Once Marvel announced that Captain Marvel would indeed become a movie, the real question for some time related to which lucky lady would land the big role. Eventually, the honors went to Kong: Skull Island and Room actress Brie Larson. We've actually heard from Marvel regarding why Brie Larson was chosen for the role, but now Brie Larson herself has spoken out to explain why she felt Captain Marvel would be a good fit. Here's what the actress had to say.
I want to create this symbol of strength and humor for women that I really wish I had had growing up. It feels so valuable. We need to break through that glass ceiling -- women go to the theatre to see a movie with a male lead, and men will go see a film with a female lead. We're all equals here.
While Marvel was looking for someone who could be "very human and very relatable," Brie Larson herself was looking for a role that would put her in a position to be a heroine--in both the physical and mental sense. As Captain Marvel, she'll need to save the day on the big screen, but she'll simultaneously also be heading up the first big female-led Marvel standalone film, which is a big deal in many ways. While speaking with the Sunday Times, she revealed why it was so important for her to take the role, and the simple reason is mostly because she wishes the character would have been a reality when she was growing up. We've had plenty of other heroines in the Marvel Universe of course, from TV characters like Jessica Jones and Agent Peggy Carter to movie characters like Black Widow and Scarlet Witch. But Carol Danvers will be getting her own namesake movie, which hasn't happened in Marvel's earlier phases.
It's clear there is a market for female comic book characters. Some of the most engaging superheroes and villains are female on both the big and small screen right now. It's not as if Brie Larson will be the only woman paving the way for female roles in superhero films, but she's right to feel the role will be "valuable," for numerous reasons. More female representation as the leads in big budget films can only be a good thing for actresses and the moviegoing audiences who see those films.
We should note that DC Comic's Wonder Woman will be beating Captain Marvel to the box office. We'll be able to see a fully female-fronted movie when that film hits the schedule on June 2, 2017. Captain Marvel won't be too far behind, however. The Marvel movie is expected to hit the schedule on March 8, 2019. You can take a look at what else we know about the upcoming film with our full guide. In addition, you can take a look at all of the movies hitting the schedule soon with our full movies schedule.
