Who Should Play Carol Danvers in the MCU?

The Avengers 2 may not be coming out for another two and a half years but casting speculation has already begun and with good reason.  Given the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s tendencies to introduce characters in their lead up films, there’s a good chance that we’ll be seeing new team members in one of the four Phase Two films currently in production.  Ms/Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, is currently one of the superheroes rumored to join the team and with that rumor comes plenty of casting speculation.  Earlier, the rumor mill was offering six actresses who are supposedly under consideration and that list has since been narrowed down to two: Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson.  Emily Blunt was originally the front runner for Black Widow but had to bow out due to other film commitments.  She could certainly be an interesting choice as Carol.

However, what’s the fun in there being casting speculation if we don’t get to join in?  With that, we present a few of our own picks for who could step into the role of Carol Danvers in the MCU. To the jump!

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Cosplay Monday: Dr. Strange and Clea

After an extra special Cosplay Week, we’re back to our regularly scheduled Cosplay Monday and we have more costumes from Dragon*Con to help take your mind off that horrible case of the Mondays you might be coming down with.

Check out how fantastic Allen/loganallenwolf and Mary/twinklebat (both of the Superhero Costuming Forum) look as Dr. Strange and Clea.  Both of them could have stepped right off the page of a Marvel Comic and their costumes looked just as impressive in person.  Well done to both of them!

ABC Officially Orders Pilot for Whedon ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ Series

Part of Joss Whedon’s new keys-to-the-city deal from Marvel and Disney indicated that he would be helping to create a new TV series in the marvel film universe. Now we’ve gotten confirmation that ABC has placed an order for a pilot centered around S.H.I.E.L.D.

Three weeks after Disney CEO Robert Iger announced Joss Whedon would create a Marvel-related TV series for ABC, the network has made good on his vow.

ABC has given pilot orders to S.H.I.E.L.D, with the Avengers scribe on board to co-write the project based on the Marvel comic, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

From ABC Studios, the project is based on the long-running comic created by Jack Kirby and revolves around the secret military law enforcement agency dubbed S.H.I.E.L.D., which stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate.

So. Cobie Smulders can be lured away from How I Met Your Mother for this series, right? Maria Hill: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D would be fun.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Plot Synopsis Hints at Character

Found over at io9, Marvel has apparently released a new plot synopsis of the mysterious Guardians of the Galaxy film that’s will comprise part of the second phase of the Marvel film universe.

“A U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.”

A U.S. pilot who ends up in space? Chances are it’s Peter Quill or Vance Astro, but if I could make a suggestion for someone who fits that description…

Details of Joss Whedon’s New Marvel Deal

Earlier this week, news broke that Joss Whedon would continue his role as writer/director of the Avengers 2 as well as contributing to a brand-new Marvel film-universe television series on ABC. Further details have come out since and by the looks of it, Marvel and Disney have handed Joss the keys to the city.

io9 reports that Whedon has signed an exclusive three-year contract with Marvel, locking him into their works during that duration. That’s mildly interesting, but there’s one key portion to the agreement that’s worth noting:

The three year contract, according to Marvel, means that Whedon will “contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.” You can assume that means Whedon will be involved, at some level, in the scriptwriting of the movies between now and Avengers 2 — especially the second Captain America film and Guardians of the Galaxy.

io9 goes on further to break down why Whedon’s involvement in all of the films moving forward is critical:

The main takeaway from Marvel’s announcement, though, is the notion that Whedon is joining a very small group of people who make the big decisions about the direction of the shared universe that includes Marvel’s movies and this new TV show. This comes at a crucial phase, when most of Marvel’s films are going to be sequels rather than origin stories, and at least half those films (Thor 2 and Guardians) are likely to be insanely “cosmic,” with the obvious risk of falling into the Green Lantern trap of excessive CG and flat characters.

So most of all, Marvel’s on-screen universe is going to have to stay grounded, something that Whedon excels at because he understands that the best stories are “about us.”

For long-time Whedon fans, this is all great news. Finally there’s a studio that’s going to stand behind Joss, his fans, and his process. For fans of the Avengers films, this is going to likely mean much tighter narrative control and cohesion from film to film.

Carol Danvers Is Getting A Promotion

As you may have heard on the latest podcast, we’re happy to endorse a new comic this July: the all-new Captain Marvel.

This July, Carol Danvers, once known as Ms. Marvel, will take on the legacy of a legendary hero in CAPTAIN MARVEL, a new ongoing series by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Dexter Soy.

“My pitch was called ‘Pilot’ and the take can pretty much be summed up with ‘Carol Danvers as Chuck Yeager,’” says DeConnick. “Carol’s the virtual definition of a Type A personality. She’s a competitor and a control freak. At the start of our series, we see Carol pre-Captain Marvel, pre-NASA even, back when she was a fiercely competitive pilot. We’ll see her meeting one of her aviation heroes and we’ll see her youthful bravado, her swagger. Then over the course of the first arc we’re going to watch her find her way back to that hungry place. She’ll have to figure out how to be both Captain Marvel and Chuck Yeager—to marry the responsibility of that legacy with the sheer joy being nearly invulnerable and flying really [expletive] fast.  Sporting a revamped costume to compliment the codename, Danvers not only faces unfamiliar dangers and challenges, but also delves into her own history as well as that of the late Kree soldier Mar-Vell, the first person to operate as Captain Marvel.”

I know I’m excited for this. I’m still a relative newcomer to the world of comics, but one character that has quickly become a favorite of mine is Carol Danvers. Great backstory, compelling, lots of depth. Just the kind of female character that fandom needs. And now she’s getting one heck of a (very deserved) promotion to Captain Marvel.

If you’re looking to support a great female character written by a great female author, pick up the new Captain Marvel this July.

The Avengers Appeal

And continuing our Avengers post-mortem, The Wall Street Journal dug up a pretty interesting little tidbit today in a piece examining why Marvel’s newest film is pretty much printing money.

3) Multi-Generational Appeal: Characters like Captain America have been around since the 1940s; Thor, The Hulk, and Iron Man have been around since the 1960s. “The Avengers” felt fresh to kids, and was comfort food to adults. Half the attendees were over twenty five years old. 40 percent of the audience was female, so the film didn’t just appeal to boys.

I should say so. As I was sitting in the theater on Thursday night waiting for the movie, I couldn’t help but notice just how evenly split the gender ratio was. Good on you, Marvel. You’ve got yourselves a franchise we all can enjoy.