Captain Marvel 2 Can Follow In The MCU's Winter Soldier Footsteps

If Captain Marvel’s sequel The Marvels follows the precedent of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it could be one of the MCU's best movies. Captain Marvel’s MCU journey has already mirrored Captain America’s in many ways. Both superheroes were introduced to the MCU with a solo origin film set in the past. They were both then incorporated into Avengers movies before getting another solo film, one set in the present.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is widely considered to be a highpoint in the MCU. The Winter Soldier was a very successful sequel solo film, making the most of Captain America’s already established lore by bringing it into modern times. The Winter Soldier found a way to expand upon Captain America's character arc in modern times, while also establishing new meaningful figures in his story. If The Marvels follows Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s path, this will only make Captain Marvel a better character, setting her sequel film up as a highpoint in the MCU.

The Marvels Can Be Carol Danvers’ The Winter Soldier

Captain Marvel in a dimension in the MCU

In order for The Marvels to successfully follow the sequel template set by Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the movie needs to explore how Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is different in this timeline, while also connecting her to her past roots. Unlike Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who went into the ice in the 1940s and woke up in the 20th century, Carol has experienced every year between her two movies. While Captain America: The Winter Soldier included funny bits like Cap’s notebook full of the movies and music he needs to catch up on, mixed with heartbreaking moments like the death of Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), The Marvels will need to explore how almost 30 years have changed Carol, beyond what was shown in Avengers: Endgame.

However, despite the need to modernize her, the film needs to stay connected to Captain Marvel’s roots. The moments with Peggy Carter, alongside the introduction of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as the Winter Soldier, kept Captain America: The Winter Soldier tied to the lore developed in Steve’s first solo movie. The Marvels' story needs to do the same. Luckily, it seems that the movie is already on that track, as it will include Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) – Carol’s best friend’s daughter, who appeared as a little girl in the first Captain Marvel, and who now has superpowers. Similarly, it seems that Captain Marvel is already on track to follow Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s example of introducing new meaningful figures into Carol’s life. Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduced Steve to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and The Marvels is set to introduce Carol to Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani).

Why The Marvels Is Already Exciting For The MCU's Future

Beyond what The Marvels can do for Carol Danvers’ story, the movie is already very exciting for the MCU. The movie has many first for the MCU, both onscreen and off – three titular female heroes (Carol, Monica, and Kamala all have the alias “Marvel”), a woman of color as the villain (Zawe Ashton), a female screenwriter (Megan McDonnell, who also wrote WandaVision), and a Black female director (Nia DaCosta). In terms of story, The Marvels will most likely have a big part in setting up Kang the Conqueror as this MCU phase’s main villain. Theories are abundant that Kamala’s bangle is most likely connected to Kang and the tech that he uses.

As a sequel to Captain Marvel, and as a part of the MCU as a whole, The Marvels has a lot of potential to be very successful. If the movie follows the path of another successful sequel film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it would serve Carol Danvers’ story and help the MCU’s future. With The Marvels set to premiere in July, all there is to do is wait and see if the movie will prove to be one of Marvel's best movies in the MCU.

Next: The Marvels Sets Up 2 Perfect Avengers Leaders