Nia DaCosta
2019
If you have been reading entertainment news lately then you have probably heard that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is DEAD!…. Eh? From my personal opinion this narrative is fleeting. I will be the first to admit that some of the recent MCU projects like Antman and The Wasp: Quatumania and especially Secret Invasion saw a reduction in the level of quality that the MCU had become synonymous with. The newest introductions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe had felt superficial and did not feel as if they shifted the status quo of these characters.
Articles such as Variety’s “Crisis at Marvel: Jonathan Majors Back-Up Plans, ‘The Marvels’ Reshoots, Reviving Original Avengers and More Issues Revealed” (Siegel, 2023) seem to imply that Marvel’s reign at the box office is coming to an end.
While a movie like Ant Man and The Wasp: Quantumania may serve to be a cornerstone in the current Multiverse Saga (only time can tell), Secret Invasion only served to damage character identities and ultimately insult fans by crafting such an offensive misuse of plot potential and future set up. Of all the MCU projects announced this year, The Marvels was easily the film that I was the least excited about. The three leads are a fun to watch with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers displaying her signature “swing first, ask questions later” portrayal, Teyonah Paris’ Monica Rambeau’s (Photon?) clash of human emotion with her otherwise scientific approach to observing the world around her and of course, Iman Vellani’s infectious and earnest portrayal of Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), but to this point these characters being brought together in this story left me confused at early trailer viewings. I wanted to know why these characters would get together and become better.
Marvel Studios/2023
Higher. Further. Faster.
The plot of having their powers intertwined by the space-time abilities of the quantum bands served to make an interesting scenario for our characters. Danvers is forced to work as a team with Khan and Rambeau, which is refreshing due to the fact that Khan and Rambeau’s power sets are significantly weaker than those of Danvers’. Not to mention the fact that had the power entanglement not occurred, Danvers could have handled the Kree by herself. This plot device doesn’t only serve as the key gimmick of the movie but feels like the backbone. This movie is a tale of absolute power and what it’s like to live in a world where someone like Danvers can exist. Danvers’ power alienates her, allowing her to easily become deified but the other two leads serve to ground her and allow her to be seen as a human. This core to the movie is extremely interesting and the film itself is immensely fun. My advice? Ignore all of the silly, misogynistic rhetoric involving the movie and determine if you like it yourself. For me, The Marvels is not perfect but it is a hell of a good time.