Representation matters, especially when it comes to watching movies. To be able to see ourselves through characters shows that our stories are being told. It’s doesn’t matter what kind of film it is, but you can be sure that it will have a bigger impact if the film has a wider reach. And Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel is not only a celebration of female empowerment, but it is also a celebration of the importance of sisterhood.
ThatsItLA was recently invited to attend the press conference for Captain Marvel, where stars Brie Larson and Lashana Lynch talked about what it was like to play their multi-faceted heroic roles. See, not only is Carol Danvers (Larson) a superhero, she is a person who had to overcome the odds whenever her father, male Air Force peers, or Starforce superiors condescended, mocked, or ridiculed her. Then there’s Maria Rambeau (Lynch) a single mother who was recently reunited with her long lost friend. It is through their friendship that they are able to support each other in a male-dominated field.
Lynch, who had campaigned for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the past two years, felt like she was drawn towards something meaningful than playing just another female character in the MCU. “I felt like, energetically, I was drawn towards something that represented something that I cared about: women. So yeah, I campaigned. Of course, I did.”
Carol and Maria’s friendship is the crux of Captain Marvel. In it, we get to see a kind of representation of women that we have never seen before in an MCU film. And what makes that friendship work is the commonality they are a part of the Air Force, which can be seen as a male-dominated field.
“I think what they’ve gone through together, going through military training together, being the only women, and then using each other to lean on each other through that type of support and a recognition of their experience is really special,” Larson said.
The two are so close that they can be considered family. So you can be sure that there is no love lost between the two when that unthinkable reunion would ever happen. “They are family,” Larson said. “That is kind of what we are talking about in this film. And without being too showboating about it, that is the love of the movie. This is the love lost, this is the love found again, this is the reason to continue fighting and to go to the ends of the earth for the person, the thing, that you love, and it’s her and her best friend’s daughter.
Lynch echoed those sentiments by praising Larson’s performance and personality. “The nice thing about how Brie is representing Carol [Danvers] is that she is just a normal person,” Lynch said. “She is able to be every facet of what a woman represents today: sarcastic, dry, funny, she’s kicking them down and is prevalent in different parts of the universe.
She adds that is able to shape Maria as a person, making herself a hero, just without the powers. “So I feel that Maria embodies that in a very human way,” Lynch said. “She is able to be a kind and good person.”
Captain Marvel opens in theaters on March 8, 2019.
