Who IS this Captain Marvel, Anyway?

[caption id="attachment_248437" align="aligncenter" width="713"] image via Marvel Studios/Marvel Comics[/caption] Well hello, everybody. It’s your favorite cameraman Daniel Dunston. (At least, I hope so -- I mean, you're my favorite reader). If you know me or have heard Matt talk on the radio about Hey Kentucky employees playing Dungeons and Dragons, then you know that I am, by all accounts, a huge nerd. I even have a podcast that cites as much. But now, all those years reading comics have paid off as pop culture and nerd culture are finally colliding. So I'm here today to help bridge the gap between the two and help you with a few questions you might have about Marvel’s newest superhero: Captain Marvel. Check out the trailer here. Captain Marvel is coming out March 8, 2019 and marks Marvel’s first solo film led by a female superhero. The movie is set during the 90’s and appears to focus on the Kree-Skrull War, with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, initially acting as part of Star Force before returning to Earth to meet up with Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. But what does any of this even mean? Let’s break it down. [caption id="attachment_248433" align="alignleft" width="336"] image via Marvel Studios/Entertainment Weekly[/caption] Who is Carol Danvers? Captain Marvel first appeared in comics in 1968 as an Air Force officer and security chief for a restricted military base. There she met and fell in love with Kree soldier Mar-Vell (get it?). And who are the Kree? An alien race that likes to fight other people and always think they’re right. They're like the Rick Pitino of alien species (though come to think of it … ). Remember the big blue guy in Guardians of the Galaxy? That’s a Kree, though they are not always blue. Sometimes they look like Jude Law or other attractive Hollywood actors. [caption id="attachment_248436" align="alignright" width="301"] image via Marvel Studios[/caption] While fighting against an alien invasion the pair was caught in the explosion of a magic space machine (THE PSYCHE-MAGNITRON!) which gave Danvers special powers.  She’s super-strong and can fly, survive in space, shoot lasers out of her hands and basically do whatever the story needs of her at the time. Think of her as Marvel’s Superman if he could potentially successfully open a movie. For a while, she went by the name Ms. Marvel, but in 2012 she received a major costume change and took on the mantle of Captain Marvel. [caption id="attachment_248439" align="alignnone" width="964"] image via Marvel Comics[/caption] The Captain Marvel movie already seems to be changing and mostly simplifying her origin. It would seem she is now half-Kree and half-human. So, her powers come from her alien DNA - I’m assuming, at least. Maybe there will be another exploding space machine that gives her her powers. Marvel is moving the story back to the 90s to give her room away from the other Avengers to develop on her own while also giving us a look at a younger Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. It should make for a cool story about an interesting character. But let’s answer the biggest burning question. Why did she punch this old lady? [caption id="attachment_248432" align="aligncenter" width="618"] image via Marvel Studios[/caption] Everyone who watched the trailer seems to be asking the same question: Why did Carol Danvers punch a sweet old lady? Did she really want that seat on the train?  Does she hate Werther’s Originals? Has she finally had enough guilt trips for not calling often enough? Probably not. The simple answer is that the old lady is probably an evil alien out to conquer Earth. Welcome to comics, where that’s the simple answer! [caption id="attachment_248434" align="alignright" width="315"] image via Marvel Studios/Entertainment Weekly[/caption] We already know the Skrulls are in the movie and they are fighting with the Kree, who Carol is fighting alongside (for at least part of the film). The Skrulls are green aliens who developed the ability to shapeshift in order to hide the fact they have weird bumpy chins. I mean, there might have been another reason, but I like to think I’m right. Their pattern tends to be: infiltrate a planet in disguise, assess the danger, then strike. If they have moved their fight to Earth, Carol might have recognized the threat and tried to take out the Skrull disguised as an old lady on a train. Now, whether her other train guests will approve of this remains to be seen -- but I believe the movie will give Carol a good reason to attack the elderly. [caption id="attachment_248440" align="alignnone" width="1200"] image via Marvel Studios[/caption] Marvel is putting a lot of faith in the success of this film. Captain Marvel will be the final movie before the next Avengers film and the post credits scene for Avengers Infinity War showed that she would play a big part in stopping Thanos. She is one of the few characters left in the MCU who could potentially go toe-to-toe with the Mad Titan.  [caption id="attachment_248441" align="alignright" width="175"] image via Marvel Comics[/caption] Personally, I'm excited to see this character finally hit the big screen and potentially open the door for even more of Marvel’s more cosmic heroes to enter into the Cinematic Universe. And if you're interested in reading up on her adventures before March 8, I might suggest Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight by Kelly Sue DeConnick. It’s the story line that establishes Carol Danvers’ new identity as Captain Marvel. Check it out. It's a good read. For now, I suppose I'll venture off until the next time a comic character needs to be explained. Have someone in mind, or more questions about who Captain Marvel is? Send them my way on twitter @DanielDunston. Until next time, have a great day and try to make sure any elderly you punch are definitely menacing shape-shifting aliens. Otherwise, things are just gonna get awkward. Trust me.