For most of the MCU’s existence, Carol Danvers has been working in the shadows. Okay, so maybe not exactly, but she’s definitely been on the fringes of the focus. Technically she didn’t make her first appearance until this year’s Captain Marvel but, as we now know from that movie, she has been out in space doing… something. Even in Avengers: Endgame, she spends most of her time out in space helping the rest of the universe deal with the aftermath of Thanos’ snap. Unluckily for other planets, they don’t have the Avengers there to help clean up.
But, she does make a dramatic return during the third act, turning the tide for our heroes by destroying Thanos’ ship. She even gets in some Heisman-worthy highlights when she runs the gauntlet across the battlefield. And I don’t care who you are, her 30-seconds of banter with Spider-Man is one of the best moments in the film. (Check out our breakdown on his future in the MCU here!) Followed by the all-female ‘hero shot’ which is another one of the best moments. Then there’s her short fight with Thanos where he literally couldn’t do anything against her so, yeah, she makes her presence felt even if she isn’t in very much of the movie.
That’s probably the last time we’ll hear that about an Avengers movie though. In the comics, Carol Danvers is a leader of the Avengers and, with Thor now off with the Guardians, it seems like that’s what she’s in store for in Phase 4. Now, considering her solo movie took place in the 90s and still had loose ends to tie up, I think she’s going to have a bit of a weird timeline. Well, to be honest, I think the entire MCU will now that Phases 1-3 are settled. We’ll likely see less emphasis placed on the chronological timeline of the films moving forward. Especially after the massive retconning and shuffled timeline we saw over the first 22 films. Danvers’ next solo outing will probably still take place in the past or in some unspecified time frame to show the aftermath of Captain Marvel and her adventures in space.
BUT, in the new future/present (Endgame ends in the year 2023) I think she will lead the New Avengers alongside T’Challa and Doctor Strange. Exactly what, or who, they will be fighting against over the next 10ish years is still unknown but, my money’s on Galactus making his proper big-screen appearance after that much-maligned Fantastic Four sequel.
Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now.
