Try this origin story on for size: A youth with two brothers and a hard-working father has a dream to fly at incredible speeds. After joining the Air Force, the young adult comes into contact with an alien race and, through interaction with one of their devices, becomes a superhuman hero. Now, is that Green Lantern's origin story, or Captain Marvel's? Trick question; it's both.
So that's where the problems start for Marvel Studio's Captain Marvel co-writer Nicole Perlman. This isn't her first go 'round with the studio as she previously worked on the script of the first Thor film and was a co-writer on Guardians of the Galaxy, and neither is it a new experience for co-writer Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur). However, they'll be departing from the origin story laid out by co-creators Gene Colan and Roy Thomas, who introduced the character way back in 1968.
Here's what Perlman had to say during an interview with Any Time with Vin Forte (via JoBlo):
I don’t think I’ve ever had a project where I’ve been more mindful about the impact that it could have and the importance of it. She’s such an incredibly kick-ass character and Kelly Sue DeConnick did a great run with her story arc recently. But here’s the thing, if you were just going to do a straight adaptation of the comics, her origin story is very similar to Green Lantern. And obviously, that’s not what we want to do. There’s a lot of reinvention that needs to happen. And also, she’s her own person and she’s a great character. We have to be aware of what’s happened in other Marvel film and makes sure that her particular storyline is unique and fun and also fits in within this world that’s going on at the same time. It’s a little bit of an interesting story gauntlet. It’s been good to have a partner. It’s been an incredible experience. If we can pull it off it could be an incredibly important but also really fun and kick-ass superhero film.
Now I'm of the opinion that changing Captain Marvel's origin story simply to avoid comparisons with that of "Green Lantern" - and more likely to avoid the bad taste that the 2011 film adaptation left - is a little paranoid, but changing it to fit in with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe makes a bit more sense. So despite the namedrop of DeConnick, who described her take on Captain Marvel as mirroring that of Chuck Yeager, we'll likely be getting something completely new, something that jibes with the pre-established cinematic universe.
Marvel fans, and Captain Marvel fans in particular, does this story make you want to cry foul? Or do you trust Marvel and their creative choices in this decision? Let us know in the comments below!
Brie Larson stars as the title character of Marvel's Captain Marvel, currently scheduled to open March 8, 2019.
