The decision to keep a male romantic counterpart out of the picture for Brie Larson's Carol Danvers was recently defended by Captain Marvel's executive producer.
The Marvels, which serves as the sequel for Captain Marvel, is set to hit theaters on November 10.
To honor the MCU's most influential female characters, Marvel Studios released a 4-episode series on Disney+ titled MPower, with each installment focusing on different women in the franchise.
Captain Marvel's episode specifically highlighted the close relationship between Carol and Lashana Lynch's Maria Rambeau, and how that is important to not only the movie and character but to all the women of the MCU.
Why Captain Marvel Doesn't Need Romance
In the Captain Marvel episode of Disney+'s new MPower series, President of Physical, Post Production, VFX, and Animation at Marvel Studios Victoria Alonso revealed why the character of Carol Danvers doesn't need a male love interest.
In the episode, Captain Marvel Editor Debbie Berman pointed out how "there's no romance" in the film.
Alonso defended the decision to not include a love interest for Captain Marvel since "it didn't add anything to the story." She also mentioned the relationship between Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau, noting how that was a "wonderful friendship:"
"There was no reason to have a male counterpart, ’cause it didn’t add anything to the story and it’s one of the most wonderful friendships we’ve put together in the MCU."
Larson herself commented on the matter as well, calling the two characters' friendship "humbling" because true love "doesn't have to be romantic:"
"In this film, the great love of her life is her best friend. And it’s humbling, because you realize love, it doesn’t have to be romantic. It can be a deep friendship."
Zoe Saldaña, who plays Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, added that a close friendship between two women "are enough for each other:"
"What if a woman is just a friend to another woman and they are enough for each other? And they make each other feel like they are enough for themselves."
Ms. Marvel's Iman Vellani also talked about the relationship between Carol and Maria, saying that "they have this really healthy love:"
"Carol and Maria, they have this really healthy love and trust for each other. They were the only ones that could be there for each other, to lean back on when things got hard."
Normalizing Friendships in the MCU
Superhero films have always had a tendency to include the main hero struggling to balance their danger-ridden life with some kind of love interest.
Clark Kent didn't know how to make a relationship work with Lois Lane, Steve Rogers had to choose between saving a lot of people or being with Peggy Carter, and Tony Stark had to sacrifice his perfect family life to bring back half of humanity.
It seems as though a male/female romantic relationship in these types of films and for these characters is automatically expected.
However, Captain Marvel not only challenges that notion but revolutionizes how important true friendships are.
Alonso mentioned how Carol having a love interest "didn't add anything to the story," but it could even be argued that it would have taken away from it.
The movie proved that a woman didn't specifically need a male counterpart to lean on and that a friendship between Carol and Maria could mean just as much for those characters as Wanda Maximoff's relationship with Vision meant to her.
At the end of the day, Captain Marvel took a step in the direction of normalizing close bonds between characters without turning them romantic.
MPower is currently available to stream on Disney+.
