Before bidding adieu to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 3 with Avengers 4, we'll be turning the clock back to the 1990s for Captain Marvel. After decades of being a major player in the Marvel Comics universe, Carol Danvers is finally making her cinematic debut, making her the first MCU superheroine to lead her own movie. Brie Larson was cast as Carol back in summer 2016, and over the last few months, Captain Marvel has been assembling the rest of its cast. Originally that was supposed to include DeWanda Wise, but the She's Gotta Have It star was recently forced to depart, and now Marvel has reportedly tapped Still-Star Crossed star Lashana Lynch as her replacement.
Yesterday it was reported that due to scheduling conflicts with Season 2 of Netflix's She's Gotta Have It, DeWanda Wise had to exit Captain Marvel. Less than 24 hours later, THR has heard that Lashana Lynch is in final negotiations to take over Wise's mystery role. Lynch is arguably best known for playing Rosaline in the short-lived ABC series Still-Star Crossed. Her other TV credits include Atlantis and Crims, while on the movies side of things, she's appeared in Fast Girls, Powder Room and Brotherhood. So assuming a deal is finalized, Captain Marvel will become Lynch's biggest project yet.
With Captain Marvel entering the principal photography stage, ideally Marvel will officially announce the movie's cast soon, and with that reveal who the character is that Lashana Lynch is being eyed to play. Considering her close ties to Carol Danvers in the comics, I've suspected since DeWanda Wise was attached that this individual is Monica Rameau, who served as the Marvel universe's second Captain Marvel and later used the identities Photon, Pulsar and Spectrum. Assuming this is correct, since Captain Marvel is depicting Carol's origin story, I doubt we'll see Monica gain her own special abilities, but it's likely she'll still be an important supporting character.
Specific plot details for Captain Marvel haven't been revealed yet, but just like in the comics, the movie will see Carol Danvers being imbued with powers like super strength, flight and energy manipulation after her DNA is merged with that of an alien's during an accident. Upon becoming a superhero, Brie Larson's Carol will battle the shapeshifting Skrulls. The movie's cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson reprising Nick Fury (who will have both of his eyes), Jude Law as Walter Lawson/Mar-Vell and Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva. Ben Mendelsohn and Robert Kazinsky have also been cast in undisclosed roles, though Mendelsohn is rumored to be playing Kree villain Yon-Rogg.
Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, 2019, and Carol Danvers will return a few months later for Avengers 4. Don't forget to browse through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else the MCU has coming up.
