It has been a long time coming, but finally, the follow-up movie to 2019’s Captain Marvel is here: The Marvels. However, prepare to have your expectations blasted by some light beams because The Marvels isn’t a traditional sequel. Instead, it sees Monica Rambeau from WandaVison, Kamla Khan from Ms Marvel, and Carol Danvers sharing the spotlight.
That’s right, friends; the Marvel Cinematic Universe is trying something new with the upcoming Marvel movie, and fans have tons of questions ahead of The Marvels release date. Who is the new Marvel villain? Why are there three leads? And what can fans expect from the long-awaited sequel? Well, The Digital Fix sat down with The Marvels’ executive producer, Mary Livanos, to answer all your burning questions.
The Digital Fix: So, I’ve seen a clip of The Marvel’s, and so far, I’m really excited. One of the big things that a lot of fans really want to know, though, is about the new villain, Dar-Benn.
Dar-Benn is from the comics but was gender-swapped for this film. What new dimensions do you think this gender swap offers to the character that MCU fans haven’t seen before?
Mary Livanos: For sure! So, the character of Dar-Benn is a super deep cut from the comics. And really, we were just interested in casting the coolest person for the role possible, and Zawe Ashton is an incredible Dar-Benn. Really, one of my favorite days on set actually was Zawe as Dar-Benn addressing a whole crowd full of aliens before she really takes action. And it was like this incredible supervillain speech.
She was standing up on a hill, and I just had chills rolling down my spine. It was fun to totally geek out with director Nia DaCosta as well, who’s (she is wickedly cool), but she’s also a huge geek. So, it was a moment of total wish fulfillment.
And I think folks will really love Dar-Benn, the villain because Zawe Ashton is just a wild performer who brought tonnes of life and energy to it. And she really cared about how this character ties in with Captain Marvel and her past.
Speaking about huge geeks, we see Ms Marvel make a return in this film. I was so excited to see her, and I’m sure tonnes of fans are going to be too. Can you give us any hints about Ms Marvel’s MCU future? Any hints for Young Avengers?
Well, you know what’s great in this film is that Ms Marvel gets to be a part of a team for the first time. She’s been Jersey’s very own but singular superhero, and she could have only ever dreamed to be teamed up with Captain Marvel. It’s literally her dream.
But over the course of this film, she comes to understand the weight that heroism at this level carries. So, she comes away from the story with a lot of learning lessons and certainly is wiser for future installments. But what the future may hold, I can neither confirm nor deny anything, but I think the future is bright for her.
You mentioned something that I think is really exciting about The Marvels, which is the group dynamic. We rarely see multi-lead films besides the classic comic book groups like the Avengers and Guardians. So, what made you decide to do this three-lead approach with The Marvels instead of a traditional Captain Marvel sequel?
Well, this team-up has been in the works for an incredibly long time, really dating back to the development of Captain Marvel one, where it was a pointed decision to make Monica Rambeau the age that she was. This is because we always knew (with that story being in the past) that we wanted Monica as an adult to one day share the big screen with Carol Danvers once again.
And it’s wonderful because, through their relationship, we get to explore themes surrounding reconnection, which is really touching. And, of course, when the Ms. Marvel TV show began development, we knew that Ms. Marvel would have to be a part of the adventure as well because she is the perfect lens through which to talk about Captain Marvel as a hero. And then subsequently get to know Carol for the person that she is behind that moniker.
And also, what I love about the team-up of The Marvels is that you’re right. Outside of the Avengers, this is the first sort of crossover and team-up movie that we’ve had in the MCU. And that DNA is right from the comics, where crossovers and team-ups are total events, and this is an event movie.
The Marvels hits theatres on November 10, 2023. For more information on the new movie, check out our guides to The Marvels cast and everything you need to know about how to watch The Marvels.
We also have a handy article on how to watch all the Marvel movies in order, all the Marvel series ranked, and everything coming up in Marvel Phase 6. Finally, here are our lists of the best Marvel characters and all the information you need on Deadpool 3.