‘She’s Gotta Have It’ star DeWanda Wise was recently forced to bow out of the Marvel film ‘Captain Marvel’ due to her commitment to her Netflix series which was renewed earlier this year. Relative newcomer, British actor Lashana Lynch was selected to replace Wise in an undisclosed role. Though this part was never confirmed, it was initially reported that Wise had signed on to play Monica Rambeau, the alter ego of Marvel’s second hero named Captain Marvel. Even though initially, Rambeau had no connection to either the first, Mar-Vell or the current bearer of that title, Carol Danvers, who will be the focus of the film, over the years, they have forged a connection.
ThatHashtagShow has reported that they have learned that Wise was actually the second person offered this role, which they also did not outright confirm. Apparently Disney/Marvel initially offered this part to an unidentified up-and-comer and according to the website, the first actor was the spitting image of Monica Rambeau, which reinforces the idea that this will be the character included in the movie.
The only detail about this character that is known is that she is a single mother and is a “contemporary” of Carol Danvers’.
In the comics, Monica gained the power to transform into light, radiation and other forms of energy. (She even replicated Green Lantern’s Power Ring abilities during a crossover between the Avengers and Justice League.) She operated as the second Captain Marvel, before later changing her name to Photon, then Pulsar, then Spectrum. (It’s a long story.) She joined the Avengers and even became their leader for a period of time. She has also been a member of the off-beat Next Wave team and the unofficial group the Marvel Divas. She and Carol both served as members of the cosmic team the Ultimates.
Captain Marvel’ will be directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, based on a script by Meg Lefauve, Nicole Perlman and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Brie Larson headlines the cast as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, while the cast also includes Jude Law as Mar-Vell, Ben Mendelsohn possibly as Yon-Rog, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva.
‘Captain Marvel’ opens on March 8, 2019.
