Why Brie Larson’s ‘Captain Marvel’ Will Change Carol Danvers’ Origin Story From Comics

Brie Larson has been reading up on the history of “Captain Marvel,” but she might want to focus on the character rather than the plot. It seems the 2019 film will change Carol Danvers’ origin story.

Screenwriter Nicole Perlman, who has teamed up with “Inside Out” writer Meg LeFauve to pen the Marvel flick, revealed that changes were necessary. Fans kind of expected a few differences to Captain Marvel’s backstory. In the comics, she is a Colonel in the Air Force, and at 26 years old, Larson doesn’t look old enough to have that kind of rank. However, it’s actually her similarity to a certain DC Comics character that concerns the writers.

“She’s obviously such an incredibly kick a-- character and Kelly Sue DeConnick did a great run with her story arc recently,” Perlman told the Any Time with Vin Forte podcast. “But here’s the thing: if you were just going to do a straight adaptation of the comics, her origin story is very similar to Green Lantern. And obviously, that’s not what we want to do. So there’s a lot of reinvention that needs to happen.”

Perlman had to keep details on the project sealed, so she couldn’t reveal exactly what would change. However, she noted that she was aware that her work could mean a lot to a wide audience. “I can’t say anything about what we’re doing with this, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a project where I’ve been more mindful about the impact that it could have and of the importance of it,” Perlman said.

“Captain Marvel” will be the first female-led film from Marvel Studios. Though women like Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) get screentime in ensemble superhero films, none have been the titular character. Perlman hopes she can live up to expectations and make a good Marvel movie at the same time.

“She’s her own person and obviously she has a great character,” Perlman added. “But we also have to be very aware of what has happened in other Marvel films and make sure that her particular storyline is unique and fun and also fits in within this world that’s going on at the same time. … If we can pull it off it could be an incredibly important but also really fun and kick a-- superhero film.”

It seems fans are just as excited. After being announced as Captain Marvel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, Larson expressed her gratitude for all the excited comments on her new job. “Woke up this morning thinking about the tidal wave of support I got this weekend. It was nerve-racking to trust fall into the Internet!” she wrote on Instagram. The real test will be seeing how they react to changes to Carol’s origin story.

“Captain Marvel” is set to hit theaters March 8, 2019.