On Tuesday Marvel announced its Phase 3 films leading up to Avengers: Infinity War 1 & 2. Bad news: still no official word on a Black Widow movie. Good news: Captain Marvel will get her own movie. Yes, “her.” The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is going to either ignore or skip over the tenure of Mar-Vell, a Kree spy sent to scout human activity on Earth, who originally wore that title. Instead, the lead role will be US Air Force officer Carol Danvers, the first female superhero to lead her own MCU film after supporting roles from Widow, Gamora, and soon Scarlet Witch.
Carol Danvers made her comic debut as Ms. Marvel in 1977, after first appearing as a background character in 1968. She has super strength, fight, and some Kree-characteristics that grant her additional powers. She can also absorb energy – such as heat or electricity – to become even more powerful, or blast fire from her hands. In the MCU, Ronan the Accuser from Guardians of the Galaxy was a Kree-extremist. The reveal that Captain Marvel will join the fight could mean that we’ll see a Kree invasion of Earth in a future film. Danvers assumed the title of Captain Marvel in 2012 and has since joined the Guardians, leading some to speculate that she would make a cameo appearance in the film earlier this year. That did not happen, but Guardians 2 will reach theaters before Captain Marvel, so that possibility remains open.
Despite constant inquiries from fans about a Black Widow movie and rumors that Danvers would appear as either Ms. or Captain Marvel, DC did get its Wonder Woman announcement out of the gate first and Diana will reach theaters about a year before Carol will. As for fans of Black Widow, Marvel studios head Kevin Feige said that she will have “a very, very big” part in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which will “further (develop) her character. The plans we have for her through the rest of the Avengers saga are very big and she is a linchpin, in fact, to those films.” Captain Marvel is scheduled to reach theaters on July 6, 2018, right after Avengers: Infinity War Part 1.