Carol Danvers is just as important as Captain Marvel, according to Kevin Feige

Kevin Feige has made it clear that Captain Marvel will be one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she will also have substance as a character.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Feige told Kyle Buchanan that after many months of consideration, he made a surprising choice by appointing Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to the female-led feature, Captain Marvel. The directing duo is only known for indie features such as Half Nelson, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, and Sugar, so why did Feige decide to go with them?

“For us, what Anna and Ryan have done so spectacularly well in all of their movies, albeit on a much smaller scale than they’re about to do, is create a singular character journey,” Feige told Buchanan. “The stories they’ve told have been so diverse, but regardless of the subject matter, they can dive into it and hone in on that character’s journey.” Clearly Feige wants to present a multi-faceted, layered version of Carol Danvers to his audience.

To me, this is a very cool move. Feige, and the rest of his production team for that matter, seem to care a lot about the creative integrity of this film. In a way, Marvel is trailblazing in Hollywood; with Wonder Woman set to release in June and then Captain Marvel in 2019, they’re building a canon of substantive female superheroes together with DC. It makes sense that Feige would want a directing team like Boden and Fleck — and it seems appropriate (and maybe even necessary) that half of that team is female.

Feige’s directorial pick isn’t totally out of left field. CBR pointed out that in the past, Marvel Studios have appointed a fair amount of “first-timers” to their big-budget projects, including Joss Whedon and the Russo brothers. Before their first Marvel films, none of these directors had experience directing anything of that magnitude. Same goes for Taika Waititi, who is the director of the upcoming feature Thor: Ragnarok. So it seems that Marvel and Feige have this selection process down to a pretty specific formula, which is basically to put faith in the talented underdogs.

Next: Marvel Cinematic Universe Has An Uncertain Future, According To Kevin Feige

Captain Marvel will star Brie Larson in the titular role.

The film is due to be released on March 8, 2019.