Brie Larsen will play Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel

Brie Larsen tweeted this picture, announcing to the world that she is Captain Marvel.

At the beginning of June, Variety reported (and other websites like Entertainment Weekly picked up on it) that Oscar-winning actress Brie Larsen was "in talks" about playing Carol Danvers, AKA Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel.

Yesterday, at San Diego Comic Con, the official announcement was made. Here is a smattering of websites on which it was reported, as of right now (look at the time stamp on this post).

NBC News
Time
Time
CNN
CNET
CBC News
Entertainment Weekly
SlashFilm 
Glamour
Vanity Fair
Huffington Post
USA Today
The Guardian 
Cinema Blend
Mashable
Cray News
Screen Crush
ComingSoon
WeGotThisCovered
Particle News
Inquisitr
Women and Hollywood
2 Hours
Refinery29
OnlineNews8
Virals Online1

One fascinating, but not unexpected, thing about this list is the high-profile, female-targeted websites (Glamour, Vanity Fair, etc). This will be the first major company, female-led superhero movie ever. Other female superheroes like Wonder Woman have been on TV, female characters from smaller companies like Barb Wire have had their movies, and Halle Berry's Catwoman was technically a "villain," had a movie, but in this new wave of high-profile, mega-blockbuster, critically acclaimed superhero movies, no females have been the headliner. This is the first.

This has been such a big deal that the clickbait mill has been working overtime on the casiting. Names like Emily Blunt, Katherine Winnick, Katie Sackoff, Natalie Dormer, Rebecca Ferguson, Ronda Rousey, etc, have appeared in headlines designed to make it sound like it was "news" that someone thought they would be right for the role. Some, like Rousey, were vocal in campaigning for the role, but some of these women even embarrassingly had to admit that not only were they unfamiliar with the character, but had never been contacted by anyone about it!

Many of the articles have given capsulized descriptions of the character, but  suppose the needs and resources of the medium have led them to leave out a few details. I think it is notable to mention that thought this Captain Marvel will be the first female lead of a Marvel movie, Carol Danvers is not the first female Captain Marvel.

The first female superhero named Captain Marvel was Marvel Comics' Monica Rambeau in 1982. She was also the first black Captain Marvel and one of the few black female superheroes. DC came next with Jerry Ordway's version of Mary Batson, who, in the "Power of Shazam" series in the 1990's, transformed into a female Captain Marvel. She was not known as "Mary Marvel" until after the series ended. At the beginning of the 2000's, Marvel came back with Phyla-Vell, the cloned sister from a newly-created replacement universe (don't ask) of the then-current Marvel Captain Marvel, Genis-Vell. She was Captain Marvel for a while.

Danvers herself has been Captain Marvel before, in the "House of M" storyline in which the Scarlet Witch had changed reality. That experience kicked of her new Ms. Marvel series, which built up her character until she took on the Mantle of Captain Marvel after the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline.

I am going to be open-mindedly optimistic about this casting decision. Marvel has not gone too terribly wrong yet in their Avengers-related movies (I am not thinking of any of the recent "Fantastic Four" movies), so there is no reason to expect them to have done so now.

On a related note, I would say that with every new news report and mention of Marvel's Captain Marvel movie, my confidence that DC's "Shazam" movie will include a character named "Captain Marvel" gets lower and lower. So far not a single use of the classic name has passed my eyes in anything from DC about the movie that has been announced to be released in 2019. This further makes me think that the hero of that movie will be based on the "New 52" superhero named Shazam. I can't help but think that such a movie would have an uphill battle with regards to being something that would be...well...good. I have nightmarish visions of overblown, confusing mash-ups of concepts, characters, and storylines from DC Comics mixed with things that would be completely made up for the movie.

I really hope that is not the case.


Videos regarding the Brie Larsen announcement:

These videos are all of the "announcement," which was actually a surprise addition to the Marvel movie panel at San Diego Comic Con. Pretty much all these videos seem to be from the video camera-phones of people in the audience.

...and a bit of pre-announcement clickbait video...

 

If 

If you want to see more reports and reactions to the news that Brie Larsen was "in talks" back in June, go here, or just search for "Brie Larsen Captain Marvel"

Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau in all-female team!

So Marvel Comics has announced that there will be an all-female team of Avengers in their upcoming "event," Secret Wars. The news has been announced on, as should by now be expected, bunches of websites, and almost all of them included this image...

Among the characters portrayed are two Captain Marvels: Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau. What with Danvers being Marvel Comics' premiere female at the moment (she has her own regular series, as well as appearing in certain "Avengers" titles and "Guardians of the Galaxy," and is the white Queen" in a chess set Marvel has just released in England), I am a little surprised that she is not front-and-center.

Josh Dickey at mashable.com was apparently the first to report the news, in an article remarkable for its knowledge of the subject of female superheroes, even pointing out that there have been 14 female super-teams before this one (who wants to guess them all? I can think of Birds of Prey and specific lineups of the Defenders and the X-Men, plus one lineup of the Justice League put together for a specific mission. Does the Marvel's Divas series count?

Michael Cavna and David Betancourt of The Washington Post combined this news in an article with news that DC Comics was ending their "New 52" in June and resetting their universe. Obviously not a lot of comics fans read the Washington Post on line, because there are only two comments as of this writing, whereas other websites' comments counts are running anywhere from the 80's to the 140's, etc.

Apparently Salon doesn't get read by many comics fans either. They didn't even bother writing their own article, just reprinted Jesse J. Holland's brief but detailed Associated Press report, and only got one comment on it.

Newsmax, a politically-leaning website, did not even get one comment on Margan Chilson's article, that basically just quotes reports from USA Today by Brian Tuitt (which includes a lot of detailed and insightful interview response from writer G Willow Wilson) and Entertainment Weekly by Joshua Rivera. 

Huffington Post dutifully reported this news in an article by Jessica Goodman. Since this is, after all, news, UPI has a minimalist report by Veronica Linares. And since this is entertainment news, the Hollywood Reporter posted a brief report by Graeme McMillan that basically quoted the article from Mashable and called it a day.

But the prize for most brief article is an uncredited post on 4GeeksLikeYou. Two short paragraphs and a quotation.

The most sensationalistic, yet analytical article of all, the one most worthy of being called "journalism" in this vast wasteland of clickbait, copy-paste, and shallow announcements, is Michael Calia's article in the Wall Street Journal. It is the only article I found that linked to the original Marvel Comics announcement, and looks like it was even updated after its original publication to amend a report that the announcement would be made on the TV show "The View" after that segment was cut from the show. Among its many worthy observations (peppered with stock quotes for companies mentioned in the article like Disney and Warner's) is that while many are decrying the move for being a "gimmick" or "stunt," " the comics business has always been about gimmicks and stunts, so there’s nothing new to see here in that regard."

And speaking of that report that was cut out of "The View," this surprisingly thorough article by Bdc Lives on Moviepilot uses that bit of scandal as a clickbait headline.

The funniest thing about this whole business to me is the name of this new team: "A-Force." Jesse Shedeen on ign.com supposes that this name is meant to recall "X-Force," a title from the 1980's and '90's. (Incidentally, that same website also announced the "tease" of the news the day before) Some might think it was inspired by the TV show "The A-Team." Several commenters recalled the fictional TV pilot mentioned in the movie Pulp Fiction, "Fox Force Five." almost every comments section with more than three comments included one about how the team should be called "V-Force."  My...awkwardness with the name is how there is another word that starts with "a - hyphen..." that has been getting a lot of play on TV lately, and maybe it's just my mind being in the gutter, but I can't help thinking of that word when I see this name.

Personally, I never thought I lived in the gutter, more like perched on a mailbox or something.

What do you think about this news?

Latest Captain Marvel clickbait: Joss Whedon

As a lover of the classics, sometimes I am a little bit behind the times. It ass only just recently that I discovered the term "clickbait," but now I get it. Claickbait is when you post something with a headline that is sure to get people's attention so they will go to your webpage. whie they are theere they will hopefully click on other sponsored links and get you money.

It does not matter if these headlines are false, misleading, or outright lies, and the stories are filled with inaccuracies, innuendo, speculative ideas with little to back them up, are simply are not what the headline said they would be, or are little more than a mention that something was said on another website and a link to that website, so long as they get people to your website. Some of the most egregious examples in recent years, for instance, have included stuff about the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), the birthplace and religion of the president of the United States of America, and pretty much anything involving the casting of new superhero movies, as we have reported already here and here (see how I did that? Be sure to click on the ads and the Amazon links to support Captain Marvel Culture).

The latest example of this regarding a Captain Marvel concerns a recent interview with DigitalSpy.com in which Joss Whedon, famous for creating the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Agents of Shield" TV series and directing the recent Avengers movie, claimed that there was a lack of female superhero movies because of "genuine, recalcitrant, intractable sexism, and old-fashioned quiet misogyny that goes on."

This quote was the basis of an article in ScreenRant.com yesterday which already has thre pages of comments, including one coment postad about a half-dozen times by the same guy proposing that thePatsy Walke, Marvel's character "Hellcat," be put in a movie. I guess that guy didn't use his "refresh" button or something after he posted ;).

The article itself went into slight depth about the subject, pointing out that shortly after the interview Marvel announced it's upcoming slate of movies, including Captain Marvel, and posted a lovely picture of Carol Danvers in her new costume:

Then they went on to talk about the X-Men female heroes in the X-Men movies, and then called for comments.

 

It seems now that BuzzFeed.com did a telephone interview with the director and posted it on Thursday in which they asked hm, among other things, if he would be directing Marvel's Captain Marvel. He said that he "wouldn;t rule anything out" but that he was more inerested in creating his own universe He commened a little more on the character, saying...

 

"Captain Marvel I don’t know as well. There have been a few [versions] of her. I have the first issue of Ms. Marvel, back when she was that, and had the Farrah hair. My only issue with her is that she always felt sort of on top. She was very driven. A winner. I always like to dig into the soil of things to find my heroes, if I can."

 

This makes me think he would probably want to read a little bit more about her, seeing as how she has hit bottom a couple of times since that first issue in 1976.

The interview went on to talk about The Hunger Games, Lucy, X-Men, and looking for a girl in comics over which to have crush. Nevertheless, the clickbaiters went into action

 

The real clickbait culprits came hard on the heels of this, with articles on CinemaBlend.com and ComicBookMovie.com posting the question "Could Joss Whedon direct Captain Marvel?" Both articles then quote enough from the interview to make it clear, as the interview does, that no one has talked to him about it, he isn't jumping at the chance, there have been no announcements made, and there are other things he would rather do.

 

So congratulations, guys, you got me to go to your web pages, to read pretty much the same thing three times over, and now, beause I feel that it would help my Captain Marvel Culture research project to report on all things Captain Marvel, I just spent a good chunk of this morning writing about it!

 

Maybe I should make this blog into a clickbait site....

Natalie Dormer as Carol Danvers?

First off, this is not a news report. This is not a rumor. This is not even a report of a rumor. This is about a fan's wishful thinking that someone else thought was interesting enough to make another post about.

At MoviePilot.com, contributor Elle J listed a whole bunch of reasons why Natalie Dormer, that hot chick who has shown up as a blonde in "Captain America: The First Avenger," and the latest "Hunger Games" movie, and as a brunette in "Game of Thrones" and The Tudors," would make the perfect Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in Marvel's upcoming "Captain Marvel" movie, slated for release in 2018. These reasons include "Age Appropriate," "Physical Skill," and "Difficult Relationships."

Now, there have been no announcements about this movie, really, beyond the fact that it is going to be made. It seems that every other week there is another rumor, report, or wishful think about one actress or another who would be "perfect" for the role. Sometimes these actresses don't even know anything about the character 

And now this particular wishful think has been picked up by another contributor to the same website. Kit Simpson Browne has written a whole article about it. In it he supposes that Natalie Dormer's appearance in "Captain America was as Carol Danvers' mother or grandmother, then comes up with a wildly creative origin story that has absolutely no connection the Mar-Vell or the Kree at all.

I could see Natalie Dorman's  "Captain America" character as the grandmother of Carol Danvers without much adjustment of the Marvel Comics cannon at all. Carol joined the Air Force in rebellion do her mail chauvinist father. The character in the movie was a private in the US Army. She could have advanced in rank and been an inspiration to Carol. In the comics Carol took inspiration from groundbreaking, pioneering female test pilots of WWII and the Cold War era. So it could happen.

But they haven't even written the script yet! No casting decisions have been announced yet! Ah, what the heck. The 'em dream! It gives them something to do, and gives the movie studio free publicity, which will help the project, and that will give a few people steady jobs for a while.

In the category of "someone is WRONG on the internet," there is always someone out there who refers to Carol Danvers' original superhero name as "Miss Marvel" or Mrs. Marvel. As a good and loyal fan, I of course, do my best to set that record straight.

Someone in there complained about all the non-American actors playing superheroes. I think that could be a touchy subject. Or not. On the one hand, the director and producer of a movie would ant the best actor for the job, and if the best actor happens to have not been born in America, so what? On the other hand, is having an English person portray an American like having a white person play a black person (in the now-acknowledged-to-be-bad genre of "blackface")? Are nationalities akin to races? Or is it more like drag, putting on the clothes and mannerisms of the "other?" Or does it really matter Does it all just go back to what actor can do the best job?

Captain Marvel movie announced fom Marvel, and the Internet is all over it

So now, after a reasonable interval has passed since DC announced their "Shazam" movie is scheduled to be released in 2019, Marvel has announced their upcoming movies, including "Captain Marvel."

This Captain Marvel will obviously be Carol Danvers. She is Marvel Comics' current Captain Marvel, appeared in the "Marvel Universe" arena show, enjoys great popularity, and is a major supporting player in several of Marvel's big crossover epics.

Cinema Blend has been all over the topic. They were among the many news outlets who announced the line-up of upcoming movies, including "Captain Marvel," which is scheduled for July 6, 2018. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Marvel-Just-Announced-All-Movies-With-Release-Dates-Title-Art-67919.html

This release date trumps the April 5, 2019 announced release date for "Shazam," making it even less likely, in my mind, that the hero in DC's movie will be named "Captain Marvel." There is enough confusion in the marketplace about the character's name and who owns which rights to whom, etc. DC is positioning their new re-boot/re-imagination of the character as an enthusiastic kid in the body of a hero named "Shazam," and unless Grant Morrison's Captain Marvel becomes some kind of runaway mainstream success like "Watchmen," I don't see how a company like DC would fail to maintain their new character.

Cinema Blend, of course, followed up their story with a little more detail and speculation about the newly-announced "Captain Marvel" movie http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Carol-Danvers-Confirmed-Captain-Marvel-67923.html, including he possibility that w may see her in an "Avengers" movie.

And now the casting speculations start to roll in. Jessica Chastain is one idea, based on how long she has been talking with Marvel, and despite a little tweet she posted denying it... http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jessica-Chastain-Playing-Captain-Marvel-Here-What-She-Says-68038.html

...and Katherine Winnick is being acused of "pulling a Sean Young" for a litle bit of fan art of her as the hero... http://www.cinemablend.com/new/What-Katheryn-Winnick-Doing-Try-Win-Captain-Marvel-Role-68037.html

I must admit that bit o fan art is pretty awesome. It really catches the spirit of the character, and even the hair is done up in an attempt at the Carl Danvers faux-hawk. But why would a character who can fly, is super-strong and nigh invulnerable, and is able to absorb and project energy need a utility belt?

Help finance this project - Buy my posters

Hi Friends. I have just finished an article about the female Captain Marvels for Alter Ego Magazine. It should be out in the October or December issue.

On a related note, I am raising more funds to finish off this project by selling off some things that I no longer need, some pieces of my life that I am leaving behind. I used to collect posters. At every comic convention, every free giveaway, every movie premiere, if they were giving away posters, I would take some. Some had been given to me as gifts, some I even sought out and bought. But now they are just taking up space, cluttering up my room, and not doing me any good. I don't have the wall space for them, and besides, I'm not a kid anymore.

So who wants about 300 posters from the 1980's up to today? Mostly they are movie posters, sci-fi and fantasy, although some of them are for comics, books, games, sports, art, music, and I even have a few that have the World Trade Center in them. I don't have the time to put them all up on E-Bay, so I will accept any reasonable offer, so long as you either come to pick them up or pay for shipping.

You can see photos of them all at http://s846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/captainzorikh/Posters/

Below is the list of what's available:

Movies & TV
300 DVD (3)
Alien Raiders (small) (3)
Alien Raiders (4)
Apollo 13 (2)
Babylon II (2)
Beowulf (2)
Black Dahlia
Blade Runner- National College Preview (2)
Blade Trinity 1
Blade Trinity 2
Boogeyman (2)
Braveheart weapons
China O'Brien 2
Cloverfield
The Core
Cutthroat Island
Daredevil – Ben Afleck
Daredevil – Bullseye (2)
Daredevil - Elektra (2)
Daredevil – Kingpin (2)
Darkman (3)
Dead Presidents
Deadly Spawn (6)
Death Prof & Planet Terror/Death Proof (2)
Death Proof & Planet Terror/Machete (2)
Doomsday (2)
Dragons – Animal Planet (William Stout)
Eight Legged Freaks (3)
El Cantante
Escape From L.A.
E.T. 20th Anniversary (5)
The Exorcist (remake)
Face/Off
Fanboys (6)
Fido
Final Destination 2 (2)
Flyboys
The Fourth Protocol (3)
Ghost Ship
Golden Compass
Grant Morrison's MBX (online animated)
Harry Potter Soundtrack
Hellboy (small) (2)
Hellboy (big)
Hellboy II
Hell's Beacon (signed)
Highlander/The Cutoff (Karate International) (2 sided)
House of the Dead (2)
The hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)
Indiana Jones (4)
Into the West – TNT (2 sides) (2)
Iron Man (launching) (2)
Iron Man (4)
Iron Man (2)
Jackass 2
The Jacket (2)
James Scott (audio play)
Jurassic Park – The Lost World (2)
Kill Bill (3)
Kull the Conqueror (3)
LifeForce (9)
Lord of the Rings – Two Towers (small) (2)
Lord of the Rings – Two Towers (big)
Lord of the Rings – Return of the King – Gandalf
Lord of the Rings – Return of the King - Frodo
Master and Commander (2)
Master & Commande (2 sided) (2)
McHale's Navy (4)
Millenium Actress (2)
Mongol (59)
Mr. Ed Salad Bar – Nick at Night
Ninja Babes from Space (2)
One Piece (2)
Pathfinder (2)
Perfect Creature (2)
Punisher 2004 (Skull) (2)
Punisher 2004 (Thomas Jane) (3)
Punisher War Zone
Red Planet
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (2)
Remo Williams: The First Adventure (6)
Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (7)
The Rock
Rollerball (remake) (3)
Sci-fi Channel (2)
Scorpion King (8)
Seeing Red
Silence of the Lambs
The Sixth Day (3)
Slacker Cats
Slayer (3)
Stardust (2)
Stargate - Ark of Truth
Star Trek Nemesis (4)
Star Trek 2008
Star Wars – Revenge of the Brick
Star Wars – The Phantom Menace – Taco Bell 1 of 4 (with coupons)
Star Wars – The Phantom Menace – Taco Bell 2 of 4 (with coupons)
Star Wars – The Phantom Menace – Taco Bell 3 of 4 (with coupons)
Sweeny Todd – Depp (2)
Sweeny Todd – Depp & Carter (2)
Tales of the Broken Moon
Timeline (3)
To the Devil – A Daughter (2)
Tomb Raider soundtrack
Tomorrow Never Dies
The Tune (singed & personalized by Bill Plympton)
Transformers (2)
Twilight (2)
Underdog
Underworld (2)
Urban Legends - Final Cut
War of the Wizards (11)
War of the Worlds
Watchmen - Silk Specter (5)
Watchmen – Comedian (2)
What About Bob
X-Men (2)
X-2 (3)

America Film Market 1989
America Film Market 1990
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival 2005 (2)

Theater
It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues

Books
Hatter: The Looking Glass Wars - (2)
Star Wars – Legacy of the Force
Tigerheart (Peter David) (2)
Waldenbooks Other Worlds Club

Comics
100% - Vertigo
2001 Nights (3)
Arrowsmith
Batman Adventures
Big Daddy Danger - DC
Black Dragon
Black Tiger
Chronicles of Sara
DK2
Feather
The Filth – Grant Morrison – Vertigo (2)
Fables
Galtow
Helix Comics
Human Target - DC
JLA: Obsidian Age
Magnus Robot Fighter – Aklaim
A Man Called Ax – DC (3)
Marvel in Previews
More Than Mortal Sagas
Ninjak – Aklaim
The Pummeler
Replacements
Savage Swod of Conan
Sin City
Spiral/Black God
Troublemakers - Aklaim
Turok - Aklaim
The Warrior's Way
Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia – Original Universe
Warrior's Way
Will Eisner Tribute
WS: Eye of the Storm - Wildstorm
Zombie Loan/Alice on Deadlines

Big Apple Convention September 2005 10th Anniversary (Arthur Suydam) (3)
Big Apple Convention November 2007 (Brian Kong)
Big Apple Convention June 2008 (Michael Golden - Iron Man) (16)
Creation Convention National Tour 1983
MoCCA Art Fest 2005 (2)
Whitney Comic Art Show 1983

Computer Games
Asheron's Call (2 sides)
Dragon Age Origins (2 sides) (24)
Lair (3)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Middle Earth – The White Hand
Tenchu
Warhammer Online Age of Reckoning (2 sides)

Non-Computer Games
Andromeda 2500
Dragon Quest
Kult – Illusion #1, 1994
Shadowstar Games
Sorcerer's Crusade
Who's Who Among Vampires – Children of the Inquisition

Toys
Batmobile 1950's
Justice League
JLA – Starro
Superman #14
Watchmen

Art
Architecture calendar posters (2 different)
Architecture in Congrass 2000 - 1985
Cheshire Cat
Dragan Ilic
Dragan Ilic signed & numbered (1 of 100)
Excedrin 1
Excedrin 2
Wavertree ship in South Street Seaport
Heavy Metal (Royo)
Red Grooms Grand Central Terminal (signed & personalized)
Salute to Brasil 1979
Sagres – Portuguese ship
Sci-fi – Columbia House
Space

Sports
Boxing - John Duddy vs. Dupre Strickland 5/18/2007
Boxing - Tyson - Holyfield 11/9/1996
Dr. J – Converse
Football Cards, uncut sheet
International Fight League
NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008
New Jersey Red Dogs Arena Football 1999
New York Knights Arena Football 1988 (3)
Pepsi-Gatorade (2 sided)
Tommy Moe-signed
USA Basketball “America's Team” 1992
Super Bowl XV – New Orleans

Music
The Beatles First US Visit
Hudson River Revival 1986
Apocalygma Berzerk
Battery Cage
Bella Morte
Imperative
KMFDM
Psyclon 9
Retrosic
Seabound
System Syn

Other
Cindy Crawford in fantasy armor - Pocari Sweat (Japan)
D-Day 50th Anniversary (3)
Famous Grouse “Henge” scroll
Famous Grouse map of Scottish whiskey distilleries
Head of Charles Regatta
“Marihuana” Warning
School of Visual Arts – Churchill & Eiffel Tower
School of Visual Arts – Imagination Birds
Stuyvesant Scroll
Taco Bell “80's, what a Decade” 1990 calendar
Timespell (Multi-media show in Watkins Glen, NY)
Tower Records book covers (2)
Tower Records calendar 1987 (3)
Tower Records calendar 1989

Most of the posters are in great shape, though some are a little battered from having been up on a wall or in transit.

If you are interested, contact me at zorikh@juno.com or 917-865-1214