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| Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) comic book cover |
In 2019, Marvel Studios is releasing their first female-led superhero movie Captain Marvel (2019). Since it’s announcement fans have been wondering what the Captain Marvel movie costume will look like?
Here’s everything we know and don’t know about Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel suit.
Who is Captain Marvel?
The character of Carol Susan Jane Danvers was created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan. She first appears in Marvel Super-Heroes featuring: Captain Marvel #13 (1967). Major Danvers was a member of the United States Air Force and a test pilot. She left the Air Force to join NASA as head of security. There she met the Kree soldier Mar-Vell known as Captain Marvel.
Danvers didn’t originally have powers. She gained superpowers after an explosion of a Kree device in Captain Marvel #16 (1969). Captain Marvel’s powers include flight, enhanced strength, durability and the ability to shoot concussive energy bursts from her hands.
What’s the History of Captain Marvel’s Costume?
Ms. Marvel’s costume first shows up in Ms. Marvel #1 (1977). It features a mask, blue and red bikini, boots, a scarf and an exposed midriff.
It’s pretty bizarre by today’s standards but it was supposed to be a female version of the original Captain Marvel costume.
The costume was mostly unchanged until the 1970s. In Ms Marvel #20 (1977) Carol Danvers got a new costume. She started wearing a dark blue one-piece with thigh-high high-heel boots, and a one-piece top with a lightning bolt on it. The sash was moved from her neck to her waist.
That design is the most iconic one and the costume most often used in cosplay for fan costumes. It lasted for over thirty years.
In 2012, Marvel launched a new series for Carol Danvers called Captain Marvel. It’s written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and the costume was designed by Jamie McKelvie. The new costume is a dark blue full body uniform with red and gold accents. She also started wearing gloves and boots. They ditched the mask but kept the sash.
By the way, this is where Danvers ditches the “Ms. Marvel” name and takes on the more gender neutral name.
“Our idea was to give her a kind of swash-buckling costume that invoked a sense of her history as an Air Force officer,” Jamie McKelvie said on Tumblr. “Her hair is slicked back at the sides when in costume – so her Kree-style helmet can form when she needs it.”
There was a small amount of complaining that her costume was changed because of the “vocal minority” of SJWs (Social Justice Warriors). The late VP of Current Animation at Marvel Entertainment and former editor Stephen Wacker set the record straight on Twitter. “There were a lot of reasons to change the costume,” Wacker said, “One big one was that I wanted my daughter to be able to dress up as Captain Marvel.”
The new costume, and the short hair cut has been beloved by fans ever since.
What is Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel Costume Like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
First, nothing has been confirmed and there have been no official images of Larson in costume. However, we still have a pretty good idea what it looks like.
In early 2017, Marvel Studios invited journalists to their newly renovated offices on the Disney Studios lot and gave them a peek at concept art. Vanity Fair wrote a whole article about Captain Marvel’s costume but added no pictures.
At San Diego Comic Con 2017, Marvel unveiled concept art from the upcoming film. A few fans got some pictures of it. After the Captain Marvel concept art leaked it was confirmed by artist Andy Park.
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| Captain Marvel (2019) concept art from San Diego Comic Con 2017 |
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| Captain Marvel (2019) concept art from San Diego Comic Con 2017 |
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| Captain Marvel (2019) concept art from San Diego Comic Con 2017 |
It’s pretty blurry, but you can clearly make out that it’s based on the 2012 version of the costume. It has the style and color scheme and features the star on the chest. Most MCU costumes have a tactical design to make it more practical and this is no exception.
Captain Marvel’s Sash
The sash is gone and it’s been replaced by a red belt. The gloves are there and the boots but you’ll notice she’s not wearing high heels. That actually can be a problem. Why?
Captain Marvel’s Boots
According to Marvel’s official description of Captain Marvel she’s 5′ 11″ (1.80m). Brie Larson is 5′ 7″ (1.70m). So unless she has three foot soles she’s not going to measure up.
Captain Marvel’s height isn’t a game changer but it is part of the character. “The only physical thing I wanted for Carol—I was hoping for Carol to have some height,” Kelly Sue DeConnick told Vanity Fair, “In the books she’s five-foot-eleven. There’s a little bit of an intimidation factor that comes with her being so tall.”
That said there are plenty of fierce women that aren’t giants. Look at Selma Hayek (5′ 2″ or .57m) or Michelle Rodriguez (5′ 5″ or 1.65m). Those women aren’t tall but totally rock.
DeConnick quipped, “I’m five-feet tall and I can be intimidating.”
Captain Marvel’s Hair
Over the years Carol Danvers has had long blonde hair, but starting in 2012 she got a short hair cut. Her hair has been a hotly debated topic by fans.
Brie Larsen said it’s one of the most common things she hears from fans. While doing a press tour underway for Kong: Skull Island (2016) she told IGN about it. “I feel like this is a big conversation,” Larson said, “Every day I have people yelling at me on Twitter like, ‘You better have long hair’ or ‘You better have a mohawk’ or ‘You better wear the helmet’ or ‘You better not wear the helmet.’ Someone’s going to be mad.”
We don’t know what kind of hair style she’ll have for the MCU though. Concept artist Andy Park joked the hair is the last to be decided.
Captain Marvel’s Helmet
When the costume was revamped in 2012 Captain Marvel got a Kree helmet.
“I love the helmet!,” DeConnick told Vanity Fair, “That is not a universal opinion. After we left the book, they got rid of the helmet. I have a lot of boring continuity arguments on the history of the helmet and a list of reasons as to why the helmet exists. I want the helmet!”
Most actors don’t like working with masks because it limits range of expression. The only MCU character that wears a full face mask is Captain America. There’s no sign of the helmet in the concept art and it may not show up. That could change though.
The final design could change between now and then and I’ll update this post when some more information is released.
That’s everything we know so far. Brie Larson is going to where a costume based on the 2012 comic book version with a full tactical uniform but no sash, or helmet.
About Captain Marvel (2019)
Directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Written by Meg LeFauve, Nicole Perlman and Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Starring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Captain Marvel is scheduled to be released on July 6, 2019 (US).
What do you think of Captain Marvel’s costume?
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="32120 ">1 Comment
I should see if I still have my copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance to see what costumes she had in that. At that time the black Ms. Marvel one was still the norm but they usually had some throwback ones.