From Iron Man to Ant-Man, it’s become quite clear over the years that the Marvel Cinematic Universe favors introducing audiences to new superheroes through origin stories. Aside from a few exceptions here and there, nearly every introductory film in the Marvel Studios catalog has shown how the titular hero or heroes came to be exactly that, which, considering the studio’s success, has proven to be a very reliable format.
Cinema Blend recently got a chance to talk to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at a 15-minute IMAX preview screening of Doctor Strange and asked him how much/if Phase Three of the MCU will be focused on telling more origin stories as a way of meeting new characters. He answered, “[Black] Panther is not really an origin story, since we saw him already in Civil War. But his standalone certainly introduces you to 99% of his world that you never saw. And Captain Marvel is certainly an origin. It’s an origin story from the start.”
The confirmation that Captain Marvel is going to tell the titular character’s origin story was, for the most part, expected, considering how Carol Danvers has yet to be introduced into the MCU through a smaller part in a previous film, such as Black Panther and Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Additionally, if a poll was conducted today on how many audience members knew of Captain Marvel’s origin story, or even who Captain Marvel is for that matter, a vast majority, unsurprisingly, wouldn’t be able to tell you.
It’s no secret that superhero movie fans are beginning to tire of traditional origin stories, but at this point, Marvel is so skilled at crafting good ones that Feige and company should have no problem making Captain Marvel unique enough to get people in the theater. In fact, Doctor Strange is an origin story but the TV spots and trailers highlight its hypnotic visual effects just as much as the evolution of Stephen Strange from neurosurgeon to Sorceror Supreme. However, if anybody is still left with reservations about seeing more origin stories onscreen, perhaps 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2018’s Black Panther will be a better fit.
Captain Marvel will star Brie Larson as the titular superheroine and hit theaters on March 8th, 2019.
Originally published October 11, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
