In March 2019, Captain Marvel — one of Marvel's strongest female characters — will be gracing theaters. Rumors had been spreading for a while that Brie Larson was going to take on the role, but now, it's officially confirmed. On Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con, Larson announced that she will be playing Captain Marvel. The character, also known as Carol Danvers, is an Air Force pilot who acquires superpowers from alien DNA.
Marvel confirmed the news in a tweet and Larson herself wrote "Call me Captain Marvel" in an Instagram post. This makes Larson the first female main character in a Marvel movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Marvel comic writer Kelly Sue DeConnick told Vanity Fair the character was "a woman with a military background, a feminist background.”
The Marvel franchise has received criticism in the past for its scant and often problematic representations of women. Hopefully, Captain Marvel will set the precedent for many female superheroes to come. Who knows? Once it proves kick-ass women can bring people to the box office, maybe that Black Widow movie Marvel producers have been talking about for years will finally come to fruition.
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