We've entered a new dawn, and it is one that — in the words of Carol Danvers herself — is headed higher, further, faster. The production and release of Marvel's new film, "Captain Marvel," has captured the globe's attention, and for good reason. While critics whose opinions tend to gravitate on Larson's portrayal of the character or attribute their dislike of the film towards a woman playing a superhero, their voices are virtually unheard compared to the roar of women all over the world who see themselves in the titular heroine.
Personally, I believe "Captain Marvel" is a much-needed fresh of air, one that has not come since DC's "Wonder Woman" in 2017.
The inspiration and power that I felt once I had watched Diana Prince hold the stage in her very own movie was akin to none, and it gave me the motivation to see the world through a different lens. I needed more female-dominated movies, more female superheroes, more. "Captain Marvel" was just taking off as a fledgling film, and up until now, the only relief I felt from seeing women as heroes was in 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War," but only for a few scenes.
Now, things are much different. I join the masses of women all around the world, donning aviator sunglasses and powerful smiles, as we wait to see this amazing movie upon its release. "Captain Marvel" means something to us, something that men just don't understand. When all you've seen growing up is men as those saving the world, so of course people will view women as inferior—not to mention years upon years of explicit and implicit sexism and misogyny.
But seeing a woman save herself, save her loved ones, and save the world has power in and of itself.
Little girls will now grow up without question of what they can accomplish, what they can be. Seeing someone like you do great things makes it easier to believe in yourself. It turns the impossible feats of a fictional superhero into the everyday trials of a woman, and if the former can do it with strength and grace, so can you.
Carol Danvers joins both her league of superheroes, as well as the league of dozens of influential, inspirational female characters. She now stands alongside Diana, Wanda, Kara, Natasha, Okoye, Hermione, and Katniss, among so many other fictional women whose existence motivates girls and women everywhere to realize their true potential.
So as the world hurries to see the newest blockbuster Marvel film, women everywhere will turn their heads towards their dreams, towards the skies, and aim to go higher, further, faster.