CAPTAIN MARVEL SPOILERS
The cast of Captain Marvel have given hundreds of interviews to promote the film. And while they know not to give spoilers, sometimes one slips through. So, here are some quotes (via Comic Book Movies) that shed light on the upcoming Marvel movie.
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SAMUEL L. JACKSON AS YOUNG NICK FURY
Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role of Nick Fury in Captain Marvel. But not as the leader of SHIELD we’ve come to know. Since Captain Marvel takes place in the 1990’s, we meet Fury about two decades before his first appearance in 2008’s Iron Man. So, Jackson explained where the character is in his life.
“He’s not burdened by the weight of the world the way he is and he hadn’t come to resent the powers that be in terms of how they view the world and how they view what he does,” said Jackson. “And the seriousness of the situation. They’re totally unaware of it right now. So, his next challenge is convincing them that we do need to enlist people who have extraordinary gifts that can help us defend not just the country but the world.”
RETURN OF THE TESSERACT
The Tesseract is an endless energy source first seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. And it is later revealed to be the Space Stone, one of the six all-powerful Infinity Stones that Thanos collected in Avengers: Infinity War. Samuel L. Jackson confirmed fan speculation that the Tesseract would make an appearance in Captain Marvel. He said, “Seems like the Tesseract has been the constant in all these movies.”
CAPTAIN MARVEL CAN TIME TRAVEL
Samuel L. Jackson likes to joke during interviews, so the next spoiler should be taken with a large grain of salt. When describing Carol Danvers’ power, he said, “She’s pretty much the strongest character — in terms of someone with powers are able to do things — in the Marvel universe. So, for Carol Danvers to be that person and for Brie to become that person, it’s gonna be a dynamite thing. I mean, [the Avengers] are up against some really, really tough odds right now — we saw throughout Infinity War — so now we know that we need something that’s as powerful as Thanos. And at some point, we’ll find out how powerful she is and all the things that she’s capable of. She’s one of the few people in the Marvel universe that can time travel, so…“
LASHANA LYNCH AS MARIA “PHOTON” RAMBEAU
In Marvel comic books, Monica Rambeau was a lieutenant in the New Orleans harbor patrol. While stopping a scientist from developing a powerful weapon, Rambeau was bombarded by the device’s extra-dimensional energies and gained the power to convert her own body into energy and back again at will. As a superhero, she was called “Captain Marvel,” the second hero to bear the name. Rambeau later used the superhero name “Photon.”
2019’s Captain Marvel has a Maria Rambeau played by Lashana Lynch, a fighter pilot with the call sign “Photon.” Lynch explained, “She is a fighter pilot, very strong, very bold, very in control of herself. I’d say, in high demand with the industry that she’s in. Her and Brie’s [Larson] character Carol Danvers are very close friends, they’re best friends, in fact. She had to go through a lot of grief when Carol disappeared and then suddenly she’s back, and she has to kind of reverse that grief and make it work for this, picking up of a friendship, which is kind of strange but ends up really beautifully. She’s just an incredible character to play. It’s nice to see someone on the page who doesn’t yet have a fully fleshed personality and who you can then inject wherever you want to.”
CAROL DANVERS’ DISAPPEARANCE
When asked how long Carol Danvers has been gone, Lynch said, “Oh, I don’t know if I’m allowed…a long time, a really long time, enough for me to say…enough for me to come out of denial and then think that maybe she is alive, and then no, actually she isn’t yet years have gone by, and she definitely isn’t alive. Do you know what I mean? Enough to go through that cycle.”
JUDE LAW AS THE COMMANDER OF STARFORCE
Captain Marvel is a member of Starforce, an elite Kree military unit. And their leader is played by Academy Award nominated actor Jude Law. He explained the connection between his character and the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence, a big part of the Kree mythos in the comics.
“It’s interesting, he has a very particular relationship – and any of you who know alot about the Kree, there’s sort of a divine element called the Supreme Intelligence – and that comes it play in this. Each of the Starforce, indeed each of the Kree warriors, has a particular relationship with the Supreme Intelligence, and my character has a very particular relationship with the Supreme Intelligence which becomes revealed and is quite complex and ultimately very revealing of what it is that motivates him. I’ve kind of based him almost on… not a religious fanatic but he’s got a sort of Divine sense of purpose because of his relationship with this greater being.”
THE KREE AND EARTH
Jude Law also talked about how the Kree view Earth. “I think it’s a curiosity,” he said. “It’s actually described as a shithole by someone, as is often the case in these we’re always pitied, like why would you want to possibly stop there, they’re so backwards. It’s not much difference, I think on the grand scale of things we’re viewed as unthreatening, rather idiotic, and somewhat backwards. Which is not far wrong really [laughs].”
THE KREE-SKRULL WAR
Another major element taken from the comics is the Kree-Skrull war. “The Kree and the Skrulls are constantly in conflict,” Law said. “Both communities are living really at high alert and both obviously live with a huge wariness of each other…as a commander of the military, and as a poster boy of the military obviously of the Krees, my character is somewhat judgemental and full of hatred towards the Skrulls.”
“The Skrulls to the Krees really represent despicable maneuvering and manipulation,” Law continued. “The Skrulls have this way of simulating other people and turning into other things, so it’s this idea of subterfuge where you’re not who you really are, whereas the Kree have a kind of purity and honesty to them as I see it.”
BEING SIMMED
The Skrulls are shapeshifters that disguise themselves as anyone. So, they will often go undercover by simulating important figures. “There are posters that you’ll see around Hala which say ‘Know your enemy it could be you,'” Law said. “There’s a great line in one of the scenes where a warrior is asked if he’s ever been simmed and he says yes and that he had to kill himself. So, it can be psychologically very scarring.”
DJIMON HOUNSOU AS KORATH
Lee Pace returns as the Kree warrior Ronan and Djimon Hounsou reprises the character Korath, Ronan’s subordinate. They were the primary villains in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. However, fans who want a direct line between Captain Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy will be disappointed. Hounsou said, “This is a completely separate story, standalone story, nothing to do with Guardians other than the fact that some of those characters interact with each other later. Other than that, no. It’s very different from Guardians, yes.” When describing the members of Starforce, Jude Law said, “I can talk about Djimon, Korath who appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy. Obviously, this is a few years before, so young Korath, he’s second in command.”
GEMMA CHAN AS MINN-ERVA
In the comic books, the Kree scientist Minn-Erva came to Earth because she believed Captain Marvel (the Kree soldier Mar-Vell) had a genetic code that might unlock the potential of their race. However, Minn-Erva was willing to sacrifice human lives to complete her scientific goals and came into conflict with Mar-Vell and the rest of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Gemma Chan plays Minn-Erva in the Captain Marvel film, but the character appears a bit different from her comic book counterpart. “Minerva played by Gemma Chan is a sniper and long range specialist,” described Jude Law. Chan said, “I suppose before Carol joined the team, Minn-Erva was probably kinda of the star of this Starforce team, and she was probably the favorite of the commander who is played by Jude Law. So yeah, there’s more to do with their abilities rather than affections as such. But yeah, I think there’s a mutual respect, but yeah, someone else who’s also very good at their job. It’s kind of playful rivalry.”
BEN MENDELSOHN AS TALOS
The leader of the Skrull invasion of Earth is Talos played by Ben Mendelsohn. When describing the character, the actor also explained how the Skrulls choose their combat leaders. “He’s quite active, so he has to switch in and out of some various stuff. So, you know, I’m going to assume we’re going to see Talos do his thing. And look, the thing about Skrulls and changing shapes, and I can say this with some authority. Physiologically any Skrull can change shape. It takes practice, and, dare I say it, talent to do it well. He’s a battle commander because he does it well.”
