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When Carol Danvers crashed through the roof of a building, and the camera moved down to reveal it was a Blockbuster Video, Marvel fans knew they were in for a blast from the past, and the 90s environment turned out to be a selling point. 

Now, however, comes the news that the Captain Marvel sequel will eschew the 90s nostalgia and take place in the present day. That being the case, can the sequel hope to top the $1 billion-grossing success of the original?

What will the ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel  be about?

Brie Larson on the red carpet
Brie Larson | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Few details have been released about the sequel that’s in development, but Screen Rant observed that WandaVision is already serving as connective tissue, even though the TV show only just started shooting.

Set photos of that show, which has been moved up from early 2021 to later in 2020, confirm that one of the characters is Monica Rambeau, whom we met as a child in the first movie. 

Monica Rambeau is the daughter of Maria Rambeau, who was Carol Danvers’ BFF who served in the military with her. The Captain Marvel sequel shares a writer with WandaVision, Megan McDonnell, so Marvel’s famous inter connectivity is taking place behind the scenes as well.

We also stand to find out just what the Skrulls were doing at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home – that scene is a contender for the most bizarre end credits scene the MCU has yet offered. 

All of this indicates that after Black Widow, MCU movies will have more of a cosmic/intergalactic feel, with The Eternals coming up in November and next year’s movies including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (also connected with WandaVision)  and Thor: Love and Thunder. 

The first movie made the most of its setting, but not its sound

With 90s music figuring so prominently in the movie, Marvel fans thought Captain Marvel might offer a throwback soundtrack, as the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies did. That never came to pass, though. The only soundtrack issued from Captain Marvel was of the score. 

In fairness, however, the soundtrack in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies was practically a character in itself – so much so that the soundtrack actually revived the popularity of the long-dormant cassette. By contrast, Captain Marvel’s 90s song score felt more like window dressing to establish the time period and that’s all. 

With Captain Marvel able to travel between galaxies, and with her powers being so immense, Marvel would probably do well not to tie her down to the last decade of the 20th century. Besides that, time travel figured prominently in both Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, so for the sake of variety, Marvel probably wants to avoid that trope for the time being. 

Where else might we see Captain Marvel?

With the Captain Marvel 2 script still probably unfinished, it will be quite some time before Marvel will announce a release date. Screen Rant points out that Marvel Studios has two release dates in 2022 that don’t have titles announced; February 18th and November 5. It’s possible Brie Larson and her team will return then.  It is not known if directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will return. 

However, it’s not out of the question that Carol Danvers could appear in at least one of Marvel’s movies through next year. The Eternals, about a race of super-beings would seem to be the most logical fit because they fit into the cosmic heroes milieu.

However, she may cameo in a more earthbound movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. That movie’s director is Destin Daniel Cretton, who has directed Larson in three movies: Short Term 12, The Glass Castle, and Just Mercy, which is in theaters now. Larson might have helped Cretton get the job – now she has a favor to return. 

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