The Marvels Will Show Captain Marvel Has Become A Bit Of A Workaholic Since Avengers: Endgame

There are two great mysteries surrounding the character of Colonel Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) as she appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first is why, if she was already a Colonel in the Army, she accepted the demotion to Captain in order to be a superhero. Wouldn't she get a promotion when becoming a superhero? Shouldn't she be Brigadier General Marvel?

The other is what a superbeing as powerful as she was doing in between her movies. The 2019 film "Captain Marvel" was set in the mid-1990s and involved Carol, assuming she always lived on Earth, recovering long-lost memories to become a cosmic alien demigoddess. In the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she didn't return to Earth until the events of "Avengers: Endgame," which takes place in 2023. Where was she for the intervening 28 years? Indeed, what does the average day look like for Captain Marvel? Audiences have seen Captain Marvel's origin, and we know that she has the ability to turn her body into a comet and punch through spaceships, but her day-to-day existence hasn't yet been explored, nor what kind of a person she has become as a result of her heroism. 

Nia DaCosta's upcoming film "The Marvels," set around 2026, may answer the latter of those questions. The film's three leads, Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani play three members of a Captain Marvel cadre who become inexplicably interdimensionally entwined. When one of them uses their superpowers, they inadvertently swap places with another. They have to solve the mystery as to why. The three actresses recently spoke to EW about their upcoming movie, and they found that Captain Marvel not only is busy being a superhero but may have become something of a workaholic. 

Captain Marvel's absence from multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something Larson decided to make a character trait. Being a famous, Oscar-winning actress, Larson can relate to being away from home for long stretches at a time while she does work in a distant place. The job becomes more time-consuming than family, and losing touch becomes an unfortunately natural outcropping of one's life. Larson said: 

"The way I was able to tap into it and understand it is the concept that Carol kind of became a workaholic, and she lost touch with her heart and with family and friends. [...] That's certainly something I can relate to."

Parris plays the role of Monica Rambeau, a character Captain Marvel befriended when Monica was still a child. By the events of "The Marvels," she's already grown and has developed her own superpowers. Captain Marvel doesn't appear to age, meaning her prolonged absences from Earth will see characters grow up without her. This is something that "The Marvels" will also address, as the adult Monica will need to re-establish her relationship with Carol. Parris said: 

"Carol is such a huge part of Monica's life in 'Captain Marvel.' When we see her in 'WandaVision,' you get a sense that she has not talked to Carol in a very long time. So, we have to address the elephant in the room."

Monica isn't as old as one might think, though. Five years of her life were put in stasis thanks to the Marvel event referred to as the Blip. She was dead for that span and then resurrected.

Samuel L. Jackson was also interviewed by EW, as his Marvel character, Nick Fury (currently featured in the miniseries "Secret Invasion"), developed a friendship with Carol during the events of "Captain Marvel." Indeed, it was in that film that audiences learned how Fury lost his eye; it was scratched out by an alien cat. At the very end of "Avengers: Infinity War," half of the universe was wiped out in a magical cataclysm. Nick Fury, while his body was melting into ash, had the wherewithal to activate a specialty pager he wore on his belt and summoned Captain Marvel to help. 

Jackson noted, like Larson, that Captain Marvel has become something of a workaholic in the years since they dealt with each other directly. Jackson, in his typical straightforward idiom, sees Fury as a practical guy who is perfectly willing to give the Captain crap for being away. He said:

"He's been calling her, and she's off in galaxies far, far away. [...] She's like, 'Fury, why are you calling me? I told you not to use this [number].' He's like, 'You gave it to me, so I'm gonna use it. And I'm calling you because I need your help!'"

"The Marvels" will be released in theaters on November 10, 2023. It is the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.