We’re a decade deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point, but Marvel and Disney are still finding ways to keep things interesting, with recent entries Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther among the best and most original they’ve produced. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently gave a wide-ranging interview about what the future has in store for the MCU, and focused particularly on one upcoming film: Captain Marvel.
Due for release in 2019, Captain Marvel will be the 21st movie set in the shared universe, but only the first with a female lead – better late than never, I guess. Brie Larson will play Carol Danvers, and while we got a decent look at her costume a few weeks back, little is known about the plot. We know that the film is set in the ’90s, a time before other heroes like Iron Man came to prominence, although that’s about it for now.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Feigie said that Marvel and Disney are hoping to pay homage to classic ’90s action flicks in Captain Marvel, saying:
“We wanted to explore a period before Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury had any idea about any of the other heroes and crazy stuff going on in the world. You know, we first met Nick when he told Tony, “You’re part of a big universe. You just don’t know yet.” Well, we want to go back to a time when he didn’t know it yet, and really showcase and announce that Carol Danvers was that first hero that Nick came across. That meant she could be the singular hero, but place it within timing of the MCU. It also got us talking about different genres, exploring this notion of sort of the ’90s action film.”
When asked specifically how this will come across in the film, and what some of the reference points are, he replied:
“Well, not necessarily talking about any particulars of the story, but the action elements Terminator 2. That’s about as iconic as you get, looking at kind of those cool street level fights, street level car chases, and fun stuff like that. That being said, much of the movie takes place in outer space, as you might think a Captain Marvel movie would. Like all of our genre inspirations, there are bits and pieces here and there.”
Feige also spoke about the future of Black Panther and its associated characters, confirming that there is definitely going to be a sequel to the blockbuster hit, although there are no details set in stone as yet. He said:
“[There’s nothing] specific to reveal, other than to say we absolutely will do that. One of the favourite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two. There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther. We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one.”
That said, you will be seeing some of your favourite characters and locations again fairly soon, as Feige confirmed the third act of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War takes place in Black Panther’s fictional African homeland of Wakanda.
He also said that there’s “lots of potential” for possible Black Panther spin-off films, and that he would happily watch stand-alone movies about most of the characters, but that it’s important to consider “a balance between leaving people wanting more and then giving them too much.”
He has promised, however, that no matter what happens, we’ll be seeing “a lot more” of Letitia Wright‘s “astounding” character Shuri in future Marvel films, so that’s definitely a plus.
