The Marvels trailer makes the best case yet for the next big MCU movie

At this point, it feels like a lot of fans are getting a little tired of the endless parade of Marvel movies. But there are sparks of hope. The third Ant-Man movie may have underperformed at the box office, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a big hit. Which way will The Marvels, the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, go?

I’ll admit that I haven’t been too hyped for this one, but Disney just dropped the full trailer and I enjoyed it. Take a look:

So the plot involves Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (first introduced as an adult in WandaVision, played by Teyonah Parris) and Ms. Marvel (first introduced in her own TV show, played by Iman Vellani) getting into a situation where they swap places whenever they use their powers. Apparently this has something to do with all of their powers being based on light, although we don’t learn the details here.

How does the body-switching work in The Marvels?

According to producer Mary Livanos, the place-swapping idea comes from early Captain Marvel comics from the 1960s, where Mar-Vell — the first Captain Marvell — swaps places with human Rick Jones using magical Kree bracelets called Nega-Bands.

As you can predict, that makes for some wacky hijinks. “There’s a lot of humor. I think this movie’s very funny, and we laughed a lot while making it,” Larson told Entertainment Weekly. At the same time, it also becomes something of a metaphor for working with a team:

"I understand that feeling of being afraid to let go of control, of being afraid of passing on responsibility to others. You almost want to take on all of the burden yourself. So, I think this is an incredible metaphor for learning how to be in a team. It’s a very clear example that no one person can do it all. You need all kinds of skill sets, all kinds of people with different viewpoints and different backgrounds in order to save the world."

Watch the trailer for The Marvels

Captain Marvel was the first female-led superhero film in the MCU. For the follow-up, the producers have assembled a female-led team. The villain, Kree revolutionary Dar-Benn, is played by actress Zawe Ashton. The whole thing is directed by Nia DaCosta, who felt particularly close to the Ms. Marvel character, Kamala Khan, who is a Marvel superfan.

“I’m a big nerd from New York City, and here was this hero who was a big nerd from Jersey City, writing fan fiction the way I used to when I was that age,” DaCosta said. “It was really fun to feel close to that character in that really specific way, in a way you don’t often feel when it’s Iron Man or Thor. That was so exciting to me, knowing that I could be a part of bringing this character who I’ve loved for a decade to the big screen.”

Not only is Kamala Khan a Marvel superhero, but so is actor Iman Vellani, who had no problem setting everyone straight on the mythology on-set. It’s pretty clear this role means a lot to her.

“We’re really lucky because we have such a plethora of female characters with real flaws and real arcs,” Vellani said. “Time and time again, it’s proven that not only do these stories have such a robust fan base, but they sell.”

"Marvel has always championed that idea of finding this idealized version of yourself through their characters — a version of yourself that can fly in space or stop a train with one hand. I think that aspiration to be greater than who you are is such a universal feeling, regardless of gender identity. I hope people recognize that and find ways to identify with all of our characters."

The Marvels star Zawe Ashton is engaged to Tom Hiddleston

Finally, and this is just a little fact I thought was fun, it ends up that Zawe Ashton — that’s who plays the villain — is engaged to Tom Hiddleston, who has played Loki in the cinematic universe for over a decade at this point.

Obviously having that kind of inside info on the MCU was helpful. “It led to some incredible conversations about his experience being part of this franchise for over a decade,” Ashton said. Not only could he give her advice on performing, but also practical stuff, like making sure her costume has enough zippers so she could go the bathroom. “One of the main takeaways from our conversations was ‘What you put into Marvel, you get back.’ He said, ‘If you go into this with an open heart and a great work ethic and just want to provide an amazing experience for the fans, you’ll have an amazing experience on those sets.’ He really empowered me in that way.”

The Marvels comes out in November.

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