For all of the talk about the differences between Marvel and DC, the characters they have created over the years share several similarities that can not be overlooked. Quicksilver mirrors The Flash, for example. Green Arrow and Hawkeye have similar skill sets. Plastic Man might as well be Mister Fantastic. So as more Marvel superheroes come to the big screen, changes have to be made to their classic origin stories so that they don't come across as clones of something DC did... or even something Marvel did in an earlier movie.
Screenwriter Nicole Perlman has had her fingers in a few Marvel pots, serving as a script doctor on the original Thor and a co-writer on Guardians of the Galaxy. She will be working on the script for Brie Larson's Captain Marvel movie, due in theaters in 2019, and spoke about changes that they plan to make to the character's origin on the podcast Any Time, with Vin Forte. For those who don't know, Carol Danvers -- in the original comics -- receives her powers from an alien race known as The Kree. And it's very similar to how Green Lantern receives his powers from aliens in the DC universe. So, Perlman explains:
If you were just going to do a straight adaptation of the comics, her origin story is very similar to Green Lantern. And obviously, that's not what we want to do. There's a lot of reinvention that needs to happen. And also, she's her own person and she's a great character. We have to be aware of what's happened in other Marvel film, and makes sure that her particular storyline is unique and fun and also fits in within this world that's going on at the same time. It's a little bit of an interesting story gauntlet. It's been good to have a partner. It's been an incredible experience. If we can pull it off it could be an incredibly important but also really fun and kick-ass superhero film.
That's a legitimate problem with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not a huge problem, but a problem, nonetheless. By the time Captain Marvel arrives in theaters in 2019, it will be the 21st film in the overall MCU, so standing apart from the previous entries becomes a real challenge. A movie like Guardians of the Galaxy, for example, could distance itself from Iron Man and Captain America because it had a talking tree and an angry raccoon. Captain Marvel has innate similarities to heroes in the MCU, so Nicole Perlman and her soon-to-be-revealed director have to think outside the box to make Carol Danvers modern, relevant, and different from anything Marvel and DC already are attempting.
Listen to the entirety of the conversation with Nicole Perlman here. Captain Marvel is heading toward a March 8, 2019 release date, with the above lady in the leading role.
