Heartwarming moments in Captain Marvel (2019).
Trailers
- Seeing Fury hale and hearty before he became cynical is quite refreshing.
Movie
- The movie's tribute to Stan Lee. The Marvel Studios logo fanfare replaces the character clips and illustrations with Stan's cameos and behind-the-scenes footage of him. It ends on a black screen with the words "Thank you, Stan."
- Various reports state it wasn't uncommon for a theater audience to break into applause to the tribute.
- Carol coming across Stan on the train. When she figures he’s not the Skrull she’s chasing, she gives him a small grin. This was actually added after his death to make the moment more special.
- Also note that he's reading lines from the script to Mallrats. That's no mere random cameo, that's actually Stan Lee As Himself.
- During the first mission, the Skrull disguised as At-Lass stops Minn-Erva from sniping a refugee, stating they're not Skrulls, just starving. Sure, he attempts to kill her just after when she realizes he's a fake, but given the Skrulls' true nature, it's not hard to see him trying to keep a few of his comrades from dying.
- Although very minor, Bron-Char and At-Lass seem to have a positive rapport with Carol in their dialogue before the mission, and the Starforce unit communicates effectively and makes the best of the choppy mission they are sent on; it's clear that, regardless of what events may have led to their founding (and the connotations of what they do), the members of Starforce do trust each other, and can work effectively as a team.
- During their final confrontation, At-Lass asks Carol not to make him put her down. A simple Don't Make Me Destroy You or a genuine, heartfelt plea to a former comrade? You be the judge.
- During the train scene, upon seeing Carol punching a helpless old lady, many of the passengers proceed to restrain Carol from hurting the "old lady" any further. Even IF said old lady was actually a Skrull in disguise and that the passengers didn't know it, AND “she” had demonstrated “she” was perfectly capable of fighting back, it still doesn't take away from the fact that they were more than ready to come to an old woman's defense upon the first (supposed) sight of injustice towards her, further helped by the fact that she and her race are actually Hero Antagonists than straight up space villains.
- The reveal that the Shield Director has been replaced by Talos isn't him mocking Fury behind his back or another infiltrator Kick the Dog moment, but taking a private moment to give an autopsied Skrull comrade who died a pointless death quick last rites and wishing him well in the afterlife. It's one of the most human moments an MCU villain has ever had, even if Talos really isn't a villain.
- At one point Coulson has Carol and Fury (who has been framed and is currently thought to be conspiring with her) at gunpoint. Yet he trusts Fury and, without saying a word, lets him and Carol go and covers them.
- Even better, the dialogue in the scene immediately after has Fury reveal that Coulson is the new guy, meaning Coulson is willing to trust the guy he was just paired up with completely. No wonder Fury later considers him his "one good eye".
- Related to this, Carol overhears that Fury has been ordered killed, and even though she's aware he sold her out, she still goes back to save him.
- In the flashback to Mar-Vell's death, despite being understandably taken aback that her friend and mentor was an alien warrior this whole time, Carol does her best to comfort her in her final moments, and notably, doesn't even so much as flinch at the notion of taking over the mission to keep the lightspeed engine out of the Kree's hands. She was indeed a hero and powerful "Way before [she] could shoot fire from [her] fists."Carol: If there are lives at stake, I’ll fly the plane.
- After The Reveal about Carol's origin, Carol is understandably distraught. Unable to make that final mental leap to helping the Skrulls, she exclaims, "I don't even know who I am!" But then Maria comes up and helps to fill in the final gaps of her identity: she's Carol Danvers, who stood by her, helped to raise her family, fought tooth and nail to do what she wanted, and who's strong enough to get back up and face this new problem. Carol finally responds and gives her best friend the hug she never got at first.
- Once Carol was made aware of the true role she was playing in the Kree/Skrull conflict, she reverses course to help Talos and the refugees, proving what Mar-Vell and Maria knew about her to be true: Underneath the tough exterior and all the trauma is simply a good woman who's willing to put her life on the line to do the right thing.
- Turns out Carol’s outfit’s red and blue colour scheme was inspired by her best friend’s daughter, Monica, whom she was very close with, specifically it comes from the US Air Force t-shirt Monica was wearing - a shirt that was originally Carol's.
- Talos comes off as something of a Determinator when it's revealed that for at least six years, he's been desperately searching for some of his people, including his wife and child, and is only now finally reunited with them.
- Later in the movie the heroes find Mar-Vell's ship and discover that several Skrull refugees, including Talos' wife and daughter, were sheltered there by her. She may be a Posthumous Character but the impact of her good actions is felt throughout the whole story.
- Seeing the Skrull refugees causes Carol to momentarily break down, realizing how she's been hurting innocent refugees on behalf of the Kree. Talos makes it clear that he doesn't hold anything against her and that his hands are dirty too.
- When she first sees Carol, Soren is understandably worried, but Talos is quick to reassure her and specifically calls Carol 'a friend'.
- In an absolutely adorable moment, another child aboard the ship brings Carol over to the pinball machine she's been playing for the past years and proudly shows off her high score, even if Fury mutters it doesn't mean much since she's the only one playing it.
- When the Kree have captured Fury, Maria, and the Skrull refugees and are taking them to be thrown out the airlock, Talos, having taken the form of a Kree guard, whispers to Fury the same line about Havana that had earlier revealed him to be an imposter. Yeah, he was trolling a little, but he was also clearly trying to reassure Fury.
- Before he starts shooting the Kree guards, Talos whispers to his wife to cover their daughter's eyes so that G'iah won't be traumatized.
- After all the fighting and drama, our heroes are having a quiet dinner together in Maria's house. Humans, a half-Kree and Skrulls breaking bread is definitely sweet and a counterpoint to the xenophobia of the Kree empire.
- Monica and G'iah seem to hit it off and become friends.
Monica: You guys have the best eyes. [takes G'iah's hand] Never change your eyes.- When everyone is discussing finding the Skrull a new homeworld, Monica rather innocently asks why they can't just stay on Earth with them, like it would be the most natural thing in the world. And it is clear that none of the Main Characters would have a problem with this solution if it were possible and seem a little saddened when pointing out the safety issues.
- As we see in some later movies and shows in the MCU, some of them did stay on Earth. Fire-Forged Friends indeed.
- There is a very simple reason why Carol was never seen in any of the films before this: She had been travelling across the galaxy searching for the remaining Skrull refugees, and helping them find a new home as their protector and guide.
- At the very end of the film Nick Fury is drafting plans for a team of extraordinary individuals meant to protect the Earth. The name he uses? He titles said initiative after Captain Marvel's old pilot call sign: Carol "Avenger" Danvers.
- That naming also has another level to it. Steve Rogers may have been the first Avenger, but the second was not Tony Stark - it was Carol Danvers, whether she knew it or not.
- Another subtle thing is that this was her callsign. Pilots don't get to pick their own callsigns, and as often as not they might get an Embarrassing Nickname rather than something cool-sounding. Despite the bigoted treatment we see flashes of in her memories, it's clear her fellow pilots held her in high regard. Probably because of her fiery temper.
- Furthermore, Maria seems to have been held in similar esteem, having been granted the rather impressive-sounding callsign of "Photon."
- The friendship that forms between Carol and Fury is this due to the fact that we know that his relationship with many of the Avengers in the future (even Captain America, who Carol arguably is the most similar to) are somewhat shaky, and it’s great to actually see him get along well with a superhero for once.
- Fury is also very quickly willing to work with Carol. Outside of his initially disbelief to Carol's seemingly outlandish story, actually defers to her judgement when he accepts that she is the most knowledgeable of the two on the threat. Similarly, after the climax, he also offers Maria a job at SHIELD as a pilot impressed with seeing what she could do with a prototype Quad-jet first-hand.
- Despite being the cause of his missing eye, Fury still keeps Goose in his office after Carol leaves.
- Once Talos figures out what the Kree did to Carol, he's sympathetic and much more willing to resolve things peacefully.
- Similarly, Fury has even more reason to distrust Talos than Carol, given their dynamic over the last two days. He even takes Goose with him to space as insurance against Talos. But when Talos gets shot, Fury takes his hand and even calls him "friend." Fire-Forged Friends indeed.
- The mid-credits scene is definitely a Tearjerker given what Thanos did but Carol's behavior is actually quite heartwarming in context. True to her word, after receiving Fury's page she comes to help. Her very first question isn't to ask who the Avengers are or what happened (given that she likely witnessed the devastation of Thanos' culling), but to ask about Fury's whereabouts without preamble. As snarky as she can be she genuinely cares about him.
- Goose is a Ridiculously Cute Critter, a Badass Adorable, and Fluffy the Terrible. She only has a few minutes of screentime but steals the show.
- Mar-Vell mentions in a flashback that Goose doesn't like many people, but we see her rubbing against Carol, which in cat language is a sign of affection.
- Goose was at the base for years, waiting for her owner to return. When she sees Carol, what is her first reaction? Walk towards her and Fury. Cue a cuddle-session where Fury checks her collar and Goose gently removes his hand.
- The first sign that Talos is not the real villain is that Goose cuddles him. It becomes a Funny Moment when he freaks out since he identifies her as a Flerken, but it's a sign of trust. She later uses the same gesture to identify him when he's disguised as a Kree soldier.
- When the Supreme Intelligence calls Carol "Vers," she angrily tells the tyrant that took the image of her mentor that, "My name is Carol." She's not letting go of what she remembered.
- Early in the movie we're shown a montage of some of the many times Carol has pushed too hard in her life and suffered a defeat. At the climax of the third act, we're shown another montage of what happened immediately after those events. She stood up and kept fighting.
