MCU Phase 4 Now Has To Fix Captain Marvel (After What If's Insults)

Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 has to undo the damage done to Captain Marvel in Marvel's What If...? After being was voiced by Alexandra Daniels in What If...?, the live-action version of Carol Danvers played by Brie Larson will return in 2022's The Marvels after Captain Marvel's cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But considering how Captain Marvel was portrayed in What If...?, The Marvels and any other Phase 4 appearances will have their work cut out to redeem Carol Danvers.

When Carol Danvers was introduced in 2019's Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige hailed her as the most powerful superhero in the MCU. Captain Marvel's origin story explained how she gained her cosmic powers from the Space Infinity Stone and her heroic example in 1995 is what inspired Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to not only create the Avengers but name the superteam after Carol's US Air Force callsign. Against Thanos (Josh Brolin), fans expected Captain Marvel would be the difference-maker but Danvers' role in Avengers: Endgame was surprisingly limited. Captain Marvel was offscreen for most of Endgame, appearing only at the beginning and end of the film. When Captain Marvel finally fought Thanos, she wasn't the one who put an end to the Mad Titan, although Danvers did annihilate Thanos' spaceship and helped the Avengers toward their ultimate victory.

However, Captain Marvel's role in What If...? didn't exactly show the cosmic Avenger in her best light. After Danvers made a brief cameo at the end of What If...? episode 3, fans finally got to see her in action in episode 8, "What If... Thor Were An Only Child?" Captain Marvel's battle with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was very entertaining as the two god-like heroes smashed each other across continents. Still, Danvers was summoned to stop Party Thor from inadvertently destroying the Earth and she didn't accomplish her goal, although Carol explained she held back using her full powers. Instead, it was Thor's fear of his mother Frigga (Josette Eales) who finished what Captain Marvel couldn't. What If...? episode 9 was an even more embarrassing performance by Captain Marvel, and she was quickly annihilated by Ultron (Ross Marquand), who easily withstood her full power thanks to the Infinity Stones.

In What If...?'s two instances, Captain Marvel was called upon for her power and she didn't get the job done. Rather, Carol Danvers' limits were exposed; Thor showed Captain Marvel isn't worthy by pinning his hammer Mjolnir on Carol's chest to easily subdue her while Ultron needed mere seconds to take her measure and destroy her utterly. Neither appearance by Captain Marvel showcased any experience or wisdom she gained from spending decades traveling the universe, first with the Kree Starforce, and then as a solo superhero righting wrongs in outer space.

Instead, What If...? reduced Captain Marvel to someone who shows up in an emergency, throws punches, but doesn't actually win fights when she needs to or solve the problem at hand. In Captain Marvel, Carol easily outclassed the Kree but against beings of equal power like Thor and Ultron, Danvers didn't deliver results when there was a genuine world-threatening crisis. Since What If...? repeatedly proved that Captain Marvel's sheer power can be rendered irrelevant, it leaves fans to wonder what, then, makes Captain Marvel special outside of her cosmic abilities? Even in Shang-Chi, Captain Marvel was left puzzled by the Ten Rings despite all of her intergalactic knowledge and experience.

In The Marvels, Carol Danvers will be joined by Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), who hero-worships Captain Marvel. It will be up to The Marvels (and any other surprise MCU Phase 4 guest appearances Carol Danvers makes) to rehab Captain Marvel's image and reputation and prove that she's a hero who is truly worthy of Kamala's adulation. So far, calling two different versions of Captain Marvel to stop Multiversal crises made her look ineffectual, thanks to What If...? The main MCU needs to do better by Captain Marvel because What If...? has sadly turned the first female superhero to headline an MCU movie into a bit of a joke.

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