The Marvels arrives this fall from Marvel Studios, and this week, Entertainment Weekly had a behind-the-scenes cover story on the film. All three leads, Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani, were interviewed. Not to mention Marvel Studios’ Man of the Hour, Samuel L. Jackson, fresh of Secret Invasion, and director Nia DaCosta. And of course, so some juicy tidbits were shared. Not to mention several newly seen photos from The Marvels, which you can check out below. Note: These interviews occurred before the current SAG-AFTRA strike.
So what are the big takeaways from Entertainment Weekly‘s piece on The Marvels? Well, for starters, this should erase any doubts that Nick Fury might not survive Secret Invasion, or retire quietly due to the events of the show. Unless The Marvels is a stealth prequel, which is possible, it looks like Fury will be back to his old self (and maybe in his old job) by the time The Marvels hits theaters.
But that doesn’t mean that he and Carol Danvers are talking much these days. According to Samuel L. Jackson, “He’s been calling her, and she’s off in galaxies far, far away. She’s like, ‘Fury, why are you calling me? I told you not to use this [number].’ He’s like, ‘You gave it to me, so I’m gonna use it. And I’m calling you because I need your help!” Carol, meanwhile, has been spending all her time post-Endgame far away from Earth. It seems she really doesn’t like visiting home often.
The Marvels will of course be a reunion between Monica Rambeau and Carol Danvers. Carol last saw Monica as a child in the ’90s, and she was her “Auntie Carol.” But Monica’s reaction to hearing Carol’s name in WandaVision suggested that there was tension in the family. According to Teyonah Parris, that still seems to be the case. She said “Carol is such a huge part of Monica’s life in Captain Marvel. When we see her [as an adult] in WandaVision, you get a sense that she has not talked to Carol in a very long time. So, we have to address the elephant in the room.”
Perhaps the most fun fact we learned, at least for Marvel Comics fans, is that the “location swapping” across space is a nod to the original Captain Marvel comics of the ’60s and ’70s. Back then, Captain Marvel, a.k.a. the Kree hero Mar-Vell, would switch places with teenager Rick Jones using Kree bracelets called Nega-Bands. Hmmm, those sound a lot like what Kamala Khan wears in Ms. Marvel. Rick Jones, who served as sidekick to the Hulk, Captain America, and others, has never popped up in the MCU. If he ever does, it will likely be in another project. Because it seems Ms. Marvel now has his function in terms of the Captain Marvel mythology.
Speaking of Ms. Marvel, the actress who portrays her, Iman Vellani, is well known as a true blue comics nerd. And now a comics writer too. She’s definitely more of a fangirl than her co-stars. But it turns out, director Nia DaCosta is also a huge Marvel Comics nerd. And in particular, she’s a fan of the character of Kamala Khan. She said “I’m a big nerd from New York City, and here was this hero who was a big nerd from Jersey City, writing fan fiction the way I used to when I was that age. It was really fun to feel close to that character in that really specific way, in a way you don’t often feel when it’s Iron Man or Thor.”
The Marvels hits theaters on November 10, 2023.