The Marvels Director On Balancing Captain Marvel’s Screen Time With The Other Two Heroes

Captain Marvel in Avengers: Endgame
(Image credit: Disney)

We’re currently knee-deep into Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the franchise expanding on both the small and silver screens. One of the highly anticipated projects currently in the works is Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, which will unite Captain Marvel with two more heroes. And DaCosta recently spoke to balancing Brie Larson’s screen time with her new teammates.

The Marvels will serve as the sequel to Captain Marvel, and therefore features Brie Larson in the leading role. But she’ll be joined by WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan/ Ms. Marvel. Director Nia DaCosta was asked about what it’s like to balance this trio of female heroes, saying:

It's interesting, and something we thought about and worked through a lot, which was how do we get each of these really big, exciting heroes space in a two-hour film. Captain Marvel has a history from the first film, Kamala will have her Ms. Marvel show, and Monica Rambeau, we've only seen her a little bit in WandaVision. A lot of what we've been thinking about is what part of the journey do we need to see for each of them? How do we honor the part of the story they're at in terms of the canon, while also within our story making them equal?

Well, I’m intrigued. It definitely sounds like The Marvels will be more of an ensemble project, and will help flesh out all three characters. And luckily Nia DaCosta methodically mapped out the best way to service each of those Marvel comics icons.

Nia DaCosta’s comments to Inverse show what care and specificity the Candyman director is bringing to her MCU debut, The Marvels. It’s definitely trickier than a more traditional sequel, which would still give Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel the spotlight. This time focus is being shared, and I can’t wait to see how the trio of superpowered ladies ultimately interact with each other in the mysterious project.

While audiences haven’t met Ms. Marvel since her Disney+ series hasn’t premiered, there’s definitely an investment in the other two heroes from The Marvels. Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeu share a history, as we saw in the first Captain Marvel movie. Adult Monica debuted in WandaVision played by Teyonah Parris, and fans have been curious to see her reunite with Carol. What exactly is their relationship like nowadays?

Information about The Marvels is very limited, but the cast has been getting in shape, and already praising the work of filmmaker Nia DaCosta. There’s no telling where the story might go, but smart money says it’s going to be a cosmic story. There’s so much of Captain Marvel’s history that remains a mystery to the fandom, so hopefully this will help peel back some of those layers.

The Marvels is currently expected to arrive in theaters on February 17th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.