Captain Marvel producer Jonathan Schwartz confirmed that Carol Danvers’ origin as Ms. Marvel in the comic books was altered for the big screen.
Schwartz spoke to Entertainment Tonight during a set visit last May.
He told ET, “That origin story had to be updated a little bit for a modern audience. I’m really curious to see what fans of the character think about what we’ve done with that moment.”
Carol Danvers’ origin in the comics saw her exposed to the explosion of the Psyche-Magnitron. However, Captain Marvel also known as the Kree hero Mar-Vell shields Danvers from the explosion that is described as “brighter than the rocket-blast of a Saturn Five!” Danvers’ genetic structure is altered in the accident. It melds with Captain Marvel’s and turns her into a human-Kree hybrid.
Ms. Marvel would not take on the title of Captain Marvel until 2012 in a brand new series from Kelly Sue DeConnick.
Schwartz did indicate they do pay tribute to Carol Danvers Ms. Marvel years, “There certainly are aspects of the movie that draw from those early comic books and those early days.” He adds, “There is a lot of homage and there is a lot of respect paid to those early days, but with a spin that we think movie goers are really going to enjoy.”
Schwartz does tease the importance of Mar-Vell to Carol’s origin story in the film, “The character of Mar-Vell in the comic books is really important to Carol’s origin story and Mar-Vell is equally important to Carol’s origin story in this movie.” He teases, “I think anything beyond that is going to be a little too spoilery.”
As for what we can expect on the structure of Captain Marvel, Schwartz revealed the film will be an origin story but in reverse.
“At the beginning of the movie, we find [Captain Marvel] on the planet, Hala, fighting on the Kree side of the Kree-Skrull war. “She doesn’t have any memory of her life as a human. The movie is about her ending back on earth and realizing that she has these human origins that are tied to much bigger aspects of that war. In many ways, it’s a classic Marvel origin story but told in reverse, structurally.”
Schwartz confirmed that Captain Marvel will have her superpowers when she first shows up on screen.
“You meet her as an awesome badass super-powered space hero and then learn who the human is behind that aspect of herself.”
Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, 2019.
What do you make of Marvel altering Carol Danvers’ origin story? What kind of alteration do you think they made?