In case you were wondering if Marvel Studios would keep the upcoming film The Marvels at its currently scheduled date of November 10th, the studio released a new featurette today, which seems to declare that the film isn’t moving. Called “Journey to the Marvels,” the featurette provides a crash course in the essentials that audiences need to know about the three main heroes leading up to the film.
Using clips from Captain Marvel, WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, the featurette serves as an easy way to learn about, or refresh your memory on, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). The Marvels seems to pick up where the season finale of Ms. Marvel left off, during which we saw Khan disappear, replaced by Danvers. This film will be the first time we see all three heroes, who seem to have similar based powers, share the screen and team-up.
It’s a smart move by Marvel Studios, who always faces the challenge of finding the balance between telling a story that follows previous stories, while not alienating casual audiences. This challenge is particularly pronounced with the introduction of the Disney+ shows, which require more investment than a typical feature film. Of course, this isn’t a Marvel exclusive issue, as Star Wars is facing the exact same challenge (even moreso) with its new show Ahsoka, which follows characters introduced and developed over multiple seasons of TV shows.
Marvel had previously started to address this issue with the brief recaps of various characters on Disney+ leading into a new feature film, and featurettes like this offer another on-ramping point for audiences. Hopefully, leading up to the release of the film, there will be more featurettes to provide additional context as necessary.
The Marvels premieres in theaters November 10th!
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist. To support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, donate to the Entertainment Community Fund.
The Marvels Synopsis
In Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”
The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. Nia DaCosta directs, and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Nia DaCosta and Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
