Despite many claims Marvel has lost its touch, the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – The Marvels – is a brilliant film much deserving of a watch.
The Marvels follows Carol Danvers “Captain Marvel” after the events of Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and her brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as she attempt to deal with the life she left behind on Earth and the negative impact she had on the Kree after destroying their leader. The new leader of the Kree, a warrior by the name of Dar-Benn vows revenge. She attempts to retrieve the mysterious technological weapon called Quantum Bands to revive her damaged homeworld and finish off her foe. Dar-Benn, however, only finds one band. The other currently lies in the possession of teenager Kamala Khan aka “Ms Marvel.” Despite this setback, Dar-Benn was able to use the remaining band to her advantage. She disrupts a nearby jump point. Earth’s jump point was also damaged in the process, damaging SWORD (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division) Headquarters. Monica Rambeau investigates the Earth’s jump point while Captain Marvel does the same to another hijacked point. This leads the three women’s – Carol, Monica, and Kamala – powers over light to be connected.
Carol Danvers was first introduced to Marvel fans in the December of year 1967 in the comic Marvel Superheroes #13. At the time she was the love interest of the current Captain Marvel, a member of the Kree who was tasked to watch over Earth by his government, who went by the human name of Doctor Walter Lawson. Nine years after first appearing, Danvers gained powers and became the first Ms. Marvel. In 2013, she was rebranded as Captain Marvel following the death of the original.
The title of Ms Marvel was later taken by Kamala Khan. In the comics, she gained her abilities after going through the process of terragenesis which causes humans with Inhuman DNA to gain abilities. She took up the name because she was a Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) superfan as demonstrated during her first appearance as an unnamed fan in Captain Marvel (Vol. 7) #14. Kamala was Marvel’s first Muslim superhero!
Monica Rambeau has had many superhero names. She first appeared under the name Captain Marvel in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 in the year 1982. And yes, you read that right, Monica was Captain Marvel before Carol Danvers. Her name was later changed to Photon in 1996, Pulsar in 2005, and finally Spectrum in 2013.
All three characters have a different origin story compared to the comics. As demonstrated in Captain Marvel (2019), Carol Danvers gains her powers after an explosion fueled by technology created by the Tesseract/Space Stone. Monica Rambeau gained her powers through walking through Wanda Maximoff’s hex in the television show WandaVision (2021). Instead of gaining her powers through the terragenesis, Kamala Khan gained her abilities through a mutation activated by placing a Quantum Band on her wrist as seen in Ms Marvel (2022). Her origin story in the comics has been changed to better fit this new narrative and match her new power set. Luckily, none of this intricate context is needed to watch or understand the movie, as everything is explained through explanatory lines.
One strong point throughout this movie is the complex relationships between the characters. Kamala and her family are a great example of this, carrying over their fantastic chemistry from Ms Marvel (2022). Her relationship with her brother, Aamir Khan, demonstrates the interesting dynamic between siblings often not seen in the media. These complex relationships can be seen again through the three leading heroines. Carol, Monica, and Kamala originally struggle to connect and understand the others. This is especially seen through Kamala’s hero worship of Captain Marvel. Throughout the movie, however, their relationship transforms into what feels like a makeshift family, with the rebuilding of Carol and Monica’s relationship being the heart of the film. The three actor’s chemistry is undeniable and further builds on their characters’ relationships with each other.
With The Marvels being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie has continued the niche of the company. The production design and overall aesthetic of the movie is greatly detailed and gives the otherworldly feeling connected to aliens. There is also great comedy as is expected of any Marvel film. A great example is the hilarious use of the Broadway Cats’ song “Memory.”
However, there are still low points in the movie. The appearance and quick disappearance of Prince Yan, the leader of the planet Aladna and husband of Captain Marvel, is not explained and there is no resolution to his part of the film. This part of the movie is perhaps a bit too campy. Other parts of the movie felt rushed. An example is the random appearance of Captain Marvel during a tense confrontation on Dar-Ben’s ship. That being said, The Marvels is greatly worth a look for nerds, those with no previous knowledge, and those lying in the between. It releases February Seventh on Disney Plus.
