The trailer for Captain Marvel finally debuted yesterday and as you might expect, it was full of amazing moments. Our first look at the 1990s-set action film gave us glimpses of younger S.H.I.E.L.D agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, the Starforce, Captain Marvel's incredible power and a Skrull in a granny skin suit taking a punch to the face. The trailer didn't give us much in the way of plot, nor did it show us much of Captain Marvel's space exploits, but what it did do was leave us wanting more.
The Captain Marvel trailer also did a great job of showing us two minutes worth of footage, while telling us almost nothing. There are a couple of things in the trailer that add something of a mysterious quality to proceedings and leave us with more questions than we had going in. Clues to some of these questions can be found in the comics, but you never know what sort of changes Marvel will make when adapting things for the big screen. So here are a few of the biggest questions we have about Captain Marvel after seeing the trailer.
What Happened To Her Memory?
Probably the most intriguing story revelation from the Captain Marvel trailer is that in the beginning, the hero will not remember her life on Earth. As with many things, this has roots in the comics. After her exposure to radiation from the Psyche-Magnitron machine, her mind split in two: Carol Danvers and Ms. Marvel. She would transform into Ms. Marvel when needed, and would awake after the fighting was done with no memory of what happened. In the film, it seems that they are retconning this and doing an amnesia-type story instead of the dual personalities. But based on the shot in the trailer where she has energy surging into her temples, it seems like her memory loss is not only the product of her transformation. There may be a deliberate attempt to keep her from remembering who she is. She doesn't appear to be struggling though, so perhaps she is being deceived about that procedure's true purpose.
How Does She Get Her Powers?
Like many non-mutant Marvel heroes, Carol Danvers wasn't born with her powers, and only gained them after an accident. In the comics, Carol is exposed to radiation from the Psyche-Magnitron machine, and her DNA is altered to that of a half-Kree/half-human hybrid when Mar-Vell (Jude Law) shields her from some of the radiation. This gives Carol her powers and judging by the trailer for Captain Marvel, it looks like an energy explosion of some nature will again be involved but the circumstances of this may be different. The Captain Marvel origin story has a lot of parallels to Hal Jordan's Green Lantern, so the film will be avoiding some of those similarities. Thus it seems likely that she doesn't have a previous relationship with Mar-Vell when she gains her powers. So it remains to be seen what exactly happens that puts her in this situation and if her exposure is an accident or intentional.
Why Is She Back On Earth?
We know that Carol Danvers has been gone from Earth, but just as interesting is why she's back. The trailer for Captain Marvel starts with a scene that I imagine is towards the very beginning of the film, with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) blown from her ship and crashing into a Blockbuster Video store. Given the nature of that arrival, I'm guessing that this homecoming wasn't planned. And her puzzled and lost look as she walks around Los Angeles makes it seem like not only did she not plan on coming here, but she may not be entirely sure where here is. Maybe she was on a Starforce mission, pursuing the Skrulls across the universe, and she ran afoul of a Skrull ship hiding in Earth's orbit? It could also be possible that she was sent specifically to Earth to root out the Skrull threat. Like many great heroes, it looks like she will be thrust into a situation that she wasn't expecting, and will have to triumph over the odds.
How Do Captain Marvel And Nick Fury Cross Paths?
We've gotten used to Nick Fury meeting with new heroes when we first meet them and it will be no different in Captain Marvel. But we don't yet know exactly how they cross paths. Nick Fury is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and he believes his best days are behind him and he's ready to hang it up. Yet, as you hear in the trailer, that changes when he meets Carol Danvers. So how does this meeting happen? Does someone call the authorities about a woman in weird clothes that fell from the sky and is exhibiting strange behavior? At least judging by the trailer, unlike Thor's first meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Marvel doesn't appear to be immediately arrested. That makes me think that maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. is investigating something seemingly routine, only for it to be anything but and Captain Marvel shows up, exposing the Skrulls in their midst and awakening Nick Fury to what is out there.
What Are The Skrulls Planning On Earth?
Captain Marvel is finally bringing one of the most notable cosmic races to the MCU with the Skrulls. These shape-shifting aliens have been at war with the Kree for ages but we don't yet know what exactly they are planning on Earth. The presence of the Skrulls makes you think of the Secret Invasion storyline and it's possible that this film plants the seeds for that to show up in a future Avengers movie. The trailer makes it clear that the Skrulls are on Earth and in disguise, but the question is why and what's the end goal. It could be that Earth is just a base of operations for both sides in their never-ending conflict. We know that Ben Mendelsohn's Skrull leader Talos has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., so maybe he is hoping to somehow use his position there for invasion purposes or to further the Skrull cause against the Kree.
