Over the past couple of years, one of the biggest questions in Hollywood has been who would finally be cast as Captain Marvel. In that time, it seems that nearly every woman capable of throwing a punch was rumored as being interested, or considered, for the iconic role. The rumors finally came to an end on Saturday, when Marvel officially announced at San Diego Comic Con that Brie Larson had been chosen, and she took her place amongst the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's various players.
While Brie Larson's name was the most recent one attached to Captain Marvel, it was also the best possible choice they could have made. While I for one will always wonder what an Emily Blunt cast Captain Marvel could have looked like, Brie Larson is all the things that the actress playing the part needs to be. Not only is Larson the best choice now, she's the best choice for the long-term success of the character, and possibly the entire MCU. Here's why.
She's A Versatile Actress
The more Marvel movies we get, the wider a net they cast. For every Captain America spy thriller, there's an Ant-Man heist comedy. Marvel movies are covering a lot more ground than they used to. Luckily, Brie Larson knows exactly how to do it all. We don't really know what sort of character the MCU version of Carol Danvers will be, but it doesn't matter. We don't necessarily expect Captain Marvel to be a Guardians of the Galaxy style comedy, but if it is, she can pull it off. We've seen her act funny in movies like Trainwreck, and on TV in places like Community. Not to mention, she won an Oscar for her performance Room, in a role much more dramatic that anything Marvel has ever done. So if the filmmakers want a more serious story, she can handle that as well.
She's Not An Action Star, So No Baggage
There is one genre of movie that we haven't seen Brie Larson in, and that's the blockbuster action movie. Most of the names that had previously been attached to the Captain Marvel role were women who had a history in action movies, like Emily Blunt or Charlize Theron. Even UFC fighter Ronda Rousey was rumored to be up for consideration at one point. Larson may appear to be the underdog, but just because she hasn't done action, doesn't mean she can't. Every actor has a first chance to make an impression in the action genre, and there will be few expectations, and zero comparisons for Brie Larson to deal with. This means she won't need to live up to unreasonable performance goals, so if she's good, she'll look great. If she's great, however, she'll be the new star of the MCU.
Captain Marvel Is Important To The MCU, It Needs A Quality Actress
Captain Marvel is going to a major movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a number of reasons. First off, it will be the first female lead Marvel movie. Coming two years after DC's Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel is already going to have overcome a feeling of "too little, too late." If it's not great, Marvel is going to have a lot to answer for. In addition, we have a sneaking suspicion that the character of Captain Marvel is going to be a key one in the MCU going forward. With the movie being released in between the two parts of what we still call The Avengers: Infinity War, we'd guess that Carol Danvers is going to be the one that puts the Avengers over the top and brings them into the battle against Thanos, setting her up as a potential lead character after many of Marvel's current contracts expire. That's a lot to potentially put on Brie Larson's shoulders, but we think she can handle it.
By 2019 She's Going To Be A Superstar, So Lock Her Up Now
Prior to her Oscar win earlier this year, Brie Larson was not a household name. However, whether or not she took home the Oscar, that always seemed like it was going to change. She had already turned heads in her performance in the independent film, Short Term 12, and now she'll be appearing in next summer's Kong: Skull Island. She's also been considered for such roles as Sarah Conner in the most recent Terminator film, as well as Billie Jean King in the upcoming Battle of the Sexes. If there's a strong female lead role being cast, Brie Larson is already on the short list. She's only going to be in more and more demand as time goes on. By the time Captain Marvel comes along in 2019, the whole world is going to know, and probably love, Brie Larson. A year from now she's not going to have the time to add major franchises to her schedule, so they signed her just in time.
She's Hot Off Her Oscar Win
Brie Larson is going to be an even bigger star in a couple years, but winning the most prestigious award in your field gives you a pretty big jump from the moment they announce your name. She's the most recent winner of the Best Actress Academy Award, so obviously she can have her pick of movies, and she picked Captain Marvel. This is both a sign of how strong Marvel Studios is becoming, and it's also a message to anybody else in Hollywood who might think they're too good to make superhero movies. That message being, of course, that anybody can do it. This is a win for everybody. Marvel gets the prestige of an Oscar winner and Larson gets the fan support, and the paycheck, that goes with blockbuster movies.
