Currently, the San Diego Comic Con has captured many Marvel and DC comic book and movie fans attention with their annual grandeur display of what these two mega companies have in store for fans over the next years. It fills my heart with joy when I log into social media and see the new trailers for different movies that these companies (specifically Marvel) will be releasing in the near future.
However, there has been one particular announcement from the Marvel side that could cement Marvel’s place as the top superhero movie producer for years to come. It was also an announcement that I was really ecstatic to see. Marvel has officially announced that Brie Larson, the recent Academy-Award winning actress from the movie "Room," would take on the role of Captain Marvel in the movie "Captain Marvel" in 2018. While it was a move that was rumored to happen for awhile now, the move has been received with overwhelming support and excitement from Marvel fans.
If you look closer at Marvel’s decision to cast Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, this is a decision that could extend Marvel’s reign as the top superhero film company for years to come. For one, casting Brie Larson as Captain Marvel was a brilliant move. This casting could have the same impact that Robert Downey Jr's casting of Iron Man did some years ago. For one thing, Brie Larson could give the main hero, Carol Danvers, a charisma that few Marvel characters can match. In fact, Larson could make Captain Marvel the superhero that shapes their upcoming phases around. Let’s face it, Downey Jr. has brought up many times how there won’t be anymore Iron Man movies. We don’t know what the future holds for that character. If Larson exceeds expectations, she could become the next face of a huge franchise.
However, the biggest reason why the casting of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel is important is because we will finally see a Marvel superhero movie with the lead actress as the main character and superhero. We have seen Marvel cast Scarlett Johannsen and Cobie Smulders as Black Widow and Maria Hill with prominent roles in the Marvel universe for many years. Yet, we haven’t seen Marvel create a movie with a female superhero as the lead. While there hasn’t been any issues with the male superhero based films, there hasn’t been a focus on allowing female superheroes to have their own feature (kinda shocked we haven’t seen a Black Widow film yet). With Brie Larson in the fold, we now know that a Captain Marvel movie will be a priority for the Marvel Studios (Marvel isn’t afraid to push back premiere dates for movies as they have done with the indefinitely delayed "Inhumans"). With DC focusing on bringing Wonder Woman to the big screen next June, it has been a vital step forward in gender equality to see both companies focusing on creating movies with female superheroes in the lead roles.
Marvel’s announcement of Brie Larson casting was a very big step in the right direction for their future. More importantly, Larson’s casting will be an important step for actresses who want to portray a superhero in their own movie. This gives Scarlett Johannsen and Cobie Smulders a chance to get a shot at their own movies. I know I, just like many of us, would pay to see that!
