In 2019 Disney released Captain Marvel, to mixed reviews by critics and audiences. Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, and Ben Mendelsohn, the film followed the story of Captain Marvel AKA: Carol Danvers, an elite Kree with superpowers due to her exposure to the Tesseract (which if we recall contained one of the Infinity Stones; the Space Stone).
As it turned out, Carol was actually a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, whose plane "Avenger" later inspired our iconic superhero team name; Avengers. But this isn't just Carol's origin story.
The film details how Nick Fury's involvement with Carol and the Skrulls begins (which is further explained in Secret Invasion), leading to how he lost his eyesight in one eye and thus wore a distinct eye patch synonymous with his character. As Carol learns more about her past including reconnecting with her best friend Maria Rambeau, the mother of Monica Rambeau (whose story extended into WandaVision and The Marvels).
Throughout the film, Carol has proven herself to be a strong warrior, but something is always amiss. By the end of the film, several plot twists are revealed including how she received her powers, but perhaps most importantly, that the Kree were the true antagonists all along mercilessly hunting down the Skrulls.
Carol becomes Captain Marvel, freeing herself from the Kree implant which had been suppressing her immense powers. The Skrulls now homeless thanks to the Kree seek Captain Marvel and Nick Fury's aid in finding a new home (also heavily explained in Secret Invasion).
After the conclusion of Captain Marvel, Carol does appear in Avengers: Endgame amongst an extensive cast of other Marvel characters, both heroes and villains alike. She does make one brief appearance during the season 1 finale of Ms. Marvel, which followed the story of Captain Marvel's biggest fan Kamala Khan, and how she is able to harness superpowers of her very own.
This conclusion created an interesting setup for Captain Marvel to return to the MCU. However, the sequel to Captain Marvel would undergo several changes, including adding two more superheroes to the film's roster.
Unfortunately for Captain Marvel, audiences were less than thrilled with the film, having received an audience score of 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Marvels (2023) and Secret Invasion (2023) didn't help matters with the lore, adding more questions as to what Marvel will do next with the superhero, the Skrulls, and any characters connected to them.
What we find particularly interesting about Carol Danvers is her continued connection to the Skrulls and Monica Rambeau, as in both situations she seemingly abandoned them. The Skrulls, now without a planet or home of their own relied heavily on Carol and Nick Fury to find them one.
The lack of fulfillment in this promise is what brings about Skrull Gravik's revenge in Secret Invasion. On the flip side, we have Monica, who was blipped during the Thanos snap and always harbored resentment for Carol for abandoning her and her mother during her childhood.
Monica had always deemed Carol more of an aunt than a friend, making her disappearance all the more hurtful and difficult to overcome. By the end of The Marvels, there remains tension between the two, but there is still hope their bond can be mended.
Captain Marvel is streaming on Disney Plus.