Monica Rambeau.
Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 6, 2019.
