The Real-World Soldier That Inspired Captain Marvel's Kree Twist
20-02-2024
"Captain Marvel" was inspired by unique yet restrictive circumstances: as Marvel's Cinematic Universe's 21st entry and first female hero-led entry ever (despite years of backlog!). More so than other MCU movies before it, "Captain Marvel" faced an intricate brief, as one of its primary goals was introducing one of Marvel history's most prolific heroes at an inconvenient late point before "Avenger
: Endgame" brought closure of Infinity Saga continuity issues while simultaneously building her character history within an MCU setting while maintaining continuity issues of decades' duration!
Where was Carol Danvers when the Avengers faced off against an alien attack or assembled against Thanos for "Infinity War?" According to Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve's insider book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios", her absence presented numerous questions for them to address and answer -- or, rather, avoid. Their success forced Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve screenwriters Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve into crafting an intricate narrative surrounding this character.
Making "Captain Marvel" into a period piece seemed the ideal solution, according to Perlman: "Initially we considered setting it in the 1960s; however, because Hidden Figures was being released at that same time period." The writers explored an origin story set during both Y2K and in the mid '90s before opting for one focused around Captain Marvel in that time period - this allowed for him to serve as both Nick Fury's origin story as well as those belonging to other heroes without encountering potential crossover issues. Carol could only remain on Earth temporarily; her inevitability led to an exciting fish-out-of-water plot with Carol being adopted (and indoctrinated) into an alien race, followed by drawing inspiration for character motivations from real soldiers in her community.
Skrulls' Secret revealed
Marvel Studios Thanks to "Guardians of the Galaxy," alien species like the Kree were already well established when "Captain Marvel" arrived. Perlman played an instrumental role in developing that film - penning its initial iteration of script - which extended her influence across films like Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers in that latter film played Vers; an orphan foundling from Kree Starforce engaged in battle against shapeshifters called Skrulls for centuries upon centuries.
At first glance, "Captain Marvel" appears to cast Skrulls as its villains; fans of Marvel comics won't find that shocking, as these space invaders have long been an ongoing threat against Earth, orchestrating events as far-reaching as "Secret Invasion." For Perlman however, it was essential that Skrulls weren't actually the focus of her story: Ronan the Accuser from "Guardians of the Galaxy" briefly aligned himself with Thanos at one point! To reinforce that narrative it would take very little for them to turn imperial invaders against Carol while making her stronger overall while leaving her separate from her antagonistic counterpart. It would also allow viewers to feel that Perlman wanted her characters apart while keeping Carol separate from her peers within her genre!
Brie Larson made this goal more achievable; when Meg and Perlman first met her they were taken aback at her empathy; that encounter inspired Perlman and Meg to discuss empathy as a superpower, having seen that Brie gives so much.
Think: "Am I being accused of wrongdoing here?'"
Carol may at first find herself aligned with the Kree, as their customs and cultures are all she knows of. Once Carol becomes aware of their true nature - particularly their role in her amnesia - they don't hesitate to switch sides and fight alongside Skrull forces against them.
Carol's memory loss plays an integral part in selling the film's big twist. While its portrayal may appear exaggerated, Perlman drew inspiration from more realistic sources: his husband had once served in Afghanistan's War; as did Carol himself.
"My husband deployed right after 9/11, certain that he was fighting on behalf of good. Since there weren't any chemical weapons in Iraq at the time he deployed, this experience had an important influence on Captain Marvel - she believes she and her comrades are good when there may not actually be. That made this storyline especially poignant." "So this experience inspired the inclusion of that element."
Larson sells her internal struggle as best she can in "Captain Marvel," yet for all of Perlman and LeFauve's empathy towards Larson as an actor, there wasn't much displayed by Perlman and LeFauve's reviewers in "Captain Marvel." While Larson may present restrained performances that reflect her internal conflict well enough, as an overall film experience the film lacks nuance as intended; similar to some prior Marvel movies this one feels somewhat propaganda-y: critical of one imaginary fascistic force while being very pro military support towards another imagined fascist force while remaining sympathetic towards America military forces as whole.
Perlman and Le Fauve had quite an uphill task ahead of them, yet "Captain Marvel" managed to craft an engaging plotline worthy of its heroine despite some challenges along the way (hello "Secret Invasion") despite all those hurdles to success.