Whether she's known by Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel or any of the identities in-between, Carol Danvers has been a major player in the Marvel Comics universe for decades, and soon she'll be prominent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. The Captain Marvel movie was announced back in late 2014 as part of the initial Phase Thee unveiling, and with Avengers: Infinity War having quickly teased Carol, we're less than a year away from turning the clock back to the 1990s and watching her origin story unfold similarly to how it did in the comics (back when Mar-Vell held the Captain Marvel mantle).
If Captain Marvel is anything like her other fellow major MCU heroes (Hulk being the exception), then it stands to reason that she won't only star in one standalone adventure. Following her appearances in Avengers 4, and assuming her first movie performs well, then Captain Marvel 2 will likely be released during Phase Four, and that may lead to Captain Marvel 3 someday. Assuming this all happens, then there will be plenty of opportunities to adapt Carol-related stories in the MCU, and we've gathered together six tales that could do well on the big screen.
In Pursuit Of Flight
If you're looking for stories to adapt for Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, one great place to start is when she first appeared in that guise. In 2012, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick kicked off her Captain Marvel comic book run, and the first six issues made up the "In Pursuit of Flight" collection. Among the stories that were included were a multi-issue arc where Carol crossed paths with the Banshee Squadron, a group of all-female civilian service pilots that have come from the past, who DeConnick described as "The Howling Commandos with lipstick." Time travel has rarely been explored in the MCU, so having Carol interact with a team of pilots from World War II (or, if the MCU wants to play around with timing, the Vietnam War or perhaps even from the '90s, where Brie Larson's Carol originally hailed from) would be cool, whether it be Carol going back in time or having the pilots come to her in the present day in this version.
The Enemy Within
Once Carol Danvers teams up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers 4, it seems reasonable to assume that she'll join the superhero team, or at the very least continue building a rapport with them. That can set the stage for an adaptation of "The Enemy Within" story which could be handled with a Captain America: Civil War-type approach, where Carol is the main protagonist, but other heroes play supporting roles. At the start of "The Enemy Within," Carol is still suffering from a brain tumor that prevents her from flying, and each time she used her other powers, her condition worsened. It turns out that not only is Yon-Rogg, one of Carol's oldest enemies, responsible for the tumor, he also times his attack on Earth as she's weakening, requiring the Avengers to get involved. Assuming Carol has to deal with any Kree adversaries in Captain Marvel, perhaps one of those enemies could return decades later in the sequel to plot a similar scheme.
Live Kree Or Die
If you're familiar with Carol Danvers' comic book history or have just been following with Captain Marvel updates, then you presumably know that the Kree are integral to her origin. If it wasn't for those aliens coming to Earth, Carol would never have gained superpowers, even though that was the result of an accident rather than intentional. However, like a lot of alien races in the Marvel universe, the Kree have given Earth a fair amount of trouble over the years, one of those times being in the story "Live Kree or Die," where the Kree Lunatic Legion decided to eliminate the human race, even if it meant sacrificing themselves. This was another story where Carol teamed up with other Marvel superheroes, but the story could be reworked so that either only she is the one fighting the Kree Lunatic Legion or she's working with someone with whom she has a closer bond, like Monica Rambeau. The Kree have stayed hidden from the general Earth population, but having these alien nutjobs attack could be a good way for humanity to learn of their existence.
Operation: Lightning Storm
In 2007, five years before she retired the Ms. Marvel mantle and became Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers was tasked by Tony Stark, who had recently become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to lead the Mighty Avengers team. Carol agreed on the condition that she could form a covert strike team that would handle super villains before they became Avengers-level threats. This led to Operation: Lightning Storm, which was given S.H.I.E.L.D.'s full resources and accomplished a lot before most of the team was killed by a Skrull impostor in the lead-up to "Secret Invasion." Not only would it be interesting to see Brie Larson's Carol working with S.H.I.E.L.D. or some other peacekeeping organization to deal with threats before they become too big to contain, but this story could be used to pave the way for a "Secret Invasion" adaptation, one of the few events that could be as compelling as Infinity War, albeit in a different way.
Higher, Further, Faster, More
Since Carol Danvers frequently travels out in the wider Marvel cosmos compared to most of her other Earth-based allies, another Captain Marvel movie could take a cue from Thor: Ragnarok and have Carol leaving Earth to adventure on another planet or two. The "Higher, Further, Faster, More" story saw Carol leaving Earth to escort an alien girl back to her home planet, but the mission grew more complicated when the superheroine not only found herself smack-dab in the middle of a conflict against the Galactic Alliance and Spartax (the latter of which is ruled by J'Son, Star-Lord's father in the comics), but learned she's connected to the individual responsible for the relocation of this girl's people. From what little we know about Captain Marvel, a good portion of it will be set on Earth, so for a sequel, it might be a good idea for Carol to get some distance from Earth (even though, for all we know, in the 20-25 years between Captain Marvel and Avengers 4, Carol's actually been operating elsewhere in the galaxy).
Operation: Galactic Storm
Here we have another story which isn't Carol Danvers-centric, but still featured her as one of the heroes. In "Operation: Galactic Storm," the Avengers intervened in the escalating war between the Kree and Shi'ar empires. Because the Shi'ar characters are primarily affiliated with the X-Men, that means the film rights for them currently rest at 20th Century Fox. Assuming Disney's purchase of Fox's entertainment holdings is finalized, then ideally by the time Captain Marvel 2 enters production, the Shi'ar will be available for them to use. If not, then there are other alien races that could be substituted in their place. In any case, like with an "The Enemy Within" adaptation, the cinematic version of "Operation: Galactic Storm" could have other superheroes appearing while Carol herself is the main draw.
