One of the breakout stars of Captain Marvel has been Goose, the orange cat that befriends Nick Fury. Goose has captured the hearts and minds of the internet, with nerd culture embracing the cat as one of their own.
Members of the Carol Corps, the corner of the Marvel fandom that supports Carol Danvers and Captain Marvel, who have read the comics, however, know something else. Goose, like her comic book counterpart Chewie, is most likely an alien species called a Flerken.
Chewie (renamed to Goose for the film) is Carol’s partner in crime, part pet, part co-pilot. Carol even names her after Chewbacca, the pilot character in the Star Wars universe.
As a result, there are a few things about Chewie that might hint at what could happen in Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
Let’s break down why Goose not only deserves her own poster but deserves more attention than people have been giving her. Read on for our theory about just how the Kree, the cosmic universe, and Carol Danvers will fit into Avengers: Endgame and beyond.
Flerken, A Portal to Mysterious Nether Realms
In the comics, the Flerken is an alien species who just happens to look like a cat. Rocket Racoon points out that Carol’s cat Chewie is a Flerken upon meeting her in space. and even tries to kill her. Carol refuses to believe him… until Chewie lays 117 eggs in the ship and Carol is forced to leave her behind in a galactic rescue center.
At the rescue center, Carol met Doctor Mohan, a scientist who studied Flerken. The Doctor theorized that the Flerken’s body contained “pocket dimensions” that they can store things in. Those pocket dimensions can store eggs, tentacles, and other things. The comics illustrate this, with Chewie showing off a hideous mouth that looks more like the mouth of hell than a “cute little kitty.”
In the movie, they’ve changed her name to Goose putting special emphasis on the military and the Air Force in particular. Even if Disney owns the rights to Star Wars changing her name to Goose is smart. Goose could serve as a link to Carol’s history, intentionally or otherwise. As a pilot, she probably enjoyed movies like Top Gun, or at least, someone close to her did.
Pocket Dimensions and What Those Mean
The theory of “why Goose is extremely important” has to do with the pocket dimensions. Chewie’s body contains pocket dimensions and the Flerken can use them to teleport to different locations.
Science-wise, pocket dimensions do actually exist and are the product of cosmic inflation. Cosmic inflation postulates that the universe is constantly expanding in the aftermath of the Big Bang. This expansion would overlap and create different pocket dimensions where time will move differently.
In Marvel, Chewie uses these pocket dimensions to store eggs. Chewie also uses teleportation, moving through pocket dimensions to get back to Carol’s ship. The Flerken is a danger to others, but it does have a nifty little ability that could connect a number of other threads in the MCU at large. After all, the Flerken’s pocket dimensions could be of any size and shape. The Flerken’s pocket dimensions won’t be the first time we’ve encountered “alternate dimensions” and time travel either.
If Goose is like Chewie, it could help solve the Avengers: Endgame
Let’s go over the facts. We have a Flerken that can connect to pocket dimensions and possibly teleport. We have a woman who has been gone for the past 20 years in the MCU. Sam Jackson, aka Nick Fury, let it slip that Carol can time travel. What if Goose, an animal who plays a small role in the comics but has its own poster is the reason Carol can time travel?
Hear us out. If Goose can pop through alternate dimensions and Carol can time travel, is Goose helping her pop in and out of dimensions? Since everyone has pointed out that Goose is a Flerken, a being that can move in and out of time and space – bending physics – is Goose crucial to Carol being able to get to the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame?
There’s a big flaw in this theory. In the comics, Chewie only teleported itself back to Carol. There’s nothing to indicate that the Flerken-cat could teleport more than one being. This is a part of the MCU however, and that could easily be changed. It would fulfill a lot of fans’ dreams to have Carol pop out of time and space being led by her cat.
Goose is obviously important to the MCU. Even if the character is just a cute little gag for the poster, Marvel never does anything haphazardly. Since Sam Jackson shared that Carol can time travel -and she doesn’t have that ability in the comics – Goose could be the source of that. As to how the cat can travel, there’s one big pocket dimension that connects every dimension: The quantum realm.
If Goose can access the quantum realm to lay eggs and travel through, it’s not a huge stretch to take Carol along. Especially if the two form a grudging partnership.
Either way, Goose has stolen the show.
The cute orange cat from the trailer has stolen the hearts and minds of audiences, and the movie is not even out yet. From shirts to toys, Goose is Carol’s right-hand cat. It’s no mystery. Everyone loves cats. The focus on Goose, however, is interesting. Could Marvel be hiding a major story element in plain sight behind a cute facade? Only time will tell.
What do you think of Goose? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Captain Marvel hits theaters March 8th, 2019