How to Make Captain Marvel More Interesting: ‘Give Her a Problem That Can’t Be Solved With Punching’
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of heroes that seem to be universally loved by everyone. Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Black Widow are all characters that seem to unite the fandom, regardless of age, gender, or lifestyle. Other characters are more divisive, such as Captain Marvel, as portrayed by Brie Larson in the MCU. From the time that her casting was announced, fans had problems with the character, as well as the actress portraying her. Even after the release of the blockbuster movie Captain Marvel, many critics were not convinced. Still, some fans on Reddit think that they have a way to bring the fandom together again, united in the belief that Captain Marvel is an interesting character.
‘Captain Marvel’ was a blockbuster movie
Captain Marvel was a film that had been in development at Marvel Studios for years before finally getting the green light. Showrunners struggled to find the right actress for the iconic role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, and finding the right way to fit the movie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe also proved to be quite difficult. Still, the casting of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel made headlines, and in early 2019, the film was finally released.
Captain Marvel proved to be a massive hit at the box office and made more than one billion dollars in ticket sales. This was notable for several reasons, primarily for the fact that it was the first female-led superhero movie to make so much money. Young girls everywhere loved the character of Captain Marvel and identified with her tough, no-nonsense attitude. However, in spite of the fact that the film was a financial success, the fandom proved to be sharply divided when it came to the way that the film presented Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.
Fans are divided on the film’s version of Captain Marvel
Even before Captain Marvel was released, fans had problems with the blockbuster film. Many complained about the marketing for the film, publishing negative reviews for the movie on film review sites well before it was actually released to theaters. The biggest issue in the fandom, however, was the actor chosen to play Captain Marvel. There was a lot of criticism leveled at Brie Larson, with most of the complaints centered around her political beliefs and her outspoken feminism.
Larson took the criticism in stride and did what she could to promote the film and the character — still, the fan community remains divided over her, and even today, with the imminent release of more Marvel films in 2021, fans are thinking of ways to potentially improve Captain Marvel’s standing in the fanbase.
Fans on Reddit discussed how to make Captain Marvel more interesting
Recently, some fans on Reddit discussed ways to make Captain Marvel more appealing, as well as more interesting to a wider group of viewers. “Place Carol in a scenario where she can’t rely on her powers alone,” the original poster suggested, reiterating how any future Captain Marvel movies could put her at odds with a villain with similar emotional stakes.
“All you gotta do is give her a problem that can’t be solved with punching; a nice political or cultural issue on an alien planet is all you need,” another poster commented. Multiple fans agreed with the idea, pointing out that the future storylines could also include a love interest or a vulnerable soul that needs protecting, all in order to give Carol Danvers more dimension. One fan even pointed out: “the next movie could be an intense physics drama that really examines her character and makes her humanity shine through.”
No matter what direction Marvel Studios decides to go with the next film in the franchise, it is clear that fans still feel very strongly about the character.
