It is no secret that, when it comes to the unreleased MCU movies, everything is basically, well, a secret. So, of course, quite a few details of what audiences will be treated to when the upcoming Captain Marvel hits screens March 9th are anyone’s guess. Still, with the arrival of the full trailer, we got a glimpse of what’s to come - and it looks incredible.

Fandango visited the set of the film a few months ago, and we can now share what we learned from the filmmakers, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, star Brie Larson and other cast members that day. Though all were predictably tightlipped about what are probably the juiciest plot points, we did pick up a few exciting particulars.

1) The Story


According to Captain Marvel Executive Producer Jonathan Schwartz, the movie actually begins with Captain Marvel in space, already in possession of her superpowers, fighting alongside the Kree as a member of Starforce in the Kree/Skrull War. At some point, she is captured by the Skrulls and eventually ends up on Earth, crashing through the roof of a Blockbuster video, says Schwartz, “because it’s the '90s.”

Eventually she meets up with a younger Agent Nick Fury, together they have to stop the Skrulls, who have nefarious plans for Earth, and, at the same time, figure out Carol’s mysterious past. 


2) Kelly Sue Approves


The reverence with which Captain Marvel comic writer Kelly Sue DeConnick is viewed by Marvel fans is unquestioned and well-deserved. So, the decision to go with a version of her vision of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel’s story is one that has been welcomed by fans.  Also, it was confirmed that she has been consulting with the production during filming.

"There’s a run of comics by Kelly Sue DeConnick that really gets to the core of the character in a way that we thought really made us want to translate it to the screen.  She really understood Carol and really made her modern and vibrant and cool in a way that she wasn't always written,” said Schwartz.  “And a lot of great artists were working with Kelly at that time. Dexter Soy is great, and Jamie McKelvie was amazing, and it represented a vision of the character that we thought would translate to screen really easily. And Kelly's actually been working with us on the movie and has been very helpful and consulted with us and shot a cameo the other day which hopefully you guys can all pick out. But she kind of had a vision for Carol that leaned into her Air Force roots in a really cool way and leaned into the power of a character in the inspirational nature kind of at the core of Carol that we thought was super cool.”

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck felt connected to DeConnick’s vision as well. Said Boden, “She's amazing, and it was so cool meeting her for the first time, having read all of her comics, and her whole Captain Marvel run, really falling in love with Captain Marvel through her comics. So many of our references and our ideas of who this person was and the things that we had pitched in a room to the Marvel folks, to Kevin Feige about what we thought this character was, were similar to her references and her touchstones. It just goes to show what an amazing writer she is, that she was able to express so much of that through the comics It felt like we really connected with her.”

3) Who is MCU Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel


“With Ryan and Anna’s help,” says Schwartz, “and kind of guided by the script, I think they’ve found a version of Carol that’s really cool, that’s not exactly Carol from the comic books, and not even exactly the Carol that you read when you read the script page, but becomes kind of their own unique creation that’s really cool and really interesting.”

Fleck says her humor and toughness (essential qualities in an MCU superhero) are an important part of Danvers’ appeal.  “You know, sometimes she's funny, and sometimes she tries to be funny and it's just like, ‘Nice try’, and she doesn't care. She just keeps doing it, you know? I love that she can make fun of herself. And I mean, she can take a punch you know she gets hit and she likes to fight, she's a fighter, born fighter, and she's just tough.”

“The idea of this superhero who's like one of the most powerful superheroes, but like you, she also has this like scrappy personality.”  Boden points out.  “She was a woman in the Air Force before women were allowed to fly in combat and that part of her and that part of her history and who she was and always having to fight - and you know that ‘higher, further, faster’ ethos is just part of who she is. So even when she's like super powerful and can just blow everybody out of the galaxy she still has that core, that center of having to fight for it.”

4) Brie Larson IS Captain Marvel



Nothing but kudos come from the filmmakers and co-stars of Brie Larson for her approach to taking on this role. Her dedication to the stunt-work is nearly legendary at this point.  Yes, she did push a jeep up a hill, but did she go up in a fighter jet?

“She totally did”, says Schwartz. “She totally kicked ass. I would never do it in a million years. It looked so dangerous. Yeah, she really went up there, as did Lashana, as did Anna Boden, our director. I got nervous and nauseous just sitting through the briefings where they tell you what's gonna happen up there. But she went up, they gave her a call sign, she went through the whole bit.”

“Brie has done everything she possibly can to make the character feel as real as possible,” says Schwartz.  “I think she spent more time at the stunt gym training for fights than any actor I’ve ever worked with, which is amazing to watch. She’s gone up in fighter jets, she’s hung out with the Thunderbirds. She’s going to do a lot of her own stunts this movie, and a lot of her own fighting. Not a lot of actors would be doing those wire gags, doing that stuff for real.”

We interviewed Brie Larson during the set visit, and you can read her take on playing Danvers/Marvel here.
 

5) Two-for-One Origin Stories!

Looks like we are FINALLY going to learn a little bit more about Nick Fury, though whether that includes the missing eye is still anyone’s guess.

Says Schwartz, “The movie is definitely called Captain Marvel, but we wanted to give the audience that kind of young Nick Fury origin story as well - hopefully in a way that complements Carol's adventure too. We're meeting Nick Fury at a very interesting time in his life. It's the mid-'90s, the Cold War is over and the war on terror hasn't begun yet. It's a little bit of a slow period for worldwide espionage. And I think Fury is kind of wondering what his place in the world is, in a world where he feels maybe a little obsolete. And then aliens come down from outer space.”

Jackson is enjoying finally telling Fury’s story.  “We always look forward to figuring out stuff that people don't know or might not understand, like the, I guess, the evolution of Nick Fury from desk jockey to Director of SHIELD.  It's kind of fun.”  He explained that one enjoyable part of playing Fury at this stage in the character’s life is that, “He's not burdened by the weight of the world the way he is [in the future], and he hadn't come to resent the powers that be in terms of how they view the world and how they view what he does and the seriousness of the situation.  They're totally unaware of it right now.”  But Jackson says that Fury knows exactly what his place is in the world.  “His job right now, his place in the world, is to find out where the next enemy's coming from. And like most sane human beings with a job like that, you figure the next enemy is some other country or somewhere else. And all of a sudden, he discovers something that we speculate about and now we know it's, well, he knows it's true: that there are other beings in the universe, not just us. The next problem will be convincing everybody else that's true.”


6) This is Starforce

Starforce is a special forces group of Kree fighters.  According to Schwartz, “They're all super cool.  They form this outer space Seal Team 6. There's a lot of amazing action with all of them together in the early going with the movie.” We know for sure Carol Danvers somehow ends up being a part of that team, which is where we see her at the beginning of the film.

Jude Law plays Starforce Commander. His exact character has yet to be confirmed, which means, get ready for some amazing twist. But, it is a safe bet that he is either Marvel character Mar-Vell or Yon-Rogg, both of which are major characters in Marvel comics.  Or possibly both? Law revealed nothing while describing his character and what motivates him.

“As part of the military, not only that but as a commander of the military, and as a poster boy of the military obviously of the Krees, my character is somewhat judgmental and full of hatred towards the Skrulls. He has a very particular relationship with sort of a divine element called the Supreme Intelligence. Each of the Starforce - indeed, each of the Kree warriors - has a particular relationship with the Supreme Intelligence, and my character has a very particular relationship with the Supreme Intelligence which becomes revealed and is quite complex, and ultimately very revealing of what it is that motivates him. I've kind of based him almost on...  not a religious fanatic, but he's got a sort of Divine sense of purpose because of his relationship with this greater being.” 

As for his character’s relationship with Danvers, he was less forthcoming.  But he did say, “their bond as mentor and mentee, pupil and sensei, and how they met and what they offer to each other is very much at the heart of the film and the journey that Brie's character goes on.

Gemma Chan also plays a member of Starforce.  She describes her character, Minn-Erva, as “A sniper. Yeah, she's talented. She's very dedicated to her team.” There is also something of a rivalry between Minn-Erva and Danvers. “I would say that to a certain extent, Minn-Erva doesn't quite trust Carol but they're all, as a team, they're very efficient and they get stuff done. Before Carol joined the team, Minn-Erva was probably kind of the star of this Starforce team, and she was probably the favorite of the commander. So yeah, so I suppose there's more to do with their abilities rather than affections. I think there's a mutual respect, but yeah, someone else who's also very good at their job. It's a kind of playful rivalry.”

Djimon Hounsou also plays a Starforce team member, reprising his role as Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy.  “There’s not much of a difference with Korath. He is still The Pursuer, the killing machine, as we came to meet him the first time in the first Guardians. He's slightly younger here. Other than that, he's still the same killing machine.” The film doesn’t explore Korath’s origins, something Hounsou doesn’t think would be very interesting, but he does find the coming together of the team exciting. On Korath’s relationship with Danvers, he says, “I feel like Carol is the type of person that takes a joy at taking the piss at me all the time, cause I'm sort of very machine-like, very framed, very driven. The lack of not being so flexible and playful, she takes a piss at that, I think.”
 

7) The Skrulls


The MCU features some of the coolest villains in comics and this time it will be the Skrulls who hold court. They are the evil, shape-shifting enemies of the Kree and in Captain Marvel, they are also a threat to planet Earth. Ben Mendelsohn plays Talos, a battle commander of the Skrulls. “Over the course of the movie he'll shapeshift a little bit,” says Schwartz, “so we'll get to see him in human form. I think it's sort of fun to show off both the Skrulls’ powers and Ben's range as an actor because he's very different in all of those parts. It's been super fun to watch.”

If Mendelsohn’s own take is any indication, Talos is going to be a lot fun to watch, indeed. He kept the assembled journalists in stitches during his interview on set, giving us his hilarious take on the Skrulls.  “I take it most of you know who Skrulls are? We kind of rule the s***. Most of the rest of the Marvel Comic Universe are punks, basically. And, I guess, to quote Snoop Dogg, we are the shiznit.  We stand above. I mean, look, we can be anyone, and we're stronger than the rest of them. Basically, that's it. Yeah, we're maligned, we're misunderstood. But, you know, we're Skrulls.  We're Skrullin'.”

His take on the Kree? “Well, they're punks. I don't know what to say. The Kree are filth, and that's just all there is to it. I don't want to say. Kree. Please. There's going to be some problems. What can I say? They're Kree. I mean, if they step off, then that's good, then it's done. But they don't seem to want to step off. And so, we be Skrullin’.”


8) Maria Rambeau


The reimagining of Maria Rambeau has the potential to be one of the more interesting side stories of Captain Marvel.  She is the mother to Monica Rambeau, a character who was also known in Marvel lore as Captain.  Many fans were excited to find out Maria was a character in the film, but it is anyone’s guess as to how and when Monica will appear in this film or a future MCU offering.

Lashana Lynch plays Maria and gave us the low-down on the character, one for whom she has been given, in her words, “free rein within reason” to help bring her to life.

“She is Maria Rambeau, the mother of Monica.  She is a fighter pilot, very strong, very bold, very in control of herself.  I'd say, in high demand with the industry that she's in.  She and Carol Danvers are best friends.  She had to go through a lot of grief when Carol disappeared and then suddenly she's back, and she has to kind of reverse that grief and make it work for this picking up of a friendship, which is kind of strange, but ends up really beautifully.  She's just an incredible character to play.  It's nice to see someone on the page who doesn't yet have a fully-fleshed personality and who you can then inject wherever you want to.”

Though Maria isn’t a superhero per se, Lashana has another definition of what it takes to be “super”. “I would say that her being a fighter pilot along with a single mother is absolutely her superpower.  Being a single mother, especially a Black single mother, having been raised by one and my grandmother, I know that there's just a certain type of strength that comes ancestrally. That's just a certain way we’re portrayed in this film that isn't labored. You know what I mean by nothing's labored? It's just, she's strong, she's bold, she's a Black single mother. She doesn't argue about it. She has raised an amazing child and now this child is probably going to turn out to be a superhero because she's been raised by one.”


9) That Cat 


 

By now everyone has seen the cat in the trailer, petted gently and cooed to by Nick Fury.  Just a figure in the darkness immediately spotted by hardcore fans of the comic, in the first Captain Marvel poster released, those in the know can tell you there is more to the cat than meets the eye, but we won’t spoil that for you.

Since the cat(s) declined an interview, it was up to Jonathan Schwartz to give us the skinny on the actor(s) and the character, who is named Goose (Chewie in the comics).  “That is a Top Gun reference.  Goose is played by a team of four cats, who all have their own specialty.  There’s Reggie, Archie, Rizzo and Gonzo.  They’re an A-team of cats who can all do one trick, because you can’t teach cats. I learned all about cats - shooting cats over the course of this movie. So, one of them is, like, ‘the face cat’, who’s the pretty cat, that’s Archie. No, sorry, that’s Reggie! One of them’s ‘the holding cat’, who can be held. One of them’s, ‘the nuzzling cat’, who will walk up to your leg and nuzzle it.  And one of them’s, like, ‘the cat who will paw you’, who’s a jerk. I think that’s Rizzo. If you told me before this movie started that I would be auditioning cats to play the role of Goose, I would not have believed you.”


10)  The '90s
 

Like we said, Carol Danvers is first seen on Earth crashing through the roof of a Blockbuster Video.  For you younger readers, once upon a time in the '90s, you had to actually leave your house and go rent a video at a store then bring it home to watch it.

Why set the film in the '90s?  Schwartz explained, “Very early in the development process I think we seized on the idea of setting it in the '90s as a way to let Carol Danvers carve out her own space in the MCU and give her a lot of thematic weight and significance to the universe. It's this adventure that's going to inspire a lot of what we see in MCU and being able to see those things in this movie that blossom in other movies is one of the big excitements. Also, just the idea of the '90s as a setting is something I don't think we've been able to explore a lot. It's far enough in the rearview mirror that it was 'Oh yeah, the '90s.  I have memories of that era.’ But I haven’t seen it represented a lot on film. So being able to play in that sandbox is exciting, and to do things like recreate a Blockbuster, which was super fun to walk through and made me miss physical media in a way I didn't expect.”

There you have it.  I mean, really, what better represents the '90s than the blue and yellow behemoth that was Blockbuster?  Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it.

Check out this newest featurette for more on Captain Marvel below.

Captain Marvel is in theaters March 8 and tickets are on sale now on Fandango.com.