It's been a minute since the Avengers last assembled in 2019's Endgame, and as fans eagerly await news about Avengers 5, a new MCU-themed experience is offering fans an idea of what that epic, crossover team-up will like. During the Avengers: Quantum Encounter mini-movie aboard Disney Cruise Line's Worlds of Marvel restaurant, Ant-Man and the Wasp are joined by Sam Wilson's Cap, Ms. Marvel, and Brie Larson's Captain Marvel ahead of her upcoming 2023 sequel film.
Following 2019's Captain Marvel, Brie Larson has only been seen in Avengers: Endgame and in a post-credit scene for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Her lack of presence is something other MCU projects and their characters have referenced throughout Phase 4. And, while fans will have to wait until The Marvels to discover the reason behind her MIA status, Worlds of Marvel aboard the Disney Wish managed to bring the heroine back before her upcoming 2023 sequel.
Why Disney Always Wanted Brie Larson's Captain Marvel
Aboard Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, the Disney Wish, the MCU-inspired Worlds of Marvel restaurant features a mini-film/interactive adventure known as Avengers: Quantum Encounter.
Hosted by Paul Rudd's Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, Quantum Encounter is intended to be an Avengers tech showcase that goes off the rails when Ultron - an example of Avenger tech gone wrong - crashes the party. To save the day, a number of new Avengers assemble on board the ship, including Brie Larson's Captain Marvel.
In talking with Danny Handke, the Creative Director for Worlds of Marvel, The Direct learned that Disney Imagineering "always had Captain Marvel" on their must-have list:
"When it came to picking which Avengers, as part of the finale show, we always had Captain Marvel. We started working on this in 2018; it was kind of the newest film at the time. And, her powers at nighttime on the top deck of the ship - which makes a really cool battle arena - her flying by and her binary powers just made a lot of sense and would be really fun. So she was always someone that we wanted to use."
Just as they imagined back in 2018, Captain Marvel's impressive power set is on full display during the dinner show and high above the Disney Wish's upper decks.
When asked where Disney Imagineering filmed Brie Larson for her role in Avengers: Quantum Encounter, Handke explained that he and Disney had "to chase productions around the world:"
"We did that while the pandemic was going on and in 2021. So we had to chase productions around the world and shoot everything separately; and then myself and my team had to bring it all together in post. So we shot Iman [Vellani] and Brie in London at the beginning of production for The Marvels. We shot Paul [Rudd] and Evangeline [Lilly] as they were gearing up production for Quantumania, and then Anthony [Mackie] we shot in Los Angeles. He was out here for the Avengers Campus opening. He stayed an extra day to film with us."
Quantum Encounter Teases The Marvels Team-up
Worlds of Marvel's Quantum Encounter aboard the Disney Wish is one-hundred percent made by MCU fans for MCU fans; and despite how much planning and effort that went into creating the show, it's shockingly up to date with its Marvel content.
In between scenes for Quantum Encounter, screens placed throughout the restaurant highlight a variety of MCU characters from recent Marvel films and even Disney+ shows, including Hawkeye, WandaVision, and Loki.
Despite new MCU heroes, such as Ms. Marvel and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Captain America, having such an influence on the restaurant's show, it's interesting to know that Captain Marvel was always a constant.
After marking the character as a must-have for the Disney Wish back in 2018, it's ironic to think that Imagineering's footage of the heroine is now a sort of preview of her 2023 sequel as it was filmed on The Marvels set.
So is Quantum Encounter considered MCU canon? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Just like the MCU-themed lands and attractions at the Disney Parks, Worlds of Marvel and Avengers: Quantum Encounter exists within their own universe.
But then again, technically speaking, Worlds of Marvel's Quantum Encounter will always be where fans saw Captain Marvel make her first action-packed, on-screen post-Endgame return, and where audiences first witnessed a team-up between Captain Marvel and her future co-star, Ms. Marvel.
Avengers: Quantum Encounter and the Disney Wish officially set sail on July 14; The Marvels is set to debut on July 28, 2023.
