The Marvels Film
The Marvels is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to the film Captain Marvel (2019), a continuation of the television miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022), and the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Nia DaCosta, who co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. It stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, alongside Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan team up as “the Marvels” after they begin swapping places with each other every time they use their powers.
Marvel Studios confirmed plans to make a sequel to Captain Marvel in July 2019. Development began in January 2020 with McDonnell hired after working on the television miniseries WandaVision (2021). Larson was set to return from the first film as Danvers, and DaCosta was hired to direct that August. In December, Parris was revealed to be reprising her role as Rambeau from WandaVision alongside Vellani returning as Kamala from Ms. Marvel. Second unit filming began in mid-April 2021 in New Jersey, and the title—referring to the three characters and their similar abilities—was revealed in early May. Principal photography began in July 2021 and concluded by mid-May 2022, taking place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, as well as in Los Angeles and Tropea, Italy. Karasik’s involvement was revealed during post-production.
The Marvels premiered in Las Vegas on November 7, 2023, and was released in the United States on November 10, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the performances but criticism for the script and tonal inconsistencies. The film grossed $206 million worldwide against a gross production budget of $274.8 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in the MCU, a box-office bomb, and one of the few MCU films not to break-even in its theatrical run.
The Marvels Film
STORY
Carol Danvers destroys the Supreme Intelligence, the artificial intelligence that leads the Kree empire. This leads to a civil war and the desolation of the Kree home world, Hala, over the next 30 years. The conflict renders the planet barren as it loses its air, water, and sunlight.
Dar-Benn, the new leader of the Kree, discovers one of the two legendary Quantum Bands. She harnesses the power of the Band to tear open a jump point, a gateway that allows fast travel across space. The resulting anomaly impacts the entire jump point network, including a jump point near Earth’s S.A.B.E.R. space station that is run by Nick Fury. Captain Monica Rambeau investigates the jump point near S.A.B.E.R. while Danvers investigates the new jump point that Dar-Benn opened. When they touch their respective jump points, Rambeau is transported to Danvers’ location, Kamala Khan—who has the other Quantum Band on Earth—is transported to Rambeau’s location, and Danvers is transported to Kamala’s house. The three use their different light-based powers to fight off Kree enemies, leaving the Khan family home destroyed.
After the three women return to their original places, Fury and Rambeau visit Kamala on Earth. Rambeau surmises that their light-based powers are linked through quantum entanglement, and that they switch places when any of the three use their powers simultaneously. The three join up at a Skrull refugee colony on the planet Tarnax, which Danvers helped found and where a peace treaty is being negotiated with the Kree. When talks break down, Dar-Benn rips open another jump point which siphons the atmosphere from Tarnax to restore breathable air to Hala. After a hasty effort to evacuate the colony, Danvers, Rambeau, and Kamala form a team that Kamala names “the Marvels”. Danvers explains that the Quantum Bands were used to create the jump point transportation network, and Dar-Benn is combining her Quantum Band with the Kree’s Universal Weapon. Dar-Benn’s repeated rupturing of jump points is causing instability to the network and endangering the entire universe. They deduce that Dar-Benn is targeting planets that are meaningful to Danvers, who Dar-Benn blames for the desolation of Hala.
The Marvels reach the water planet Aladna before Dar-Benn does and prepare the local population for an attack. Dar-Benn arrives and tears open a jump point to draw the planet’s water to Hala. She almost steals Kamala’s Quantum Band, forcing Kamala to flee with Danvers and Rambeau. Dar-Benn’s final plan is to use the energy from Earth’s sun to restore that of Hala. The Marvels fight and subdue Dar-Benn, but she steals Kamala’s Band and uses both bangles to tear open another hole in space. The act destroys Dar-Benn, ends the Marvels’ entanglement, and leaves behind a rupture between realities. After Kamala reclaims the Bands, she and Danvers use their combined powers to energize Rambeau, allowing her to close the hole from the other side, stranding her in the process. Kamala returns to Earth and Danvers flies into Hala’s sun, using her power to restore it.
The short-lived team-up inspires Kamala to seek out other young heroes and form a new group, starting with Kate Bishop. In a mid-credits scene, Rambeau awakes in a parallel universe where she is greeted by Binary—an alternate version of her mother Maria—and the mutant scientist Hank McCoy / Beast.
CAST
- Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel:
An Avenger and former United States Air Force fighter pilot whose DNA was altered during an accident, imbuing her with superhuman strength, energy projection and absorption, and flight. Larson said the film would dive deeper into the complexities of Danvers’s character after her origin story was established in Captain Marvel (2019). Since the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Danvers has mostly been off Earth in deep space. Larson said the character had become a “workaholic” and lost touch with her family and friends. - Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau:
An astronaut for S.A.B.E.R. who has the ability to manipulate all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. She is the daughter of Danvers’s late friend and fellow airwoman Maria Rambeau, and looked up to Danvers as a child. Parris said The Marvels would further explore Rambeau beyond what was established in the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021).[ She boxed to prepare for the role. - Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel:
A teenage mutant from Jersey City who idolizes Danvers and wears a Quantum Band, a magical bangle that unlocked her ability to harness cosmic energy and create hard light constructs. Kamala is in awe of Danvers and Rambeau, her heroes, which producer Kevin Feige likened to Peter Parker’s role in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Vellani practiced parkour to prepare for Kamala’s movement style in the film. - Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn:
The Kree leader who is trying to restore her homeland after a civil war. She wields the Universal Weapon, a large hammer that was previously used by the Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Director Nia DaCosta encouraged Ashton to prioritize her agility and strength in her training. Ashton’s fiancé Tom Hiddleston, who portrays Loki in the MCU, gave her advice on playing a Marvel villain. - Gary Lewis as Emperor Dro’ge: The leader of the Skrull colony on the planet Tarnax.
- Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan: The charismatic prince of the planet Aladna who is Danvers’s husband and ally.
- Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan: Kamala’s mother.
- Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan: Kamala’s father.
- Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan: Kamala’s older brother.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury:
The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is working on the space station S.A.B.E.R.[22] The film’s version of Fury is much lighter and more fun than the version seen in the Disney+ miniseries Secret Invasion (2023), which executive producer Mary Livanos attributed to the relationship between Fury and Danvers that was established in Captain Marvel.
PRODUCTION
Development
Ahead of the release of Captain Marvel (2019), star Brie Larson expressed interest in a sequel featuring the character Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel. Producer Kevin Feige previously said there were plans to introduce Kamala to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following the release of Captain Marvel, because Kamala is inspired by Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel; Iman Vellani was later cast as Kamala for the Disney+ television miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022). In March 2019, Feige said Marvel Studios had some “pretty amazing” ideas for a sequel, which could either be set in the 1990s, like the first film, or the present day. Lashana Lynch expressed interest in reprising her role of Maria Rambeau in a sequel, even if it was set in the present. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con in July, Feige confirmed plans for a sequel.
Official development began in January 2020, when Megan McDonnell entered negotiations to write the script after serving as a staff writer on Marvel Studios’ Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021). Larson was confirmed to return as Danvers, but Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were not expected to return after directing and co-writing the first film. The studio hoped to hire a female director to replace them. The film was expected to be set in the present day, and was aiming for a 2022 release. In April 2020, Disney scheduled the film for release on July 8, 2022, filling the July 2022 date that the studio had previously reserved for an untitled Marvel film. Nia DaCosta was hired to direct the film that August. Deadline Hollywood‘s Justin Kroll called this another sign of Marvel Studios adding diversity to its films due to DaCosta being the first Black woman hired as a director by the studio, adding that the film would likely break the record for the biggest-budgeted film directed by a Black woman. The studio had also considered Olivia Wilde and Jamie Babbit as directors for the film, but DaCosta was said to have been the frontrunner for some time. DaCosta, a self-professed comic book nerd, developed the film with WandaVision producer Mary Livanos who gave her “creative latitude” to make the film she wanted. Larson said DaCosta was the best person to direct the film and praised her pitch presentation. Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter said DaCosta’s hiring could bring new energy to the MCU and Captain Marvel franchise, saying she “enjoys challenging preconceived notions about the relationship between characters and the lore behind stories”. Newby also felt the film could explore Danvers’s story from the perspective of Maria Rambeau’s daughter Monica, a Black woman in present-day America. DaCosta’s original pitch included Adam Warlock and time travel, but she was told that Warlock would be appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and the Disney+ series Loki (2021–present) already dealt with time travel stories. DaCosta also cited Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) in her pitch as a reference for the film, particularly for its fight scenes and ending sequence.
Feige announced Captain Marvel 2 in December 2020, with a new release date of November 11, 2022. He confirmed DaCosta’s involvement, revealed that Teyonah Parris would reprise her role as Monica Rambeau from WandaVision, and said Vellani would reprise her role as Kamala. Parris was excited to work with DaCosta again after Candyman (2021), and to further explore Monica’s relationship with Danvers as teased in WandaVision. Larson felt it made sense narratively to have Kamala and Rambeau introduced to the MCU in other projects before the three characters meet in this film, something she had discussed with Feige “from the beginning”.
RELEASE
November 10, 2023
