The 2nd Captain Marvel Breakdown: Unleashing Cap’s Full Powers

So THAT’s why Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) was beating up a grandma on a train in the first Captain Marvel trailer—the grey-haired lady was a Skrull in disguise (these aliens can shapeshift, remember) and Cap was only doing what any intergalactic superhero must. Such is how the second trailer for Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck‘s upcoming film begins, with a beat-down on a public train that had us all somewhat confused until now.

The new trailer gives us our first really good look at what Captain Marvel is like when her full powers are on display, and it’s quite the sight to behold. Before we get there, we get some of Carol Danvers backstory, giving us some clues on how she ended up becoming a member of Kree’s elite Starforce. Let’s have a look at the trailer again, then go break it down:

Danvers Becomes a Kree

When Danvers was a mere fighter pilot, she crashes in some dusty outpost, where the Kree (in the form of Annette Bening, no less, in a mysterious role) find her and patch her up. Okay, they do a little more than patch her up—the Kree make Danvers one of them, investing her with an impressive suite of powers. “Your life began the day it almost ended,” Bening’s Kree character says. “We found you with no memory. We made you one of us.” That loss of memory appears to be a major issue for Danvers. “Something in my past is the key to all of this,” she tells the younger Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). What this thing in her past turns out to be is likely a central mystery of Captain Marvel.

A Brief Look at Maria Lambeau

When Danvers is getting into her Air Force fighter jet, her buddy Maria Lambeau (Lashana Lynch) is in the plane next to hers. In the comics, Maria is the mother of Monica Rambeau, who becomes Captain Marvel herself (and a member of the Avengers) in future issues. Something to keep in mind.

The Starforce

Danvers adoption into the Kree ranks gives her immense powers, but also vast responsibilities. In the slo-mo sequence, we see Danvers walking towards the camera with her Starforce comrades. Pausing the frame, we see they’re Djimon Hounsou as Korath, Pérez Soto as Att-Lass, Rune Temte as Bron-Char, and Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva. The Starforce is heading to talk to none other than Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who was a psychopath by the time we met him in Guardians of the Galaxy, but here looks like he might be a potential ally considering he loathes the Skrulls.

Enter Jude Law’s Mar-Vell

Jude Law’s Mar-Vell isn’t in the trailer much, but when he is, he’s got some wisdom to impart. “You’ve come a long way, but you’re not as strong as you think,” he tells Danvers. You’ll notice that Mar-Vell is in the green Starforce uniform, but little birdies are chirping that Mar-Vell might not be who we think he is.

Captain Marvel Unleashes her Full Powers

The first trailer kept Danvers in her drabber green Starforce uniform, as well as keeping her powers more or less in check. That’s not the case here. The trailer’s penultimate scene shows Captain Marvel in all her glory, blasting off into space in the red, blue and gold costume we’ve seen in the comics, unleashing her nearly infinite powers as she becomes a one-woman dervish of pure energy. It’s a riveting, eye-popping sequence, and hints at why so many folks believe Captain Marvel is not only the most powerful superhero in the MCU, but the one who will help the Avengers deal with that pesky Titan, Thanos, in Avengers 4.

Nick Fury Pets an Alien Cat

In the comics the alien cat’s name is Chewie, here, it’s named Goose (hat tip to Top Gun‘s Anthony Edwards). The bottom line is the trailer ends with Fury going gaga over the little cat, and Danvers having to hurry him along. It’s the softest side of the famous S.H.I.E.L.D. operative we’ve ever seen.

Featured image: Captain Marvel poster. Courtesy Walt Disney Studios/Marvel Studios ©Marvel Studios 2019