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Before the 2023 film slate draws to a close, Marvel Studios’ The Marvels will hit theaters on November 10. The MCU’s 33rd film will bring together Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) in a continuation of 2019’s Captain Marvel and 2022’s Ms. Marvel.
With these three heroes meeting for the first time to face a brand-new MCU villain, there are plenty of layers to unpack ahead of the film’s release. Here are five key plot points to consider before watching The Marvels.
An entangled trio
Seeing multiple heroes fight alongside each other is not foreign to the MCU. Witnessing them switch places each time they used their powers? Now, that’s a new one. It is a crucial plot point, if not the most important when audiences watch The Marvels. When Carol Danvers interacts with a mysterious anomaly in space, her powers become entangled with Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan.
As we’ve seen in the trailers, it serves as both a frustrating obstacle for the team and a unique advantage at their disposal. Anytime one of the three uses their powers, it causes them to switch places with another. It’s a first-in-its-kind predicament for an MCU film and should offer both humorous and strategic scenarios to play out on the big screen.
The Kree and the Skrulls
The Kree and the Skrulls have largely been at odds throughout Marvel Comics’ publication history, which was notably explored throughout the “Kree-Skrull War” story arc. MCU fans have seen this dynamic play out most prominently in 2019’s Captain Marvel when Carol Danvers aided the Skrulls in finding a new domain due to their fighting with the Kree.
The titular film explored the mythology of a more one-sided Kree-Skrull War, in which the former’s genocidal ambitions nearly wiped out the entire Skrull civilization, forcing them to go on the run. As refugees, Danvers has continuously sought to find them a suitable place to call home, which she’s yet to achieve through the events of Secret Invasion and The Marvels, based on early shots we’ve seen from the trailers.
Kamala Khan idolizes Carol Danvers
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By the end of the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series, we see Kamala Khan don the titular name by way of family inspiration. In Marvel Comics, she takes on the mantle from her idol, Carol Danvers, who wore the mantle previously. The origin story around the name has been tweaked for the MCU, but that remains strong as it pertains to Kamala’s admiration for Danvers.
It’s a critical element that will indeed be explored in The Marvels, perhaps both in a positive and negative light. Being a “fangirl” of Captain Marvel, Kamala will cook up some fun moments to witness on screen. Still, Danvers’ inability to help the Skrull refugees could allow the MCU film to explore some of the grounded experience of meeting your real-life heroes.
Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau have a complicated history
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Kamala Khan may idolize Carol Danvers, but it's the complete opposite when it comes to Monica Rambeau. Monica is the daughter of Maria Rambeau, who appeared in 2019’s Captain Marvel and was portrayed by Lashana Lynch. By the film's end, Danvers left Earth to help the Skrulls, leaving Maria and Monica. Danvers never got a chance to return, meaning Monica was left alone to deal with her mother’s passing.
We saw this moment play out in WandaVision when Monica was actually “blipped” away from her mother’s bedside during Thanos’ snap, only to return five years later to realize her mother was gone from her life. Though not directly at fault, it’s clear Monica resents Carol after never returning once during the time between Captain Marvel and WandaVision.
Dar-Benn the Accuser
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We can’t leave out the villain when talking plot points, especially when they are a fresh new addition to the MCU roster. Dar-Benn’s arrival in The Marvels will be her first MCU appearance, and she’s undergone a gender-swapped transformation from her Marvel comics inspiration. Dar-Benn was originally a male member of the Kree Empire and appeared in Silver Surfer #53 in 1991.
As one of the Kree’s Accusers, Dar-Benn wields a hammer similar to that of Ronan the Accuser, who was the villain in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Dar-Benn advocates for the old Kree regime and does not take kindly to any inkling of peace between them and the Skrulls. With Danvers playing a pivotal role in destabilizing the Kree empire, it’s no secret why Dar-Benn is at odds with Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan.