Since I’m probably the biggest Carol Danvers fan on staff, it was up to me to more thoroughly analyze these photos released by Entertainment Weekly (EW) for Captain Marvel, along with the multiple interviews that came with them. I didn’t expect to find much, but upon further inspection there’s actually quite a bit to gather from them.

Brie Larson in full costume in the desert

Seeing this photo of Brie Larson in full Captain Marvel apparel on set is just fantastic and a far better impression than the digitally manipulated mess that is the EW cover. While some parts of the costume feel a bit too over-designed for my taste (too many little yellow triangles and lines), it is still a fantastic and eye-catching costume, which very clearly takes loving inspiration from the comic book designs of Jamie McKelvie and Kris Anka.

Once you really enlarge the image, you’ll notice that while her costume appears to be brand new, there is actually battle damage done to it already. You can tell from the scuff marks on the yellow highlights along her chest and shoulders. So, hopefully, she won’t be in her standardized green Kree military outfit for too much of the run time.

Mother of Monica Rambeau

In a recent interview with Lashana Lynch with EW, it was confirmed that the daughter that EW went out of their way to mention was indeed Monica Rambeau, who in the comics has gone by many superhero names, including even Captain Marvel, but one of them was actually “Photon,” which is the call sign for her mother, Maria Rambeau, as shown in the photo above. With this new information, it’s very likely that when her daughter inevitability gains superpowers as an adult in the present, she’ll name herself Photon in honor of her mother.

Funny enough, it might actually be likely that DeWanda Wise could end up playing Monica Rambeau in a future sequel, which is ironic and fortunate for her, since she had to drop out of this role as Maria Rambeau due to a scheduling conflict with Netflix and was quickly replaced by Lashana Lynch.

Carol Danvers admiring the view

What actually jumps out at me in this photo is that, unlike the photo with Maria Rambeau, Carol’s name and call sign aren’t plastered on the side of her F-15 – it’s blank. One possibility is that this is from a scene of Carol stepping into her aircraft for the very first time before her name was put on it and is savoring the moment or they’re deliberately hiding it. Likely to not ruin the joke that is her actual call sign from the comic books.

You wanna know what it is?

Well, I’ll tell you, it’s “cheeseburger” and I find it so exciting that it might be her actual call sign in the movie too.

Ms. Marvel (2006) Issue #11

It’d be so great if her call sign is based on such an embarrassing incident, which would just help make her feel more relatable, since a lot of us have stories like that we’d rather not repeat to others. Regardless, it’s a great clue that, despite the story structure being vastly different from previous MCU movies , we’ll still see her very beginning as an Air Force pilot in flashbacks.

Carol Danvers wearing the classic civilian disguise of the MCU – minus sunglasses

The fact that Danvers is wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. baseball hat indicates to me that she’s sneaking into a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to steal documents or evidence – likely about herself, as pointed out in Brie Larson‘s interview with EW.

When the film starts, Carol has left Earth behind to adventure in the stars and join the elite Kree military team Starforce, but she soon finds herself back on her home planet with new questions about her past and identity.

It could be possible that Carol Danvers has amnesia in the movie, like she has had in the comics. Not to mention that when Danvers began her superhero career as Ms. Marvel decades ago, she had a split personality without her even knowing about it. When she finally discovered her double life as the masked superhero, Ms. Marvel, she had an identity crisis. Before she spiraled beyond the point of no return, both personalities merged into one and she finally accepted herself as Ms. Marvel and Carol Danvers.

Ms. Marvel (1977) Issue #3

This would also explain one curious bit of footage of Brie Larson in her green costume when production started. The footage is her looking at a map before being interrupted by biker who wants to introduce himself. She throws the map aside, extends her hand for him to shake it, and she proceeds to break his hand.

https://twitter.com/BrieLarsonBRA/status/957251924033785857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E957251924033785857&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmcuexchange.com%2Fnew-set-video-brie-larson-action-surfaces%2F

Now this footage has entirely new context, as it can be interpreted as her having lost all her memories of Earth and needing a map to navigate. Not to mention her aggression towards the biker, seeming a bit excessive at the time the footage was released.

As for the EW photo and who it looks like she wants to punch, I think she could be face to face with Nick Fury in this scene, since the EW article does state that in this movie, he’s nothing more than a desk jockey and a desk jockey would be right at home where all the documents and evidence are stored.

This movie will be a true test of de-aging special effects

Speaking of Nick Fury, I have to say, he looks pretty damn great and the de-aging technology that Marvel Studios has been using only gets better. Ever since they first used it in Ant-Man on Micheal Douglas, it feels like they’ve been building up to this moment. Instead of just a single scene like with Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War and Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 they’re going to do it with Samuel L. Jackson for possibly an entire movie.

The Negotiator (1998)

He looks identical to his time filming The Negotiator, even having a very similar hair style too! However, what’s funny is that the nasty cut above his eye is the one he’s going to lose in this movie, according to Kevin Feige. So, we might get a fake out or two before that moment happens from someone he trusted –  the most common (and most obvious) theory thus far being someone disguised as a Skrull.

He also seems to be speaking to someone in this photo with long blonde hair, so, likely Carol. Heck, maybe Fury is the one that sees through her poor disguise first and gets that nasty cut from her.

The elite Kree military team of Starforce led by Mar-Vell

Before I really pick  apart this photo, you should know that Starforce is an actual group in the comics assembled by the Supreme Intelligence (essentially a giant head in a jar) that included members like:

  • Ronan the Accuser
  • Korath the Pursuer
  • Doctor Minerva
  • Captain Atlas

There are more members from the comics, but Callahan and I predict that the last member on the list,  Atlas, is the rather large man with the beard in the back of the group, since he’s the closest match to Atlas from the comics who acted as muscle for the team, especially Minerva. We also suspect that he’s being played by Titus O’Neil who hinted that he landed a role with Marvel Studios a couple months back, but it’s hard to tell from all the make up and him being so far in the back of the photo.

While Djimon Hounsou returning as Korath is easy to spot, along with Gemma Chan as Minerva, we still have no clue who the Kree soldier to the right of Carol could be.

Now with that out of the way, let’s really dissect this image.

Her fists are her weapons

I absolutely love that Carol is the only one without a side arm or weapon of any kind. I imagine it’s because she’s so powerful that she doesn’t need one, but, it seems like each member of the Starforce has a unique weapon or suit of their own to compensate.

Korath is sporting what looks like two batons on his back for close quarters combat, along with a distinct lack of cybernetics etched onto his head. Then there’s Minerva, who has been described by EW as the sniper, carrying what must be the namesake of her role on the squad. The mystery Kree warrior to the right of Danvers doesn’t seem to have anything besides his side arm, so he might not be a fighter, but a supporting role?

What sticks out the most though is that the big guy in the back, who has what looks like tubes running from his chest to his back. Not to mention the additional body armor that he has compared to Korath and the mystery Kree, which supports the idea of him being the bruiser, although it seems slightly redundant with Danvers in the squad.

The Hala symbols indicate rank?

What’s interesting is that each of their Hala symbols on their chest seem to be different in small ways, which might be what signifies rank in the Kree Empire or at least within Starforce. Considering Danvers’ Hala symbol is the most “complete” out of the pack, she might have the highest rank, minus Ronan and Jude Law, who’s Hala symbol is even more extravagant than the one Carol Danvers has, as it has another Hala symbol right on top of it.

Likely indicating his rank as the leader of Starforce.

Captain Marvel (2019) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

His own superior, Ronan, played by Lee Pace, returns to the role with a whole new look as he’s wearing a more comic book green from his original design in the comics. He’s also in possession of his Universal Weapon (the war-hammer) which actually has a small Hala symbol engraved on the side of the head. He doesn’t have this in Guardians of the Galaxy, which means he must have removed it when he was excommunicated from the Kree Empire for going rogue.

A younger, potentially less genocidal, Ronan

In an interview with EW yesterday, Jude Law specified that Danvers is like a mentee to his character. Brie Larson added that the rest of the squad might even be envious of the relationship that they have.

“There’s a lot and back and forth that comes with the two of them, which kind of creates a little bit of tension with the rest of Starforce,” Larson adds. “Like, ‘Why do they have a special relationship, and why isn’t it me?’”

Off duty uniforms?

So, there’s one obvious thing everyone has picked up on throughout these interviews and that’s Jude Law and EW being incredibly coy about who he’s actually playing in the movie. It’s odd – everyone is assuming that he’s playing Mar-Vell because he’s been described as a mentor to Carol Danvers, so, why hasn’t it been officially confirmed by anyone?

Two big theories that have cropped up is that he’s secretly a Skrull disguised as Mar-Vell (but then why not just say he’s Mar-Vell anyway) or that he’s actually playing a completely different character called Yon-Rogg from the comics. Yon-Rogg was an arch-enemy of Mar-Vell and was actually partially to blame for Carol getting her powers, as he’s the one that kidnapped her and caused her to be in the vicinity of the exploding Psyche-Magnitron machine, which not only gave powers to Carol Danvers, but others, like Minerva.

Captain Marvel (1968) Issue #18

It also doesn’t help that along with Jude Law describing Carol Danvers as a mentee, he also calls her a “pet project” which…doesn’t have the best implications of the character. The way that Jude Law describes him also seems to rise some eyebrows.

“He is driven by a belief in the divine leadership of the Kree people. So he’s almost a devout warrior — unquestioning, conservative, but inspirational.”

From that description, he almost sounds like a fanatic to the Kree Empire, especially the part about “divine” leadership.

Standing alongside her mentor in the EW photo above, is Carol continuously clenching her fists like in the first, forth, and sixth EW photos. Is she preparing to fight someone else here too or is her character just always on edge and ready to fight on the drop of a hat? It would make sense, since her temper was mentioned by Brie Larson in her interview with EW.

“She can’t help but be herself,” Larson tells EW. “She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She’s also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she’s the first one out there and doesn’t always wait for orders. But the [not] waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw.”

Which is very much in line with the character of Carol Danvers in the comic books, as she’s quick to jump into a fight without thinking things through and she can get terribly angry when pushed to a certain point.

Talos and his soldiers emerging from the ocean?

It’s a pleasant surprise to see the Skrulls being portrayed with practical effects and not CGI. While I wish they were a bit more green, I believe that’s simply a fault of the lighting in the photo and the fact that these aren’t taken from the movie itself, which means they haven’t been color graded either. I also wish they had their purple caps like in the comics, but it seems like they have purple colored skin on top their heads to mimic that look.

The villain of the movie, played by Ben Mendelsohn, is Talos, and we see him and his soldiers either emerging from or searching an ocean beach. I believe it’s the latter, but if it is, what are they looking for? I have a feeling it might have to do with some set photos of a ship crash a few months back.

There were set photos of a crash on the side of a Shaver Lake, California from what looks like an aircraft – whether it’s alien or human is anyone’s guess, but I could see them turning this lake side into a beach.

Unlike the comic books, Talos has the ability to shapeshift like every Skrull

Speaking of the Skrulls, Ben Mendelsohn has said in an interview with EW that they aren’t all bad and are “misunderstood.” What he likely means by this is that their home planet was actually devoured by Galactus. Obviously, this will not be directly reference since Marvel Studios and Disney do not yet own the rights to the Fantastic Four, but I can see them referencing their home world having been destroyed in this movie and then referencing Galactus in a sequel.

A lot of people are assuming that Talos will be the one that takes Fury’s eye, since he’s described by EW as having infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and might be masquerading as a colleague of his, but I feel like that would be too obvious. Plus, I feel like Talos, and the Skrulls, are looking for something specifically in S.H.E.I.L.D. like Carol is doing. Maybe they’re even looking for the same thing.

And that’s it.

Well, that took longer than excepted. I’ll probably do this again when a trailer eventually comes out.