This is something that was in discussion when Captain Marvel first came out, and apparently it’s being brought back up for discussion since it sounds like the head of the MCU is afraid to lose Brie Larson as the titular hero, though she doesn’t appear interested in going anywhere at the moment. She might be trying to see if she can get in on the Star Wars franchise, but her role as Captain Marvel doesn’t sound like it’s in any jeopardy at this time. But seeing her as the face is still something that kind of gives some people pause simply because when one really thinks about it, the face of the MCU when it was RDJ and Chris Evans came about since RDJ is a very charismatic and funny character on screen, and even Evans has been known to crack wise a few times. So far Larson hasn’t really done that. It might be that she hasn’t been in the MCU as long as the other two, but it definitely feels as though she doesn’t have the personality that can make it happen.
If she’s going to be the face, and it sounds as though she might be, then things really need to change or the MCU needs to find someone else that’s on the roster to become the face of the franchise. For all that Captain Marvel was a decent action movie apart from a few moments that were worthy of an eye roll, she hasn’t really proven that she’s the face of anything yet. She has proven that she’s insanely tough, and the argument over who’s the strongest in the MCU at the moment is bound to be ongoing until we see a few other characters emerge, but at this time it would appear that she’s the name that will be pushed ahead of everyone else when it comes to who’s leading the charge through the rest of phase 4.
Thinking that Captain Marvel WILL change in this phase of the MCU is hopeful at best since one thing about the ‘woke’ era is that there are times when some characters are expected to change and some are celebrated for being ‘strong’ and ‘brave’ just as they are. The fact is that throughout the growth of the MCU every character is going to have to change a bit and if Larson wants to be seen as the face of this franchise then yes, she’ll have to let her personality out more and really strive to be the type of character that Iron Man/Tony Stark was, in her own way of course. For one, Carol Danvers isn’t nearly as intelligent as Tony, though she’s not a dullard by any means. She’s far more powerful than Iron Man ever was, she’s never had the alcohol and anxiety issues that Tony had, and to be honest, she’s kind of a better person than Tony was.
Compared to Steve Rogers/Captain America, the only real difference is that she had more attitude and far more power, but otherwise the two were a little more compatible. The point here is that getting people to think of Carol Danvers as someone that’s going to lead the MCU is going to take some real effort since otherwise there are bound to be several people that will think that someone else is fit for the job. Brie really needs to bring that charming personality to bear if she’s going to be seen as effective as RDJ or Steve, or she’ll find herself trying to fill a spot, or create a spot, which a distinct disadvantage, that being that people simply don’t want her there.
People want her in the MCU, there’s absolutely no doubt of that, and she wants to be there, which is even better. But trying to take over the top spot isn’t going to be that easy, nor is it going to be something that people will fully recognize until she leaves no doubt that she’s earned the spot instead of just having it given to her. The reason RDJ was the face of the MCU for so long and why Evans was right there as well was because they stepped into it in the beginning, when things were just getting started. Even better, they took their roles to heart and ran with them in such a convincing way that fans were amazed by. Iron Man started up the MCU, Captain America continued it, and so it went. Brie and all those that were introduced at roughly the same stage had a lot to live up to, and they still do. She definitely has a legacy that she has to respect and do something with, and it’s very possible that she can do it, but time will tell if she’s really bound to be the face of the franchise.
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