Captain Marvel Does Have A Love Story, Just Not The Way You Think

The MCU may not be known as the most romantic shared universe in film history, but there are still some truly heartwarming love stories to be found beyond the glitz and glamor of heroes punching villains and saving the world--and Captain Marvel is no different. But the love story that pans out for Carol Danvers might not be the one you expect.

The connection between Carol and her airforce comrade Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) is what Brie Larson calls "the great love of the movie." She continued at the Captain Marvel press junket in Beverly Hills, "Without being too showboating about it, theirs is the love lost and this is the love found again. This is the reason to continue fighting and to go to the ends of the Earth. [For Carol] that's her best friend and her best friend's daughter."

"I've seen the movie with some friends and there's that moment, they left the theater like, 'Oh, Maria's the love,' and I'm always like 'Yeah!'" Larson continued, "It's not something that we made a big deal about, but we didn't need to--that love is just so strong. [...] It's like the movie totally shifts when Lashana is on screen. There's a level of power that she commands in [her performance.]"

So where does that connection stem from? Lasha Lynch pointed out the importance of Carol and Maria's shared experience and history together, which has been teased in the trailers. "They're both military, they both come from these male dominated worlds. There's that energy between them that draws them together. They also have the same sarcasm," Lynch laughed. "That's the best thing about Brie's representation of Carol, she's just this normal person. She's sarcastic, she's dry, she's funny."

Larson was quick to pick up that even without their shared military history, Carol and Maria would have likely wound up being friends--but the ability to lean on each other and support each other is key. "Going through what they went through together, going through military training, being the only women, being able to lean on each other and support one another was so important. The recognition of their experiences--it's really special."

This specific brand of deeply resonant friendship viewed as a type of "love story" isn't exactly new for the MCU--the connection between Maria and Carol has echoes of the relationship between fan favorites Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, but Carol doesn't have a Peggy Carter to juggle in the mix. But whether or not Maria and Carol will ignite with a fan following similar to the "Stucky" enthusiasts remains to be seen. "Mariol" or "Caria" certainly has a nice ring to it.

There's certainly the possibility for Maria to have a presence in future MCU films--or the possibility for her daughter, Monica, to return. Both Maria and Monica have some comics history as heroes in their own right, and as an adult Monica even held the Captain Marvel mantle for a while in the comics. The time jump between Captain Marvel's 1995 setting and the modern MCU has plenty of room for exploration built in--so there's always a chance.

Captain Marvel is now in theaters. You can read our review and breakdowns of Goose the cat, Skrulls, and those post-credits scenes.