'Captain Marvel' Trailer Breakdown: New Footage Shows How Skrulls Transform
Captain Marvel is finally starting to gain a touch of humor in a brand-new trailer, but the upcoming film from Marvel Studios is also beginning to lean even heavier into its 1990s setting. We’ve got legit ‘90s grunge rock, a look at Skrulls transforming, and even an official name for one of Carol’s coolest powers.
On Monday night, Marvel Studios released a new “Extended Look” at Captain Marvel during the final Monday Night Football game, and though it recycles some sequences from the first and second trailers, there’s a smattering of new footage as well.
Fury comments directly on Carol’s iconic style, saying, “Grunge is a good look for you.” She shoots back with, “Did you have a rough day, Agent Fury?” probably referring to the bandage over his eye. Carol is a sassy superhero on par with Tony Stark’s snark, and even though this trailer also grapples with her identity crisis in Captain Marvel, it also delivers on a much lighter tone.
That being said, here are 5 important details you might have missed in the new trailer.
5. What ‘90s Song Plays During the New Captain Marvel Trailer?
At the beginning of the trailer, we see what looks like the inside of a jukebox and a grungy song begins to play. That song is “Connection” by Britpop post-grunge band Elastica. Later, Carol shoots probably that same jukebox with a blast of energy.
Marvel Studios film editor Debbie Berman, who’s currently working on Captain Marvel, confirmed to Inverse in December that the film would draw influences from the ‘90s, the time period the story takes place in.
“It was such a joyous decade for a lot of things,” Berman said. “So we’re leaning into that wherever we can.” One place where that’s happening is in the music.
Carol probably likes Elastica, but who knows what other bands?
Do Skrulls have binocular vision?
4. We Finally Know How the Skrulls Shapeshift
Similar to how a Transformer scans cars and then transforms into them, Skrulls seemingly need visual data to transform into humans. We see as much when a Skrull on the beach spies a surfer. Their skin then glows like a vampire burning up in the sunlight as their body morphs into the human.
This animation is remarkably different from the folding of skin that Marvel Comics fans assumed back in December when a “Wong is a Skrull” theory emerged.
Also Read: “We’ve Seen Proof That Wong Isn’t a Skrull in ‘Avengers: Endgame’”
Photon Blast!
3. Captain Marvel Wields Her “Photon Blasts”
In the character’s various iterations, Captain Marvel can always shoot beams of energy from her hands and arms. In some cases they’re referred to explosive blasts of radiant energy, and other times they’re beams of photonic energy. In Avengers Vol 3 5, they’re described as “powerful concussion blasts of photon and stellar light energy.” For Captain Marvel, the power is simplified to “photon blasts.”
Jude Law and Brie Larson in 'Captain Marvel'.
2. Jude Law’s Character Can Match Carol in Hand-to-Hand Combat
In one new piece of footage, Jude Law’s Kree military leader grapples with Carol in hand-to-hand combat. Even though she’s supposedly one of the most powerful beings in the universe, he’s able to match her and toss her around with ease. Does that come from pure combat experience, or is he just as strong?
Moments earlier in the trailer, he does bring some kind of energy weapon into a fight, so maybe not.
Note: We still don’t know for sure who Jude Law is playing, despite what a caption on the film’s official site might’ve said at one point.
Nick Fury doesn't say that line to Agent Coulson.
1. For Nick Fury, Captain Marvel Is the Birth of the Avengers
Steve Rogers was the indisputable first Avenger before the group of superheroes ever got a name, but for Nick Fury, Carol Danvers is the one who sparks the idea. “Do you think you can find others?” Agent Coulson asks Fury as they talk about her. “She’s just the beginning,” Fury says.
The thing is, when Fury says this line in the trailer, we see him in an elevator talking to Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, who is a Skrull in disguise. So there’s a careful bit of misdirection here as a deliberate result of the editing. Who knows what else might be misdirection?
Captain Marvel opens in theaters March 8, 2019 and tickets are currently on sale.
Check out a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Captain Marvel.
