On March 8th, Marvel’s latest blockbuster movie was released, Captain Marvel.
Centered around Captain Marvel herself, the woman behind the suit, Carol Danvers, is a crime-stopping extraterrestrial Kree warrior that is stuck in the 1990s amidst an intergalactic battle.
When the movie was first announced in 2014, there was an overwhelming sense of excitement, as it was the first female-led movie to be produced by Marvel Studios. However, there was also controversy about how Captain Marvel was originally a man in the comics from the ‘70s and some superfans wanted to honor and respect the original comics.
Brie Larson, American actress known for her roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Room, 21 Jump Street, and her upcoming appearance in Avengers: Endgame, was quickly cast as Captain Marvel based on what Marvel producer Kevin Feige refers to as her ability to “balance the character’s vast powers with her humanity.”
As of early March, Captain Marvel has topped the box office, grossing over $760 million worldwide, becoming the biggest movie of 2019 so far. This is an incredibly big feat and critics are commending Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ben Mendelsohn for their performances.
While it is the first solo female superhero film since the MCU studio’s release of Iron Man in 2008, and I acknowledge how important, and almost unreal, that is, I don’t think it’s all that great.
I do believe we need equal gender representation in the film industry, especially in a franchise so massive as the Marvel universe, but I think people are giving Marvel too much credit.
Yes, Captain Marvel is a powerful, independent female superhero that will be a good role model and an inspiration to girls everywhere, but she’s also white, cisgender, and as far as we know, heterosexual.
One of the more interesting reactions after the release of Captain Marvel would be the overwhelming amount of speculation about Captain Marvel’s sexuality. Many fans claim Carol Danvers and her fellow Airforce pilot Monica Rambeau have a history, and it’s nearly confirmed with such an emotional reunion midway through the film. However, nothing is certain.
Of course, I want to believe that Captain Marvel is gay, I think that’d be wonderful, and I too saw the longing gazes held between Carol and Monica, but nothing is confirmed yet and her sexuality was danced around throughout the entirety of the film.
Everything released and said about Captain Marvel’s sexuality is all theoretical and desperate projections made by an audience that couldn’t be more clear as to what they want in a superhero film. Representation needs to extend beyond just white women, to women of color, to queer women, and to women, like myself, who are both, to help advocate for the modern ever-changing demographic of women of all types. And while Captain Marvel may have been a half-step in the direction of this goal, I don’t believe it was enough.