Captain Marvel (2019), directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, is an origin story that introduces the powerful superhero Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), also known as Captain Marvel, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Set in the 1990s, the film follows Carol’s journey to uncover her mysterious past and embrace her full potential as one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. The movie is filled with action, humor, and the signature Marvel touch as it explores Carol’s origins, the Kree-Skrull war, and her role in defending the galaxy.
Carol Danvers on Hala
The movie begins with Carol Danvers, known as Vers on the Kree planet Hala, where she is part of an elite military team called Starforce, led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Carol has no memory of her life before joining the Kree, but she is trained to control her powerful photon abilities and fight the Kree’s sworn enemies, the shape-shifting Skrulls.
While on a mission to rescue a Kree spy, Carol is captured by the Skrulls, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). The Skrulls probe her memories, leading Carol to question her past. During the struggle, Carol escapes in an escape pod and crash-lands on Earth.
Arrival on Earth: The 1990s Setting
Carol’s escape leads her to Earth, specifically to Los Angeles in the 1990s. Her crash-landing catches the attention of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), a low-level agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time. The movie embraces the 1990s nostalgia with scenes of Carol browsing a Blockbuster video store and using outdated technology like payphones and pagers.
Fury and Carol form an unlikely partnership as they investigate the presence of the Skrulls on Earth. As Carol slowly recovers fragments of her past, she learns that she was once a human pilot in the U.S. Air Force named Carol Danvers. She discovers that she was believed to have died in a test flight accident involving a powerful energy core created by a scientist named Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening).
Uncovering the Truth: The Kree-Skrull Conflict
As Carol uncovers more of her past, it becomes clear that her memories were altered by the Kree. Dr. Wendy Lawson was actually Mar-Vell, a Kree scientist who was working to help the Skrulls escape from the Kree’s oppression. Carol’s powers were not a gift from the Kree, but rather the result of an explosion from Mar-Vell’s energy core, which Carol absorbed, giving her incredible photon-based abilities.
Talos, the Skrull leader, reveals that the Skrulls are not the villains the Kree portrayed them to be, but refugees fleeing the Kree’s tyranny. This revelation forces Carol to question everything she has been taught by the Kree, particularly Yon-Rogg, who has been manipulating her all along.
Carol Embraces Her Powers
With the truth revealed, Carol embraces her human identity and breaks free from the Kree’s control. She unlocks her full potential as Captain Marvel, tapping into her immense power without the Kree’s suppression. Her abilities now include flight, energy projection, and incredible strength.
In a spectacular showdown, Carol battles Yon-Rogg and the Kree forces sent to retrieve her. She single-handedly takes down Kree warships and demonstrates her unmatched power in space, thwarting Yon-Rogg’s plans and saving the Skrulls.
The Ending: Carol’s New Purpose
At the film’s climax, Carol defeats Yon-Rogg but chooses not to kill him, instead sending him back to Hala with a warning for the Kree. She realizes her true purpose is not just to protect Earth, but to help the Skrulls find a new home and end the Kree’s reign of oppression.
Carol parts ways with Nick Fury, leaving behind a modified pager that Fury can use to contact her in case of an emergency—a moment that ties directly into Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Carol heads into space with the Skrulls to continue her mission of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
Mid-Credits Scene:
In a mid-credits scene, set during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the pager that Fury used to contact Carol is activated by the remaining Avengers after the snap. Carol arrives, asking, “Where’s Fury?”
Captain Marvel serves as both an origin story for one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes and a key puzzle piece in the larger Marvel universe. Carol Danvers’ journey from an amnesiac Kree warrior to a fully realized superhero with incredible powers is filled with thrilling action and empowering moments.
At the end of Captain Marvel (2019), Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) fully embraces her identity and her incredible powers. After learning the truth about her past—that she was once a human pilot, and the Kree manipulated her—Carol decides to stop Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and the Kree’s plans. She discovers that her powers are a result of absorbing energy from a Kree energy core explosion, not a gift from the Kree as she had been led to believe.
Carol taps into her full abilities, breaking free from the Kree’s control and unlocking her true potential as Captain Marvel. In a climactic showdown, she takes on Yon-Rogg and his forces, demonstrating her incredible power by destroying Kree warships single-handedly. She overpowers Yon-Rogg but, instead of killing him, she sends him back to the Kree homeworld of Hala with a message: she’s no longer under their control and they should never return to Earth.
After the battle, Carol decides to help the Skrulls, who are revealed to be refugees fleeing the Kree’s oppression, find a new home. She leaves Earth, heading into space with the Skrulls to continue fighting for justice across the galaxy.
The Pager and Connection to Avengers:
Before leaving Earth, Carol gives Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) a modified pager that can contact her in case of an emergency, tying directly into the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Carol leaves Earth, having fully embraced her role as a protector of not just Earth, but the entire galaxy.
The film’s conclusion sets up Captain Marvel as one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ready to defend the galaxy from any threat.