The Marvels: Every Update You Need To Know

The Marvels is set to be the 33rd feature-film installment of the MCU, releasing midway through Phase 5, and updates on its story and other news about the Captain Marvel sequel are expected between now and then. Following the cliffhanger ending of Ms. Marvel's post-credits scene, which features a cameo from Carol Danvers, The Marvels is now one of Marvel Studios' most anticipated upcoming movies. As with its predecessor, The Marvels will be part of the cosmic section of the MCU, dealing with otherworldly beings and plot points.

In the 2019 movie Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers is introduced as Vers, a Kree soldier with no memory of her life before joining the elite Kree military group Starforce. Eventually, she learns her real name and discovers that she was an Air Force pilot from Earth who gained superpowers from her exposure to the Tesseract. She then defeats the manipulative Kree soldiers and helps the Skrulls, a shape-shifting race, find a home in the cosmos. Carol Danvers next appears at the end of Avengers: Infinity War after Thanos wipes half of all life from the universe, and she helps the Avengers defeat him in Avengers: Endgame. Since then, she has made cameo appearances in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel.

In addition to being a sequel to Captain Marvel and a follow-up to her Avengers and Shang-Chi appearances, The Marvels will continue Ms. Marvel's story from her mysterious series finale. The 2022 Disney+ show Ms. Marvel introduced its titular teenage superhero, born Kamala Khan, into the franchise, and in the post-credits scene of that show's final episode, Kamala and Carol appear, without explanation, to swap places. The question of what has happened to them and where Kamala is now is supposed to be answered in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie sequel. While a lot is still yet to be revealed about The Marvels, here is everything else known about the cosmic MCU sequel so far.

Captain Marvel 2 Is Officially Titled The Marvels (What That Means)

In May 2021, around five months after the movie was first announced, Marvel Studios revealed the uniquely different Captain Marvel 2 title as The Marvels. The difference that this title means for the sequel is that, rather than be centered solely on Carol Danvers, like the first movie, The Marvels will be an ensemble featuring three main characters. As evident by the logo released alongside the official title confirmation, The Marvels will focus on different superheroes with the "Marvels" moniker: Carol, a.k.a. Captain Marvel; Monica Rambeau, who has been known as Captain Marvel in the comics, and Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. These three will be the main characters in the film, with each contributing to the meaning of the title The Marvels.

Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, And Iman Vellani Return For The Marvels

With Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan returning, all three actors known for portraying these characters will have co-starring roles in The Marvels. As expected upon the initial announcement of Captain Marvel 2, Brie Larson will return as Carol, reprising her role from Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Ms. Marvel. Teyonah Parris also returns to the MCU for The Marvels after being introduced in the TV series WandaVision. Parris plays Monica Rambeau, first seen in Captain Marvel (and at the time played by child actor Akira Akbar) as the young daughter of Carol's best friend, Maria Rambeau. Rounding out the main trio is MCU newcomer Iman Vellani, who portrayed Kamala, a young superhero who idolizes Carol Danvers, in Ms. Marvel.

The Marvels’ Supporting Cast Members & Villain Actor

Confirmed to appear in The Marvels alongside the titular trio is Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, who was also in Captain Marvel. His friendship with Carol Danvers in the 1990s, depicted in that movie, became the catalyst for his creation of the Avengers Initiative. Nick Fury was last seen in the end credits of Spider-Man: Far From Home working with Skrulls in deep space. His continued whereabouts were then hinted at the end of WandaVision when a Skrull alerted Monica that he wished to meet with her. Also returning to the MCU from Ms. Marvel for The Marvels are Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh as Kamala's mother, father, and brother, respectively.

Another confirmed cast member for Captain Marvel 2 is Zawe Ashton, who has been revealed to be playing the villain in the movie. Which character specifically Ashton is playing hasn't been announced, but she will be the foil for the titular trio, with her villainous role likely being confirmed in the coming months. Finally, South Korean actor Park Seo-joon is confirmed for The Marvels, in an undisclosed role.

Nia DaCosta Joins The MCU To Direct The Marvels

While the directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck helmed the first Captain Marvel, the studio opted not to bring the pair back for part 2. Instead, Marvel wanted a solo female director for the sequel and considered such names as Olivia Wilde and Jamie Babbit for the job. Eventually, Nia DaCosta was hired and confirmed by Marvel Studios to be their front-runner as director of The Marvels. DaCosta is a self-professed comic book fan and began developing the movie alongside WandaVision producer Mary Livanos. DaCosta becomes the first black female director to be hired by Marvel Studios, which is another big step in ensuring diversity in the franchise. DaCosta's previous works include Little Woods and the 2021 soft-reboot sequel Candyman.

The Marvels’ Release Date

Initially, Captain Marvel 2 was set for a release date of July 8, 2022. However, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sequel was pushed back to November 11, 2022, then again to February 17, 2023. In April 2022, Disney announced that the release dates for The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would be swapped, with the final release date of July 28, 2023, given to the former. The Marvels will be the third installment of MCU Phase 5 and be part of 2023's summer movie roster.

When Will A Trailer For The Marvels Release?

While fans expected news about The Marvels being revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios instead opted to reveal their slates for MCU Phases 5 and 6 without giving too many specific details on the individual movies and shows. This included The Marvels, with no updates revealed nor trailer released. Marvel is likely set to release more information and potentially some trailers for their upcoming MCU Phase 5 projects at D23 in September 2022, yet this is still unlikely to include a trailer for The Marvels. As both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are releasing before The Marvels, those two movies are more likely to release trailers in the coming months. That means that a trailer for The Marvels should be expected sometime in the first quarter of 2023, likely attached to Quantumania's release in February 2023.

Everything We Know About The Marvels’ Story

While specific details are unknown as far as The Marvels' plot and its villainous characters, there are many things that can be inferred from previous and even upcoming MCU shows and movies that will release before the movie. The biggest prediction can be made from Ms. Marvel's post-credits scene. The bangle that unlocks Kamala's mutant powers begins to glow with a strange purple light. In a quick turn of events, she is thrown through her closet. However, standing up from the wreckage is none other than Carol Danvers, who has apparently swapped places with her. This means that The Marvels will begin with Kamala in space — likely wherever Carol was before the switch — and Carol in the Khan household.

From this can be guessed that Kamala's bangle will also likely play a big part in The Marvels' story, exploring the bracelet's origins, nature, and powers. The bangle obviously links to Carol Danvers in some way, given how she swaps places with Kamala after the bangle begins to glow, meaning that how the two are connected will be explained in The Marvels. Also, the end credits scene of WandaVision makes clear that the Skrulls will continue to be a part of Carol Danvers's story following their importance in Captain Marvel. With their link to Monica also revealed, the Skrulls will likely also be part of The Marvels' plot.

A future MCU release that could give insight into the story of The Marvels is Secret Invasion. The Disney+ show is set to release in early 2023 and will feature Nick Fury and Talos, two characters vital to Captain Marvel's story. Therefore, Secret Invasion will likely influence Captain Marvel 2 in some way, as the Skrulls, Nick Fury, and Talos will all be major parts of the series. How this series will link, or if indeed it will at all, to The Marvels remains to be seen when the show releases in the first quarter of 2023.

The Marvels Is Currently In Post-Production

One thing that is worth noting is that The Marvels is almost finished in terms of its production, meaning a trailer won't be too far away. The filming of The Marvels wrapped in May 2022 with Samuel L. Jackson confirming that reshoots for the movie would take place in August of the same year. The reshoots are likely to be minor, and the Captain Marvel sequel should have already begun its post-production process after initial filming wrapped earlier in 2022. With The Marvels swapping dates with Ant-Man 3, Nia DaCosta and her team will have more than enough time to finish the former ahead of its release in July 2023 given its transition into post-production more than a year removed from its premiere.

Captain Marvel Has A New Costume For Phase Five

One thing revealed about The Marvels came about in Ms. Marvel's post-credits scene: Captain Marvel's new costume. Carol Danvers's appearance changes more than any other superhero in the MCU, with a different costume almost introduced movie-to-movie. Carol's last appearance before the Ms. Marvel scene was in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, where she wore the same suit as in Avengers: Endgame. However, her costume in Ms. Marvel has some notable alterations, continuing to change Captain Marvel's MCU Phase 4 looks.

The new Captain Marvel costume is less bulky and soldier-like than her previous outfits. Given how her original suit in Captain Marvel was simply a recoloring of her Starforce soldier uniform, this made sense. The new costume, however, gives Carol more of a superhero look than the space-soldier suit she had before. For example, the gauntlets from Carol's earlier suits have been replaced with more simple gloves, the sleeves are cut to three-quarter length, and her boots are less bulky than before. This makes Carol's new suit look much more streamlined than before, and she is likely to continue with this suit in The Marvels.