MCU Phase 4 now has to fix Captain Marvel (after What If insults)
Captain Marvel returns in live action on The Marvels and MCU Phase 4 has to reaffirm why Carol Danvers is special after What If? made it ineffective.
Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 has to undo the damage done to Captain Marvel in Marvel's What If ...? After being portrayed by Alexandra Daniels in What If ... ?, the live-action version of Carol Danvers portrayed by Brie Larson will return in 2022's The Marvels after Captain Marvel's cameo in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. But considering how Captain Marvel was portrayed in What If ... Wonders and any other Phase 4 appearances will have to work hard to redeem Carol Danvers.
When Carol Danvers was introduced in 2019's Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige hailed her as the most powerful superhero in the MCU. Captain Marvel's origin story explained how he obtained his cosmic powers from the Space Infinity Stone and his heroic example in 1995 is what inspired Nick Fury (Samuel L. vs. Thanos (Josh Brolin), fans were hoping that Captain Marvel made a difference, but Danvers' role in Avengers: Endgame was surprisingly limited. Captain Marvel was off-screen for most of Endgame, appearing only at the beginning and end of the film. When Captain Marvel finally fought Against Thanos, she was not the one who put an end to the Mad Titan, although Danvers annihilated Thanos' spaceship and aided the Avengers towards their final victory.
However, Captain Marvel's role in What If ...? didn't exactly show the Cosmic Avenger in its best light. After Danvers made a brief cameo at the end of What If ...? Episode 3, fans finally got to see her in action in Episode 8, "What if ... Thor was an only child?" Captain Marvel's battle with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was highly entertaining as the two divine heroes crushed each other across the continents.
Still, Danvers was summoned to prevent Party Thor from inadvertently destroying Earth and she did not achieve her goal, although Carol explained that she held back using all of her powers. Instead, it was Thor's fear of his mother Frigga (Josette Eales) that ended what Captain Marvel couldn't. What if...? Episode 9 was an even more embarrassing performance by Captain Marvel, and Ultron (Ross Marquand) quickly annihilated it, who easily withstood his full power thanks to the Infinity Stones.
In the two What If ...? Cases, Captain Marvel was called in by her power and didn't get the job done. Rather, the limits of Carol Danvers were exposed; Thor proved Captain Marvel unworthy by driving his Mjolnir hammer into Carol's chest to easily subdue her, while Ultron only needed a few seconds to take his measure and completely destroy her. No appearance of Captain Marvel displayed any experience or wisdom he gained from spending decades traveling the universe, first with the Kree Starforce, and then as a solo superhero correcting mistakes in outer space.
Instead, what if ...? reduced Captain Marvel to someone who shows up in an emergency, throws punches, but doesn't actually win fights when he needs to or solves the problem at hand. In Captain Marvel, Carol easily outmaneuvered the Kree, but against beings of equal power like Thor and Ultron, Danvers did not pay off when there was a true world crisis. From What if ...? Demonstrating repeatedly that Captain Marvel's sheer power can become irrelevant, leaving fans wondering what it is that makes Captain Marvel special outside of his cosmic abilities. Even in Shang-Chi, Captain Marvel was baffled by the Ten Rings despite all her intergalactic knowledge and experience.
In The Marvels, Carol Danvers will be joined by Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), who adores Captain Marvel. It will be up to The Marvels (and any other surprise MCU Phase 4 appearances Carol Danvers makes) to rehabilitate Captain Marvel's image and reputation and prove that she is a hero who is truly worthy of Kamala's adulation. Until now, calling in two different versions of Captain Marvel to stop Multiversal's crises made her seem ineffective, thanks to What If ...? The main MCU must do better on Captain Marvel's part because what if ...? sadly she has turned the first female superhero to headline an MCU movie into a joke.
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