Anna Daniels
Marvel fans are particular about everything, but they’re especially particular about the hero that bears the company’s name: Captain Marvel. And they have some suggestions about how her character needs to change to make her sequel even better.
However, this line of argument is not an anti-Brie Larson screed, as many Captain Marvel arguments are. If anything, these fans would like to see the character be more like Larson seems to be in real life: upbeat and confident but not so icy and stern.
Brie Larson faces fan criticism
While fans cheered wildly when Brie Larson came on to the stage of Comic Con for the announcement that she would be Captain Marvel, other corners of fandom were skeptical if not outright disdainful. Larson was and is an acclaimed actress, having won an Academy Award for Room and proven she could handle a big-budget action movie in Kong: Skull Island, opposite Nick Fury, no less.
Regardless, some fans didn’t warm up to her, circulating unfounded rumors that the other Avengers cast members hated her. Fans also put forth more than one petition demanding that the role be recast And all this was happening even though the movie made over $1 billion at the box office. Larson herself professed to be unaware of the furor, saying she didn’t feel it was worth the time or energy to Google herself.
However, some corners of Reddit actually do support Larson, even while still hoping that her second movie will be even better than the first. And there is precedent for that in the MCU movies, which made improvements to their sequels.
Marvel sequels tend to be better than the first movies
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvHyk2ESFCI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
A Reddit thread asked the question, “What are certain qualities the Captain Marvel sequel would need in order to achieve what the Winter Soldier and Ragnarok did for Cap and Thor?” The question follows the general consensus that Winter Soldier was superior to The First Avenger and that Ragnarok was superior to Thor and Thor: The Dark World.
The topic starter writes, “Even though many people loved how Cap and Thor were handled in the first Avengers movie, they didn’t really become huge fan favorites til after their sequels: the Winter Soldier and Ragnarok really made them stand out.”
Fans largely agreed, suggesting a change of tone was in order: “Rather than going more cosmic like Ragnarok did, I think the Captain Marvel sequel would benefit from doubling down on the earth setting instead …IMO, the earth scenes were by far the superior part of the first film,” one fan said.
Fans want to see Carol Danvers brighten up
Fans have often said they found Larson’s portrayal of Captain Marvel to be too chilly and stern. This arguably comes close to the suggestions that she should smile more, a suggestion Larson herself shot down by pasting cheesy grins onto her male Marvel counterparts.
However, some fans argue that’s just it – they want to see Carol approach her mission with that kind of humor.
Another fan said, “I would say take the character down the comedic and a caring route which is a strength of Brie’s and downplay the cocky, Douchey side. It’s not one of Brie’s strengths.”
Another fan concurred, saying, “It seems kind of a waste to have this charming and goofy actress (I don’t care what her haters say) play such a snarky, dry character. Especially when most of the other main actors of the MCU are instead playing characters who are a lot like them. Captain Marvel needs to be more like Larson, is what I’m saying.”
It remains to be seen if and when Marvel and Larson might take up these suggestions. The script for the sequel is supposedly in the works, so look for Captain Marvel 2 in 2022 or 2023.
Written by: Cheat
