The Marvels, unknowingly, had a task and that was to show the world that the MCU and Kevin Feige have taken the right direction in the franchise. The moves made by the CEO have not always proved to be wise, especially after Avengers: Endgame. Still, if The Marvels has an advantage in this Phase 5 it is precisely that of avoiding overly ironic errors (as in Thor: Love & Thunder) or unnecessary digressions. 

It, therefore, offers the right dose of humor, action, and narrative which is not always perfect (indeed) but which does not fall into grandiose gimmicks to make the film work – the shortest of the franchise, only an hour and a half excluding the titles of a tail. Nia DaCosta, director of the film, therefore takes Carol Denvers story and shows it to the viewer in a new light. Whether it’s different, better or worse.

The Marvels Movie Plot:

In The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But due to unforeseen consequences, she must now shoulder the burden of a destabilized universe. 

When her duties lead her into an anomalous wormhole connected to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entwined with those of her Jersey City superfan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and those of Carol’s niece, Captain Monica Rambeau, now a S.A.B.E.R. astronaut. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work together to save the universe as “The Marvels.”

The 33rd Marvel film is led by a very dynamic, engaging, and unusual trio. Yes, because Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani have never worked together, in fact perhaps this very aspect made their relationship on screen unexpected. Their characters are very different but they share the same power of light, which is why, when they use it at the same time, a switch occurs, one takes the place of the other. 

If this aspect initially appears confusing, The Marvels serves as a training ground for perfecting these exchanges and making them a weapon against Dar-Benn. To ensure this bond is consolidated, Nia DaCosta shows us the human side before the heroic one: a sleepover on Carol’s spaceship.

The Marvels Movie Analysis:

It’s the phrase that Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie (who appeared for a cameo) says to Carol. The themes of loneliness and sisterhood, such as a female sisterhood between Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms. Marvel, are key themes of The Marvels. While Carol Danvers tries to battle the demons of her past and come to terms with her actions, she lives in eternal solitude with her alien cat. 

Even in Avengers: Endgame she showed this side of her character but with The Marvels there is a change. Carol finds herself with “sisters” on the ship: Monica, her niece-in-law who Marvel fans will remember from WandaVision. The character has acquired powers thanks to the Scarlet Witch’s magic but she is still immature, and inexperienced.

As is Kamala, the young Captain Marvel fan, whose dream of meeting her heroine finally becomes a reality. The character of Kamala, too weak to support a stand-alone TV series, develops in this film, bringing to the film that breath of freshness à la Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in Civil War. If Nia DaCosta manages to create harmony in terms of character characterization, on the plot side of The Marvels there are some things that don’t work. 

In fact, there seems to be an evident cut and sew in terms of editing which does not appear very clean on the big screen. There is a big difference with the previous Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by James Gunn. But DaCosta takes the character of Carol Danvers to another level on an emotional level, thanks to her strong female empowerment.

The Marvels, The future of the MCU:

The story of The Marvels therefore has a linear progression, which however is disrupted at the end by two key events that anticipate highly anticipated future developments of the franchise. There is in fact an important task to be managed, which will open the doors to new stories and characters. So far the MCU has sent winks to the viewer who in this chapter can finally begin to see the realization of a little dream. 

The Marvels therefore introduces a future narrative of what will come in the MCU which in its own way has already been anticipated in other films. However, all this now finds its first fulfillment with this new chapter. Having reached this point, the contamination between multiple universes was inevitable. While waiting to find out what that future will look like, however, Carol now has a new family, thanks to which she has understood that even together we can do wonderful things.