Marvel Studios officially confirmed Captain Marvel's comeback in 2028. Marvel Studios was once planning for Brie Larson's Captain Marvel to be part of the MCU's next leading trinity after Avengers: Endgame. The heroine was established as one of the MCU's most powerful characters in 2019's Captain Marvel, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide despite mixed reactions. The Oscar winner later reprised her role in 2023's The Marvels, the all-female ensemble sequel to Captain Marvel, which flopped at the box office and became the MCU's lowest-grossing movie, with just $206 million worldwide, leaving her future uncertain.
During the D23 Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, Brie Larson's return as Captain Marvel was officially announced, as she will feature in the Stark Flight Lab flight simulator ride in the upcoming Avengers Campus Expansion. She will be joined by Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in serving as a flight instructor at the non-canon attraction, opening in 2028. The ride may be non-canon, but there's no doubt that Larson's return opens the doors to her taking a larger role in the main MCU once again soon.
The announcement made it clear that, despite The Marvels' struggles, there is still excitement for Captain Marvel's comeback, as D23 exploded into more cheers and thunderous applause for Larson than any of the other confirmed superhero actors.
Amid a sea of silence from Marvel Studios surrounding Captain Marvel's future, it's encouraging to see that the studio hasn't forgotten about the cosmically powered Avenger. Even if Captain Marvel isn't getting the starring role in Doomsday that she perhaps deserves, and her return is limited to the Stark Flight Lab, she wouldn't be the face of a major park attraction if she were truly done in the MCU.
The Marvels climaxed with one of the most important Avengers: Doomsday set-up post-credits scenes, confirming that Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau was trapped in the Fox X-Men Earth with Kelsey Grammer's Beast. Despite that, there is no word on whether Larson, Parris, or Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani will appear in Doomsday or Secret Wars, perhaps due to The Marvels' box office flop.
Larson previously refused to answer questions about Doomsday or her MCU future after cryptically teasing Captain Marvel on social media. Regardless, the Captain Marvel star was omitted from the infamous chair-centric cast reveal last year.
Does Captain Marvel Still Have a Future?
It would be surprising (and disappointing) if Captain Marvel wasn't included in Doomsday at all, perhaps as part of Sam Wilson's new Avengers roster that is sorely lacking actual Avengers. However, if she doesn't appear, Marvel Studios could justify Carol Danvers being, for some reason, unreachable in space during Doomsday before she appears on Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Unfortunately, Captain Marvel 3 is unlikely to ever happen, despite prior hopes of developing a Carol Danvers threequel. That fact is especially unfortunate, given that The Marvels' disaster was partly due to MCU fatigue, connections to Disney+, a lack of press due to the Hollywood strikes, and its extreme budget, rather than an extreme disinterest in the characters or massively negative reactions.
The MCU may still find room for Captain Marvel to carry a major role in the MCU's third saga, especially as the cosmic realm is rumored to be integral to the next chapter of storytelling after Avengers: Secret Wars. Rumored movies like Nova or the Annihilators could find room for Carol Danvers, given that she remains a crucial superhero that lends herself well to a cosmic narrative.
While it's easy to understand why Marvel Studios wouldn't want to build Avengers 5 around the post-credits scene of its least successful movie, it's tough to see how they can avoid including Monica Rambeau. Perhaps it was even her presence in the X-Men's Earth that caused its Incursion with the MCU's Earth-616, or maybe the mutants killed her off-screen in the hopes of avoiding a Multiversal event.
