Captain Marvel (film)

***Captain Marvel*** is a 2010 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film is the ninth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third film in Volume Two. *Captain Marvel* was directed by Patty Jenkins and written by Allan Heinberg. Jude Law stars as Walter Lawson/Mar-Vell, alongside Katee Sackhoff as Carol Danvers, Ben Mendelsohn as Kl'rt, Gemma Chan as Anelle, Chace Crawford as Steve Danvers, Jessica Chastain as Abigail Brand, and Tommy Flanagan as Ronan.

The film was released on November 24, 2010.

## Plot

On a Skrull spaceship in deep space, Kree Captain Mar-Vell has been captured by the Skrull empire. General Kl'rt interrogates him about the wherabouts of the Cosmic Cube. Mar-Vell claims he has no idea where the cube is, but Kl'rt tortures him, until Mar-Vell manages to overpower him and escape. He finds Princess Anelle, his former lover, who points him to an escape ship before promising to see him again. Once his ship leaves the Skrulls, Mar-Vell is revealed to have used technology to hide the Cosmic Cube within his own body. He sets a course for the Kree world of Hala, but Skrull fighter jets come after him. Mar-Vell is blasted off course and his ship is blown up. Kl'rt believes him to be dead, but the Cosmic Cube has activated a portal that sends Mar-Vell, and the cube itself, to Earth.

Mar-Vell tries to contact the Kree, but the technology is not compatible on Earth. Mar-Vell steals the identity of Walter Lawson, a NASA scientist, in order to possibly get access to a spaceship. There, he meets Dr. Carol Danvers, and her supervisor Abigail Brand. Brand seems suspicious of him, but does not show it until they are alone. Brand attacks him and reveals that Dr. Lawson is a member of the secret NASA division S.W.O.R.D., along with herself. Mar-Vell reveals his story, but Brand does not believe him. Mar-Vell shows her the Cosmic Cube, forcing her to bring him in. She takes the Cube to study, but accidentally activates it, sending a signal to the Skrulls. Mar-Vell tries to warn her, but she does not listen. A Skrull ship arrives and attacks the base, collecting the Cube and killing many S.W.O.R.D. agents. They nearly get to Mar-Vell, but Carol arrives and distracts them. She is badly injured herself, but it gives Mar-Vell time to escape, with her in tow.

Mar-Vell takes Carol to Hala, where the Kree help keep her alive. Mar-Vell reports to Ronan, the Supreme Accuser of the Kree Empire. Ronan is angry about him bringing a human to their world, but backs down when Mar-Vell reveals the Skrulls got the Cosmic Cube. The Kree scientists discover Carol absorbed some of the energy from the Cube and now has superhuman abilities. Ronan approves Mar-Vell's plea to train Carol so they can get the Cosmic Cube back. Carol has lost most of her human memories, but Mar-Vell uses this to his advantage in training her. At the NASA station, Brand is the one of the only survivors of the attack. Carol's brother, Agent Steve Danvers, arrives with a S.W.O.R.D. unit and learns what happened from Brand. She has located Hala based on Mar-Vell's information and is preparing to set out. Steve joins her.

Mar-Vell's coaching is cut short when the Skrulls arrive on Hala, with new weapons using the Cosmic Cube's energy. They destroy several buildings, before sending a team to the prison. Mar-Vell and Carol ambush them, but discover they have come to rescue several innocent prisoners taken by the Kree. Mar-Vell becomes disillusioned with his people's intentions, and allows the Skrulls to escape with their prisoners. Ronan begins killing several Skrull soldiers, including the unarmed. Mar-Vell attacks him, and Carol helps the Skrulls get away. Mar-Vell leaves with Carol, and the two are found by a S.W.O.R.D. ship. On board, Steve gets Carol to remember her old life and they begin making a plan to get the Cosmic Cube back, but get the Skrulls to safety. Ronan leads a team of experienced Kree warriors to take back the Cosmic Cube and decimate the Skrulls' numbers.

Mar-Vell and Carol, backed up by a S.W.O.R.D. team, make it onboard the Skrull cruiser. Mar-Vell finds Anelle and gets her to tell him where they are keeping the Cosmic Cube. Carol gets Anelle to safety, and learns she had Mar-Vell's baby many years ago but sent it to Earth without telling Mar-Vell, so that the Kree couldn't get to it. Carol promises to reunite her and Mar-Vell with their baby. Mar-Vell finds Kl'rt with the Cosmic Cube and promises him safety if he hands the Cube over. He refuses to believe Mar-Vell and prepares to use the Cube to reform planets into their new home world, due to the Kree destroying their first. Ronan arrives and disrupts their fight. Carol arrives and watches as Ronan kills Mar-Vell. Carol and Kl'rt both attack Ronan, who takes the Cube, but becomes overwhelmed by its power and dies. Carol takes the Cube, angering Kl'rt. Carol offers him another chance to take Mar-Vell's original offer, but he refuses to accept help from any other species.

Carol returns to the S.W.O.R.D. ship, where she informs Anelle of Mar-Vell's death. They reluctantly allow the Skrulls to escape, but Carol promises to watch out for them. Anelle decides she cannot face her child without Mar-Vell, but asks Carol to ensure Earth's safety from the Kree and Skrulls. Steve and Brand offer Carol a place in S.W.O.R.D., but she reveals that she needs to take up Mar-Vell's duties as a space hero, and even takes on his name, as "Captain Marvel". In a mid-credits scene, Kl'rt reports to Emperor Dorrek VII, Anelle's father, and reveals that she defected due to Mar-Vell. Dorrek orders the destruction of the Kree. In a post-credits scene, Yon-Rogg, the new Supreme Accuser of the Kree, orders the immediate capture of Captain Marvel.

## Cast

* Jude Law as Walter Lawson/Mar-Vell
* Katee Sackhoff as Carol Danvers
* Ben Mendelsohn as Kl'rt
* Gemma Chan as Anelle
* Chace Crawford as Steve Danvers
* Jessica Chastain as Abigail Brand
* Tommy Flanagan as Ronan

## Reception

### **Box office**

*Captain Marvel* grossed $361.9 million domestically and $413.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $775.4 million. The film had a domestic opening weekend of $55.3 million, debuting at number one for the weekend. *Captain Marvel* had a five-day opening total of $83.7 million.

### **Critical reception**

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 84%, based on 292 reviews, with an average rating of 7.43/10. The site's consensus reads, "Visually spectacular and suitably action packed, *Captain Marvel* is a rock-solid installment in the venerable superhero franchise, even if it's not as fresh as other MCU films." On Metacritic the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.