Here’s what The Marvels means to its fans (Part Two)

In Part One of this series, I presented the theory that there’s just something unique about The Marvels, which has led to this movie having already generated an especially earnest and committed fanbase (of which I am most certainly a part!), even before any of us have ever seen the movie.

I then devoted the rest of that article to sharing the perspectives of three fans who were gracious enough to agree to take part in this project, to provide real-life examples of why this movie matters so much to all of us.

Something I failed to do in that first article, however, was actually explain why I myself am so dedicated to this film! So, before I introduce the remaining contributors here in Part Two of this fan compilation series, I figured I should share some of my own answers to the questions I asked everyone else.

As a belated introduction of sorts – hi, my name’s Jill. I like to think of myself as a Marvel fan first, and a functional adult second! But really, I’m a veterinarian/writer who lives in Canada and is arguably far too emotionally invested in these characters and these stories for my own good, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

In terms of when my MCU fandom began, my father told me about the concept of The Avengers sometime between 2008 and its release in 2012, and I distinctly remember thinking that there was basically no way such a team-up would actually end up happening… Fast forward a few years, during which I developed what could be considered a moderate degree of investment in the MCU, until May of 2016, when Captain America: Civil War (my favorite MCU film…for now) came out and changed my life. Ever since then, I’ve made it my mission to always see every new MCU project as soon as humanly possible, and I’ve never looked back.

My interest in The Marvels can actually be traced back to one very specific date – February 5th, 2021. This is the day the fifth episode of WandaVision aired, and with it, the very first indication that there was somehow beef that had developed between Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau since we’d last seen them interact in the 90s (in 2019’s Captain Marvel). Because of this moment, I can honestly say I’ve been extremely excited about this movie ever since. This only got more intense after the D23 Expo in September of 2022, when the first convention-exclusive footage was shown to attendees and the movie finally received a basic premise/plot summary (the whole swapping-places-when-they-use-their-powers thing). At this point, I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with this movie!

When I try to put into words what this movie means to me, I guess I’d say this – in simplest terms, this movie proves that there’s space for someone like me in this fandom, and, in a more meta sense as a writer, in this industry. It’s incredibly inspiring to see a massive superhero blockbuster from an even more massive studio with the majority of those in front of and behind the camera being women. That just doesn’t happen – except it is happening, right now, with The Marvels. Most days, I still can’t fully believe it.

On top of this, on a storytelling level, The Marvels is just exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I love crossovers and callbacks and meaningful team-ups, and as I mentioned above, the animosity between Carol and Monica is my most-anticipated unresolved plot thread since the Infinity Saga ended in 2019. Also, the main storylines converging here in this movie just so happen to be from some of my all-time favorite projects in the MCU (WandaVision and Ms. Marvel are my two favorite Disney+ shows), Kamala Khan is the closest I’ve ever felt to being represented on screen (in terms of personality and just generally how she exists in the world), and the swapping-places premise just sounds incredibly fun and right up my alley as a moviegoer.

And as for my wish list for this movie? More than anything, I would love to see an emotionally charged, truly earned moment of reconciliation between Carol and Monica late in the movie. As well, it’d be great to have some fun or sweet little instances of bonding between Monica and Kamala, since I feel like this relationship is the one we know the least about heading into this movie. And finally, I would personally love for a cameo appearance from Jimmy Woo or Darcy Lewis, just to establish one more point of connection between this film and Monica’s adventures in WandaVision.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s hear from our next fan!

Ava Simone (they/she) is a 20-year-old film student. They’re studying screenwriting and have a deep love for film and TV. Ava has been a fan of the MCU for four-and-a-half years at this point and has been anticipating The Marvels since the day it was announced.

When asked what’s made The Marvels so special to them, Ava had this to say:

"“Oh man, where to begin. I grew up an MCU kid because my parents were into it. So, I’ve always had a peripheral knowledge of the movies. It wasn’t until March 2019, when Captain Marvel came out, that I became deeply invested. I will never forget being 15 years old sitting in that movie theatre and feeling my entire perspective on myself begin to shift. I felt seen and powerful and worthy of love. It was one of the first times a movie had connected so strongly with me. I’ve seen it an ungodly amount of times since then, and have naturally fallen in love with the characters of Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau. Their relationship is my favorite part of the movie.A close second is the dynamic between Carol and Monica Rambeau, Maria’s daughter. I’ve always found immense comfort in mother/daughter dynamics in media, especially if they’re not typical. So when the sequel was announced and I found out that Carol and Monica’s relationship would be a major plot point, I was overjoyed. Then Ms. Marvel came out, and I, alongside so many others, fell in love with Kamala Khan. To have a film centred around three characters that I adore and be able to watch grow and learn together is quite literally my dream. Things like this happen far too little, so I am eager to cherish it.”"

In terms of something specific that Ava would personally love to see play out in this movie, she shared one singular wish:

"“The number one thing on my wish list is the canonization of Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau’s romantic relationship.”"

The last fan we’re hearing from in this series is Sofia (@sofiasmarvel on Twitter/X) – she’s a big Marvel fan who loves movies and pop culture, and she’s also a musician who plays guitar and the piano. Sofia became part of the Marvel fandom in preparation for the 2019 release of Avengers: Endgame, when her family watched all the MCU movies in chronological order that would lead up to that film, and she became attached to the characters along the way. It was Marvel’s first 2019 movie, however, that really solidified her investment in this franchise.

"“I think the time I really considered myself a TRUE fan of the MCU was when I first saw Captain Marvel in theatres, and that was only about four years ago. To this day, the film will forever be one of my favourites, and Captain Marvel remains an inspiration and a role model to me in my everyday life. After this, I became even more invested in the MCU and Marvel films in general, and it only got higher from there. About 1-2 years ago, I found my way to Twitter, where I was able to talk about these conversations with others who also shared the same interests as me and who loved all these characters.”"

Sofia’s interest in The Marvels was already present all the way back when the sequel still had its placeholder title of Captain Marvel 2. In her words:

"“I was immediately excited to be seeing one of my favorite characters on screen again. Then when the cast list got revealed, I was even more excited. After watching WandaVision, Monica Rambeau was a character I really enjoyed, and seeing more of her story was something I was looking forward to. Also, at the time, I wasn’t aware of who Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel was since I’ve never read any of the comics. However, when the Ms. Marvel show came out, it instantly became one of my favourite Disney + shows. She is such a funny and lovable character who is pretty much like all us fans, obsessed with superheroes (as well as her favorite superhero being Captain Marvel, which made me love her even more). Kamala became one of my favourite characters alongside Carol Danvers, and knowing that she was going to be playing in The Marvels was a highlight for me. Ever since then, my level of excitement skyrocketed, and finally, after around two years of waiting for this movie, it is finally almost here!”"

In terms of clarifying how and why this movie is important to her, Sofia cut right to the chase:

"“This movie means everything to me. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a film to release in years. These characters mean the world to me and they are characters I can relate to in my everyday life. I’ve become so emotionally invested that I don’t want anything bad to happen to them. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani have become three of my favourite actresses who I’ve basically become obsessed with. Just hearing someone talk positively about this movie or these actresses puts a smile on my face because it makes me feel like I’m not alone and that there are other people who feel the same as I do.”"

She then further elaborated on the significance of this film on the grander scale:

"“What’s so special about this movie is that The Marvels is a team of three incredibly bada** women from diverse backgrounds who all have their own story to be told and they must come together in order to save the universe. This movie is an inspiration to so many people around the world, especially for young girls who look up to these characters and feel like they finally have a chance to be seen and have a voice as they are being represented on screen. This movie marks the beginning of so many new possibilities and the growth/change these characters will experience along the way.”"

Sofia is particularly excited to experience the dynamic between this movie’s main trio, citing the chemistry between these characters (as already seen in the trailer footage released thus far), as well as the camaraderie between the real-life women that portray these three heroes (Larson, Parris, and Vellani, as stated above, unfortunately, have been unable to embark on a traditional press tour for this movie due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike).

When describing the complex relationships that Carol, Monica, and Kamala all have with each other, and how these will enhance the film, Sofia explained:

"“As we all know, in the first movie, Monica Rambeau (who was only a child then) looked up to Carol Danvers as her hero; a role model. However, when Carol left, she was gone for almost 30 years, and as far as we know, she might have never seen her again during this time. So when they finally see each other again after so many years, Monica feels a sort of resentment towards her. Then, we have Kamala, who absolutely adores and loves Carol as her favourite superhero, who she wishes she could be like. I am so eager to see how these interactions will play out between the three girls on the big screen.”"

Sofia’s final item on her wish list for The Marvels concerns an essential element of the story that has been largely kept hidden from audiences in the lead-up to this movie’s release – the emotional resonance. This sequel has been intentionally marketed as a zany, lighthearted space adventure, but to those of us who have been paying attention to what director/co-writer Nia DaCosta has been saying about her upcoming movie, the underlying emotional beats are poised to be the true foundation of The Marvels.

"“I’m hoping to see a scene where Monica confronts Carol about why she left and what was her reasoning for doing so. Emotional scenes in movies are always some of my favourites as they give so much more depth and character development to these characters. And I’m most looking forward to seeing how Carol will react to this and her side of the story.”"

It’s clear Sofia is not alone in this desire – we’ve all been waiting for an entire phase of new MCU projects to properly check back in with the strongest Avenger and hear her take on the events of the last 30 years in the main Marvel timeline.

The good news, though, is that if there’s something I can confidently say is universally true about The Marvels fans, it’s that we’re remarkably patient people. After nearly half a decade since Carol’s feature film debut, over four years since this sequel was first announced, and not one, not two, but five different official release dates, the time has finally come. The Marvels is almost here. As of publishing this article, in just a few days, we’ll all be sitting down in movie theatres across the world, finally getting a chance to see this movie for real. I can’t necessarily speak for all the fans, or even those I interviewed for this compilation series, but I do know this:

I, for one, will never be the same.

The Marvels premieres in theatres on November 10th, 2023. Pre-sale tickets are available now.