As expected, it seems as if Annette Bening is indeed going to be taking on the role of the Kree Supreme Intelligence in Captain Marvel. There's been speculation about this for quite some time now so it's really not a huge shock, but there's a surprising amount to unpack from the page that's been shared here.
It seems as if the Kree may be keeping Carol Danvers' powers in check with an implant, something which makes sense if they really are attempting to control the hero and stop her from remembering her past (the reason she's referred to as "Vers" here is because that's all that's left of her military dog tag, and based on the trailers, she doesn't find the "Carol Dan-" part until returning to Earth).
A human version of the Supreme Intelligence is certainly interesting but fans have to be hoping that we'll get to see the classic green head in the jar at some point, because the character's comic book appearance is extremely memorable and very cool indeed.
What do you guys think of this take on the Supreme Intelligence? Share your thoughts below.
For a recap of reveals from the Captain Marvel
set visits, hit the "View List" button!
The Basic Plot Of Captain Marvel
According to executive producer Jonathan Schwartz, "The movie starts with the Captain Marvel character already in outer space, already having superpowers and already fighting on the side of the Kree in the Kree-Skrull war."
Carol loves being a Kree and doesn't remember her time on Earth and it's fairly early on in the movie that Starforce is sent to an alien planet to fight the Skrulls, a mission which results in her being captured by the shapeshifters.
After she arrives on Earth (in a Blockbuster store), the "younger, two-eyed version of Agent Fury and the two of them together kind of have to stop the Skrull plot on Earth, and at the same time, get to the root of Carol’s past."
Expect A Similar Style Of Humour To Doctor Strange
Last night's new trailer made it clear that there will indeed be plenty of humour in Captain Marvel and Schwartz reveals that we should expect a similar sort of humour to what we saw in Doctor Strange. However, he promises that Carol will have a "unique voice."
Apparently, her voice isn't a "joke a minute, Rocket Raccoon Guardians of the Galaxy, which is super funny, and isn’t super grounded, kinda heavy as some of our other movies have been. I think it inhabits a place a lot like Doctor Strange that takes the movie and the stakes of the movie pretty seriously, but allows the characters to have fun within it."
That sounds like a solid balance and one which should work really well for fans of the character.
The Supreme Intelligence Will Appear
Jude Law's role wasn't revealed during the course of these set visits but the actor did at least confirm that the Supreme Intelligence will factor into proceedings, something long suspected by fans.
"Each of the Starforce, indeed each of the Kree warriors, has a particular relationship with the Supreme Intelligence, and my character has a very particular relationship with Supreme Intelligence which becomes revealed and is quite complex and ultimately very revealing of what it is that motivates."
Is Annette Bening playing the Supreme Intelligence? No one on set was willing to divulge her role either.
The Split Between Earth And Space
So far, we've seen a lot of both Earth and space in the trailers for Captain Marvel so how exactly does that play out in the movie itself? It sounds like we're getting something of an even mix.
"It’s more or less 50/50," Schwartz confirms. "The movie starts in space, gets to Earth relatively quickly and then goes back to space for kind of some of the third act. So it’s kind of space-Earth-space. There is a big Earth plot that ends up tying into a lot of our more cosmic goings on."
That's a very interesting tidbit and it's bound to have something to do with the Skrulls...
Will The Movie Adapt Secret Invasion?
Fans are hoping that Marvel Studios will adapt Secret Invasion during Phase 4 but will Captain Marvel borrow any elements from the Brian Michael Bendis penned storyline?
"Yes, we talked about Secret Invasion," Schwartz said. "I wouldn’t go into this movie saying, ‘Which one of these superheroes is a Skrull?’ Because Carol is more or less the first superhero to show up on Earth. But are we planting seeds for future movies? Always."
In other words, don't be surprised if at least one hero in the present day is secretly a Skrull imposter!
It's A Nick Fury Origin Story Too
Captain Marvel may be Carol Danvers' movie but it will also serve as a Nick Fury origin story. "It becomes a two-hander for parts of it," Schwartz reveals. "So, we sort of wanted to give the audience that kind of young Nick Fury origin story as you put it, and it’s all there. But hopefully in a way that complements Carol’s adventure too."
"We’re meeting Nick Fury at a very interesting time in his life. It’s kind of the mid 90s, the Cold War is over, the war on terror hasn’t begun yet. It’s a little bit of a slow period for worldwide espionage, and I think Fury is kind of wondering what his place in the world is, in a world where he feels maybe a little obsolete. And then aliens come down from outer space!"
Common sense says we'll see his journey to becoming Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a result of all this.
HYDRA Is Out There
While they won't play a huge role in the movie, Schwartz says that HYDRA is still lurking in the background during Captain Marvel because it was at this time they were still busy infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. "I wouldn’t go into this movie expecting a bit of Hydra plot, I think because the Skrulls kind of get to be their own thing. But if you remember your Marvel history, they’re definitely there."
Captain Marvel Is A 90s Action Movie
According to Schwartz, Captain Marvel is best compared to a 90s action movie and while he admits that it feels weird to refer to that as a "genre," it's the best possible way to describe this origin story.
"[If] you think about movies like RoboCop or Total Recall or Terminator 2 or Independence Day, I think there are common action movie threads that you can tease through those movies, which are what we’re trying to pick up on in this movie," he explains.
Interestingly, the movie's directors also name The French Connection as being one of their influences.
Why It's Set In The 90s
Talking of that decade, what led to Marvel Studios choosing to make Captain Marvel a prequel with a 90s setting? The decision was reportedly made fairly early on in the development process according to Schwartz and it was done in order to "let the character carve out her own space in the Cinematic Universe and give her a lot of thematic weight and significance to the Universe."
Expect To See All Of Captain Marvel's Powers Here
While you might think that Marvel Studios would hold something back for Avengers: Endgame, it's said that we can expect to see all of her powers on display by the time this adventure comes to an end.
"By the end of this movie we’ll have seen the full run of powers out of Carol," Schwartz promises. "You know, I think part of what made us excited about the character was that she was such a powerful character in the comic books and one of the most, if not the most powerful character in the MCU and seeing all that brought to bear is one of the big pleasures of the movie."
In other words, Thanos will be feeling the full brunt of her abilities this coming April...
How Much Of The Kree/Skrull War Will We See?
The Kree/Skrull War plays out over centuries in the Marvel Universe until The Avengers intervene so how much of that is going to make it to the big screen when Captain Marvel is released this March?
"You’ll see as much as is necessary to get Captain Marvel moving on her story," Schwartz confirms. "It’s a conflict that’s dealt with in a very real way, hopefully without overloading the audience with exposition which we never want to do. But I think the thrust of the movie is to get our characters into the action as quickly as we can and get that story moving."
With any luck, that means the war will actually continue to play out in the MCU in the present day.
The Role Played By Ronan The Accuser
Captain Marvel will obviously feature a younger version of Ronan the Accuser but what will he be getting up to during a movie that will also serve as an origin story for him?
"Just like it’s an earlier version of Nick Fury, it’s kind of an earlier version of Ronan who has not become the radical zealot that we saw in Guardians of the Galaxy," Schwartz says. "So he has his own station in Kree society on Hala, and has his own role to play in the Kree military that intersects with Starforce in an interesting way." In other words, we could see the start of the villain's downfall."
Why Didn't Nick Fury Use That Pager Before Now?
It wasn't until the end of Avengers: Infinity War that Nick Fury finally decided to bring Captain Marvel back to Earth but what took him so long, especially when the Earth was in peril so many times?
"I think it’s a combination of things," Schwartz ponders. "I think we will understand over the course of these movies why Fury makes the decisions that he does. He’s always a mysterious guy and he always has his own reasons, but hopefully we can clarify some of that for the audience."
If nothing else, we'll learn why she flees Earth and the reason she gives Nick that charged up pager.
Jude Law's Character HATES The Skrulls
"My character is somewhat judgmental and full of hatred of the Skrulls," Law reveals. "The Skrulls to the Krees really represent despicable manoeuvring and manipulation. The Skrulls have this way – they can simulate other people, they can turn into other things, and so it’s this idea of subterfuge that you’re not who you really are, whereas the Kree have a kind of purity about them."
Law also described a scene in which one of the members of Starforce is asked if they've ever been "simmed" by the Skrulls and his response is that he has and it led to him killing "himself."
What To Expect From Agent Coulson
So far, we've caught just the one glimpse of Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson and that was in the teaser trailer. So, what should we expect from this younger version of the fan-favourite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?
"We get to see Coulson in his first meeting with Nick Fury at a much younger age where the Kree aren’t even part of his vocabulary yet," is all Schwartz will say about what he'll be up to in the film.
Maria Rambeau's Relationship With Carol Danvers
Maria Rambeau is Carol's best friend in the movie and Lashana Lynch describes her character as a "fighter pilot, very strong, very bold, very in control of herself."
She has a sisterly relationship with Carol and her disappearance hits her hard. "She had to go through a lot of grief when Carol disappeared and then suddenly she’s back, and she has to kind of reverse that grief and make it work for this, picking up of a friendship, which is kind of strange but ends up really beautifully."
What About Monica Rambeau?
In the comics, Monica ends up being called Captain Marvel too but is there a heroic future in store for this version of the character?
"I hope there’s more story to tell with Monica," Schwartz teases. "Certainly the movie leaves it open for that stuff. I think one of the things that was really fun about the stories that came together and the Monica relationship and the Maria relationship with Carol was being able to kind of tell this story of female friendship, and intergenerational female friendships."
Goose Is A New Take On Chewie
Goose's name is indeed a reference to Top Gun and rather than being a separate cat to Chewie, this animal is actually a take on that one. This presumably closes the door to Chewie ever appearing down the line but stranger things have happened so we'll see...
Many thanks to Collider for the quotes used throughout this article!