Jude Law is in final negotiations to join the cast of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck‘s ‘Captain Marvel’. Brie Larson stars as the titular hero, Air Force pilot Carol Danvers, who gains superpowers when her DNA becomes combined with that of an extraterrestrial. In a surprising move, Law is playing Doctor Walter Lawson, a.k.a. Mar-Vell, a character who, in the comics, was Marvel Comics’ first Captain Marvel.
This version of Captain Marvel, co-created by Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, debuted in 1967’s ‘Marvel Super-Heroes’ #12. He was a member of the Kree alien race, sent to spy on Earth, but he wound up falling in love with the human race and instead chose to defend them. Walter Lawson was a recently deceased scientist, whose identity Mar-Vell adopted as a cover.
He was given his own title starting in 1968 and in 1971-72 guest-starred in the famed ‘Kree-Skrull War’ storyline in ‘The Avengers’. In 1977, ‘Captain Marvel’ begat a spin-off title, ‘Ms. Marvel’ starring Carol Danvers in her first heroic identity. While Carol went on to join the Avengers and later befriended the X-Men, Mar-Vell never really broke out on his own. In 1982, Jim Starlin penned ‘The Death of Captain Marvel’ in which Mar-Vell lost his final battle, not against Thanos, but cancer.
Mar-Vell sired three children who went on to become super beings themselves. His lover Elysius gave birth to a son Genis-Vell, who adopted the Captain Marvel codename, but later became a villain named Photon. Their daughter Phyla-Vell joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and also briefly used the name Captain Marvel, but is better known as Quasar. Mar-Vell also had a son with the Skrull Princess Anelle, who inherited Anelle’s shape-shifting abilities and was raised as a human on Earth, named Teddy Altman. Teddy used his powers to join the Young Avengers as Hulkling.
It’s likely that Law’s Walter Lawson will not adopt the superheroic identity of Captain Marvel, but he is described as acting as a mentor to Larson’s Danvers.
Also appearing is Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as Nick Fury, who has been absent for the last several Marvel movies. Ben Mendelsohn is rumored to be playing the villain of the film.
What do you think about Mar-Vell appearing in ‘Captain Marvel’… but not BEING Captain Marvel? Is Jude Law a good fit for this role?
‘Captain Marvel’ blasts theaters on March 8, 2019.
Source: Variety
