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Captain Marvel is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). There is no doubt about this, as she's shown immense power in both her solo film as well as in Avengers: Endgame. Her entry in the latter makes the turn of the tide in the war against Thanos, as she destroys Thanos' ship and even overpowers him.
The character is played by Brie Larson, who has starred in other popular films and TV shows such as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 21 Jump Street, and Community. Sadly, her appearance at the MCU isn't all that well-loved by fans. In fact, there are many who straight-up dislike her portrayal as a superhero.
In a recent interview with Variety at the D23 Expo, Brie Larson was asked how long she'd play the role of Captain Marvel. She asked, "I don't know. Does anyone want me to do it again?" before saying that she doesn't have an answer for that.
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Disclaimer: This article contains the opinions of the author and may vary from your own.
Reasons behind fan's dislike of Captain Marvel
1. The fans think it's over-politicized
Captain Marvel, in its essence, is a political film. Carol Danvers begins as Vers, who is in training under Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). She is on the planet Hela, inhabited by the Krees, who are at war with the Skrulls. Haunted by the memories of her past, which she doesn't remember, Danvers goes through a journey that reveals the truth about herself and the Kree.
With two different alien races at war, fans are of the opinion that Marvel is slowly making their content about political commentary. There is nothing wrong with political commentary, as evidenced by Black Panther (2018). However, the movie was blatant about it, which is something fans do not like.
2. Overstating her strength
Captain Marvel's character is strong, and by that, we mean really strong. She's one of the many Marvel characters who could slug it out with Superman, and may even emerge victorious.
Sadly, Captain Marvel became the poster child for the Strongest Avenger yet, which overlooks other Avengers like The Hulk or Thor. It would have been much better had Captain Marvel been initiated early on so that fans had a chance to connect with her character. However, fans don't like it one bit when they're told what to think, not shown.
3. The timing of Captain Marvel's release
Captain Marvel came out in 2019, right after Avengers: Infinity War. It was a movie well-received by critics and even drove home $1 billion at the box office. However, the impact of its release gets significantly limited when compared to the massive scope of Infinity War and Endgame.
Being released between two huge blockbusters didn't give it a lot of time to establish her saga as her own. The movie also served as her backstory, which seemed like a case of fan service necessary to make her character less alienated than the rest of the Avengers.
4. Her character doesn't face drastic emotional growth
Carol Danvers does come off as an immensely strong Avenger, but as far as her character is written, it doesn't offer a lot of room for any growth. Her backstory is limited, and in terms of her moral and ethical development, she doesn't experience a strong evolution.
After learning that the Skrulls couldn't save their home planet Skrullos from the Kree, she turned to helping them find a new planet. She puts a stop to Ronin's attack and sends him back to Hala.
Sure, she discovered her true powers and origins as she was freed from the spell of retrograde amnesia, but how does that change her? We have little to know in that department.
5. Fans don't think Captain Marvel experienced her fair share of misery
Misery for the Avengers is pretty standard.
For Steve Rogers, it was to be a nobody who eventually became Captain America, and despite that, still lost his best friend and sacrificed himself to save everyone. Thor has seen a lot more misery than any other Avenger on the team, having lost his father, mother, brother, Loki, and all of Asgard.
These tropes build sympathy and respect for the characters, who learn through the difficulties that they've been given a gift. There is very little humility visible in Danvers, who pretty much always steps in to save the day.
Again, it's not her fault, but more of an issue with how her story is told. Given the time needed to prepare her story, Captain Marvel could prevail as one of the home-stay characters for the MCU.
6. Captain Marvel suffers from creative inattention
Going back to the fact that the film was released between Infinity War and Endgame, her story seems rushed. While it's true that we get to see the younger versions of Agent Coulsen, Nick Fury, and Ronin, we don't get to root for Danvers in her entirety. She serves more as a plot armor for Avengers: Endgame, and since then we know that the Avengers have a massive arsenal against Thanos.
Richard Brody of The New Yorker notes:
"Captain Marvel is like a political commercial—it packs a worthy message, but it hardly counts as an aesthetic experience."
Captain Marvel's character deserves much better treatment, and a story where she fights cosmic foes or world-ending threats might just give her that.
7. The movie is not as good as other MCU films
Captain Marvel is a good movie, but it's certainly not a Guardians of the Galaxy or Iron Man-level entertaining movie. As far as solo MCU films go, there are a lot of good examples of gripping storytelling that balances character growth and humor in the face of a world-ending adversary.
With the film, we don't get the satisfaction of either of the three. That's because it focuses solely on the character and her past. Only in the end do we see a callback to the circumstances of Earth. This could potentially be something that the future movies could focus on.
8. She is not as likable as other female characters in Marvel
Carol Danvers suffers from being put on a pedestal. She is definitely the strongest there is, as stated by Kevin Feige himself. However, Danvers is entirely without much of anything that can be relatable.
She's so strong that she takes on Thanos alone while others struggle. At the same time, we have a long list of female characters who we've come to like much more because of their struggles and humanity.
Again, it is not the character's fault. However, we believe that the MCU hasn't revealed more aspects of Captain Marvel that need to be there for fans to see. Hopefully, the sequel will serve as more background to the character.
Final thoughts
Captain Marvel is the definition of strength in the MCU. However, trolls have criticized her left and right, primarily because she comes off as arrogant and a bad fit among characters that they've known for years. There are others who hate her for completely irrational reasons.
The ball is in Marvel Studios' court, as what they decide to do with the character will determine if she prevails as a likable character in the future or not.
As Secret Invasion nears its release, there is a lot of potential for setting up a project for her. A sequel for the film is slated for February 17, 2023. With her comic origins and storylines being immensely complex and interesting, there is a lot of hope for the future of the cosmic superhero.
