3

During the film Captain Marvel, the character we know as Vers discovers she is actually

Carol Danvers

and worked with Mar-Vell

as a test pilot for her lightspeed craft.

Later on in the film she levels up and changes into the more recognisable Captain Marvel costume but to the best of my knowledge she's never referred to by the name Captain Marvel. She's either referred to as Vers or by her recently rediscovered name.

My assumption is that when Vers went from green to blue she became Captain Marvel but is that correct? Or does that name refer to Mar-Vell?

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    I did think perhaps her Air Force rank was captain, but I'm not sure whether that makes sense, and I don't think we see a reference to her rank in the movie.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 1, 2019 at 9:06

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
6

Quoting an interview that was included in a question earlier today...

The Captain Marvel scene was originally written by directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck as just another fun, funny appearance by the comics legend. But after his passing in November, the filmmakers felt compelled to update the sequence to acknowledge the "gravitas" of the moment.

"Instead of just the pure laugh we had, we had a little bit of a smile from Captain Marvel in response to it, and she kind of breaks character for a moment," Boden told me during an interview in Los Angeles last month. "I think it reflects a little bit of what the audience is feeling, and we allowed that to happen."

Mashable, How Stan Lee's 'Captain Marvel' cameo changed after his death

If the makers refer to her as Captain Marvel, then she is. Add to that the (more or less obvious) "adaptation" part, titular character almost always being the protagonist in superhero movies... Mar-Vell has a connection to it (at least in the comics, if memory serves), but Captain Marvel = Carol Danvers.

Improve this answer
6
  • 3
    Uhm, Stan doesn't refer to Carol as Captain Marvel in that scene, so that doesn't answer the question.
    – Klaus Æ. Mogensen
    Apr 1, 2019 at 7:59
  • @Klaus unsure what you mean? Stan doesn't speak, sure, but out-of-universe, the filmmakers refer to her as "Captain Marvel", unless I'm reading that sentence wrong. Carol did have that little smile.
    – Jenayah
    Apr 1, 2019 at 8:05
  • I think the question is asking from an in-universe perspective. All the other heroes are called by their out-of-universe-movie-title name in-universe.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 1, 2019 at 9:48
  • @PaulD.Waite sure, in-universe it's still be Carol, you know it and I know it, but as it hasn't been explicitly mentioned so far, I think that's the closest we have for the time being. I'm reasonably sure her name origin will be explained in Endgame
    – Jenayah
    Apr 1, 2019 at 9:56
  • 4
    @Martha: maybe. If I asked “Is there a character called “Captain Marvel” in the movie Captain Marvel”, I feel like that'd be an in-universe question. And I think that's what this question is essentially asking.
    – Paul D. Waite
    May 9, 2019 at 15:39
13

Yes, Carol Danvers, referred to as Vers by the Kree, is Captain Marvel and so is the titular character.

Marvel’s official website shows this:

CAROL DANVERS

CAPTAIN MARVEL
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

She is never referred to as Captain Marvel during the events of the film however.

Note that whilst it isn't explicit evidence Carol is first referred to as Captain Marvel on screen in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer.

Peter Parker: There’s got to be someone else you can use. What about Thor?

Nick Fury: Off world.

Peter Parker: Captain Marvel?

Maria Hill: Unavailable.

Spider-Man: Far From Home, Trailer 1

This changes slightly in the film and we get the following. Note that it is actually

Talos here and not Fury

though so that is why the dialogue is slightly different and the change makes sense.

Peter Parker: Sir, come on. There's gotta be someone else you can use. What about Thor?

Nick Fury: Off-world.

Peter Parker: Okay, umm... Doctor Strange?

Nick Fury: Unavailable.

Peter Parker: Captain Marvel!

Nick Fury: Don't invoke her name.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Improve this answer
4
  • That was my assumption but it seemed strange that she doesn't turn around and say "Call me X" at any point!
    – Liath
    Mar 29, 2019 at 17:32
  • 5
    @Liath A large majority of the MCU superheroes are never explicit about their names, Falcon, Winter Soldier, (Black Widow?)
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Mar 29, 2019 at 18:32
  • @azorahai the ones with movies named after them always go by the movie title names. The Winter Soldier is absolutely referred to as such in-universe, as is Black Widow.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Apr 1, 2019 at 9:49
  • 1
    @PaulD.Waite I'm not sure if Bucky would identify as "the Winter Soldier," but sure, swap him out for Scarlet Witch.
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Apr 1, 2019 at 16:13
1

In the original Marvel comic, Mar-Vell (who was a male captain of the Kree space force) took the hero name Captain Marvel on Earth. Carol Danvers was the security chief at a military site where Mar-Vell worked as a rocket engineer under the alias Walter Lawson. Later, Carol Danvers got superpowers from an exploding Kree device and assumed the hero identity Ms. Marvel. Much later, after Mar-Vell died, Carol took the name Captain Marvel and became the hero we saw in the movie.

In the movie, she is never called Captain Marvel, which bothered me. We are left to assume she takes the name in honor of the movie's Mar-vell, but it is never stated.

It would have been very easy to fix: Towards the end, when Carol says goodbye to Monica, she could have asked:
"If you're Lieutenant Trouble, what does that make me?"
"Captain Marvel!"
"I like that."

Improve this answer
3
  • I'm guessing the next Avengers movie will come up with an explanation for her name.
    – Jenayah
    Apr 1, 2019 at 7:57
  • Even so, it is a bit of an oversight to have a movie with a name that isn't mentioned in the movie.
    – Klaus Æ. Mogensen
    Apr 1, 2019 at 8:13
  • 4
    at least there's a scene where she explains to Fury that it's Mar-Vell, not Marvel, and he says something like "I think Marvel has a better ring to it".
    – ths
    Apr 1, 2019 at 8:31

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.