About The Marvels – Film

The Marvels Film

The Marvels is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to the film Captain Marvel (2019), a continuation of the television miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022), and the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Nia DaCosta, who co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. Featuring the characters Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, it stars Brie Larson as Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Khan, alongside Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan team up after they begin swapping places with each other every time they use their powers.

Marvel Studios confirmed plans to make a sequel to Captain Marvel in July 2019. Development began in January 2020 with McDonnell hired after working on the television miniseries WandaVision (2021). Larson was set to return from the first film as Danvers, and DaCosta was hired to direct that August. In December, Parris was revealed to be reprising her role as Rambeau from WandaVision alongside Vellani returning as Kamala from Ms. Marvel. Second unit filming began in mid-April 2021 in New Jersey, and the title—referring to the three characters and their similar abilities—was revealed in early May. Principal photography began in July 2021 and concluded by mid-May 2022, taking place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, as well as in Los Angeles and Tropea, Italy. Karasik’s involvement was revealed during post-production.

The Marvels premiered in Las Vegas on November 7, 2023, and was released in the United States on November 10, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise towards the chemistry between the three leads, but criticism towards its plot and tonal shifts. The Marvels has grossed $188 million worldwide against a gross production budget of $274.8 million, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the MCU, and a box-office bomb.

The Marvels Film

STORY

Carol Danvers defies the influence of the Supreme Intelligence and destroys it, which leads to a Kree civil war and the desolation of their home world, Hala. The conflict renders the planet barren as it loses its air, water, and sunlight.

Dar-Benn, the new leader of the Kree, retrieves one of the Quantum Bands, of which Kamala Khan has the other half. Dar-Benn harnesses the power of the Band to tear open a jump point in space. The resulting anomaly is discovered by S.W.O.R.D.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury, now residing at the S.A.B.E.R. space station, hosts peace talks between the Kree and the Skrulls. Monica Rambeau investigates the jump point anomaly near S.A.B.E.R. while Danvers investigates the source, where Dar-Benn found the Quantum Band. When Rambeau touches the anomaly, she, Danvers, and Kamala switch places through teleportation. The switching causes the three to fight each others’ Kree enemies, leaving the Khan family home destroyed in their wake.

After the three women return to their original places, Fury and Rambeau visit Kamala on Earth. As Kamala eagerly demonstrates her powers, she switches places with Danvers. When Danvers flies away, she switches places with Kamala in mid-air. The group surmises that their light-based powers are linked through quantum entanglement, and that they switch places when any of the three use their powers simultaneously.

The three join up at a Skrull refugee colony on the planet Tarnax, where talks of resettlement have dissolved. Dar-Benn rips open another jump point, which siphons the atmosphere of Tarnax into Hala and restores its air. After a hasty effort to evacuate the colony, Danvers, Rambeau, and Kamala form a team informally referred to by Kamala as “the Marvels”. Danvers informs the others of the legend that the Quantum Bands had been used to create the jump point transportation network; the three became entangled due to their mutual contact with its energy when Dar-Benn disrupted it. Dar-Benn’s repeated rupturing of jump points is causing instability to the network and endangering the entire universe.

Dar-Benn reaches the water planet Aladna, where she tears open a jump point to draw the ocean water into Hala. Her final plan is to usurp Earth’s sun to restore that of Hala. The Marvels fight and subdue Dar-Benn, but she steals Kamala’s Band and uses both bangles to tear open another hole in space. The act destroys Dar-Benn and leaves behind a rupture into the multiverse. After Kamala reclaims the Bands, she and Danvers use their combined powers to energize Rambeau, allowing her to close the hole from the other side, stranding her in the process. Danvers flies into Hala’s sun and uses her power to restore it.

The short-lived team-up inspires Kamala to seek out other heroes and form a new group, starting with Kate Bishop. In a mid-credits scene, Rambeau awakes in a parallel universe where she is greeted by an alternate version of her mother, Maria, and the mutant scientist Hank McCoy.

CAST

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel:
An Avenger and former United States Air Force fighter pilot whose DNA was altered during an accident, imbuing her with superhuman strength, energy projection and absorption, and flight. Larson said that the film would dive deeper into Danvers’s character and her “complexities” after her origin story was set up in Captain Marvel (2019). Since the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Danvers has mostly been off Earth in deep space, with Larson saying she “kind of became a workaholic, and she lost touch with her heart and with family and friends”.
Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau:
An astronaut for S.A.B.E.R. who is working with Nick Fury and has the ability to manipulate all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. She is the daughter of Danvers’s late friend and fellow airwoman Maria Rambeau, and looked up to Danvers as a child. Parris said The Marvels would further explore Rambeau beyond what was established in the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021). She boxed to prepare for the role.
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel:
A teenage human-mutant from Jersey City who idolizes Danvers and wears a magical bangle that unlocked her ability to harness cosmic energy and create hard light constructs. Kamala is in awe of being in the presence of Danvers and Rambeau, her heroes, which producer Kevin Feige likened to Peter Parker’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Vellani practiced parkour, as it was closely linked to Kamala’s movement in the film.
Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn:
A Kree warrior revolutionary wielding an Accuser’s hammer and an identical bangle to Kamala’s who is trying to restore her homeland after a civil war. Director Nia DaCosta encouraged Ashton to prioritize her agility and strength in her training.
Gary Lewis as Emperor Dro’ge: The leader of the Skrull colony on the planet Tarnax.
Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan: The charismatic prince of the planet Aladna who is Danvers’s husband and ally.
Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan: Kamala’s mother.
Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan: Kamala’s father.
Saagar Shaikh as Aamir Khan: Kamala’s older brother.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury:
The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is working at S.A.B.E.R. in low earth orbit with the Skrulls. Executive producer Mary Livanos described Fury’s role in the film as him being seen again with the “lightness” depicted in Captain Marvel, again caused by his funny relationship with Carol Danvers.

PRODUCTION

Development

Ahead of the release of Captain Marvel (2019), star Brie Larson expressed interest in a sequel featuring the character Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel. Producer Kevin Feige previously said there were plans to introduce Kamala in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following the release of Captain Marvel because Kamala is inspired by Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel; Iman Vellani was later cast as Kamala for the Disney+ television miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022). In March 2019, Feige said Marvel Studios had some “pretty amazing” ideas for a sequel, which could either be set in the 1990s like the first film, or the present day. Lashana Lynch expressed interest in reprising her role of Maria Rambeau in a sequel, even if it was set in the present. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con in July, Feige confirmed plans for a sequel.

Official development began in January 2020, when Megan McDonnell entered negotiations to write the script— after serving as a staff writer on Marvel Studios’ Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021). Larson was confirmed to return as Danvers, but Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were not expected to return after directing and co-writing the first film. The studio hoped to hire a female director to replace them. The film was expected to be set in the present day, and was aiming for a 2022 release. In April 2020, Disney scheduled the film for release on July 8, 2022, filling the July 2022 date that the studio had previously reserved for an untitled Marvel film. Nia DaCosta was hired to direct the film that August. Deadline Hollywood‘s Justin Kroll called this another sign of Marvel Studios adding diversity to its films due to DaCosta being the first Black woman hired as a director by the studio, adding that the film would likely break the record for the biggest-budgeted film directed by a Black woman. The studio had also considered Olivia Wilde and Jamie Babbit as directors for the film, but DaCosta was said to have been the frontrunner for some time. DaCosta, a self-professed comic book nerd, developed the film with WandaVision producer Mary Livanos, who she said gave her “creative latitude” so the film would not “be a puppet on a string”. Larson said DaCosta was the “best person for the job” and said her presentation to pitch the film was incredible, and also noted her confidence in her work. Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter said DaCosta’s hiring could bring new energy to the MCU and Captain Marvel franchise, saying she “enjoys challenging preconceived notions about the relationship between characters and the lore behind stories”. Newby also felt the film could explore Danvers’s story from the perspective of Maria Rambeau’s daughter Monica, a Black woman in present-day America. DaCosta’s original pitch included Adam Warlock and time travel in its plot, but was told that Warlock would be appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and that the Disney+ series Loki already dealt with several time travel stories. DaCosta also cited Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) in her pitch, calling it an “amazing movie”.

Feige announced Captain Marvel 2 in December 2020, with a new release date of November 11, 2022. He confirmed DaCosta’s involvement, and revealed that Teyonah Parris would reprise her role as Monica Rambeau from WandaVision and Vellani would reprise her role as Kamala. Parris was excited to work with DaCosta again after Candyman (2021), and to further explore Monica’s relationship with Danvers teased in WandaVision. Larson felt it “made sense” narratively to have Kamala and Rambeau introduced to the MCU in other projects before the three of them meet in this film, something she had discussed with Feige “from the beginning”.