Nicole Perlman is no stranger to Marvel especially the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s penned a couple of Marvel comics, co-wrote Guardians Of The Galaxy, worked on the script for Thor, and also is currently working on adapting Labyrinth 2.
However, she’s also one of the co-writers of Captain Marvel, the upcoming MCU film. Nicole sat down with The Great Big Beautiful Podcast and discussed the creative process at Marvel as well what’s it’s like to write Marvel’s first female solo film.
Nicole:
I think that making sure that Captain Marvel is not somebody who is a hero in SPITE of her femininity is important. She’s a very strong character and her being a woman is part of that strength. I will say that there are certain tropes you can get away without having to examine too much if you’re not writing the first female Marvel Studios lead; that could be read into a lot or that could diminish hero own proactivity, strength, and independence.
Often when certain people write female characters, especially ones who are supposed to be physically strong, a lot of the time their femininity is often left out. And often times the character will mock any form of femininity, so it’s refreshing to hear that Nicole and Meg LeFauve , co-writer for Captain Marvel, are making sure to not leave out Carol’s femininity. It sounds like they’re pulling a lot of inspiration from Kelly Sue Deconnick Captain Marvel run, which Kelly did an amazing job at balancing Carol/Captain Marvel being physically strong, feminine, everything a hero should be, and also about sister hood.
Nicole was asked about the difference of working on Captain Marvel’s script versus working on Guardians Of The Galaxy. Here’s what she had to say:
“Figuring out where the story fits in the MCU influences things as well. She’s an incredible character, but I will also say that since Marvel has done so many movies already, you really have to go out of your way to make sure her story is fresh and doesn’t borrow too heavily from the other films. She’s an incredibly strong and wonderful hero, but all the Marvel characters are. So you just need to figure out how to bring her to life in a way thats unique to her story but in a way that honors the canon and also gearing out the roles that she needs to play with everything that’s going on in the MCU. It’s a little bit of a twister game whereas “Guardians” is very free– where it’s like the sky is the limit.”
We’d assume that Nicole is referring to the fact that even though Guardians Of The Galaxy is in the same film universe as the other MCU films, the storyline of the first film doesn’t have an affect on the MCU, so there wouldn’t be restrictions on how characters are developed or how they interact with other characters and surroundings.
Nicole also answered the question about Brie Larson, the actress cast as Captain Marvel, being to young for the role:
I had to consult with the Air Force yesterday and I brought up the age issue and they said that it was not out of the realm of possibility, that somebody could be very accomplished in the Air Force between the age of 28-34 and that you could go very far within that time. I don’t think the age is going to be an issue. Also obviously by the time the film comes out and by the time they finish shooting, Brie will be a lot older than when she was announced.
For those who don’t know Carol/Captain Marvel’s origin story, apart of it is her being a colonel in the Air Force, which caused many people to question if Brie was too young for the role. I’m glad that to hear that she’s not too young for the whole, cause I’m a million percent on board with Brie Larson as Captain Marvel. She’s one of the finest actresses of her generation, and not just because she’s an Academy Award winner; so she’s more than qualified to wear the blue, red, and yellow suit.
A director has yet to be announced for helming Captain Marvel, but they’re still searching! I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a director announcement at the end of this year or beginning of next year. Who would you like to see director Captain Marvel? Let us know in the comments below!
As always, we’ll continue to update you on all things Captain Marvel and Marvel.