Marvel Studios
As if we thought the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t get any bigger before Avengers: Infinity War opens on April 27, 2018, the Russo brothers dropped a major bombshell that can undoubtedly change the odds in our heroes favor! With just over a month before the release date, this is the longest of any Marvel film to date with a runtime exceeding 150 minutes. There is official casting for both Captain Marvel and Silver Surfer, with statements from the directors [loosely] confirming character presence in the first installment of Infinity War – which can simply just mean a post credit scene, let’s not be too greedy! Does this movie need more characters, you may ask?
Let’s see who they are and what they bring to the table and I’ll let you be the judge if you want them on your team when war is upon us.
Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers
ING/Marvel
Academy Award winner Brie Larson will star as Captain Marvel, a former Air Force pilot, C.I.A. agent, and overall feminist badass. While her standalone film, that premieres next year, will take place during the 1990s, her role and age in Infinity War are less concerning than her overall abilities. During her time in secret ops, she was held captive and formed a unique relationship with a Kree spy, Mar-Vell, with whom some of his abilities are transferred to her when he sacrifices his life on her behalf. Fun fact, Mar-Vell will be played by Jude Law… possibly in blue body paint.
What Are Her Abilities?
ING/Marvel
This traumatic experience left Carol with residual Kree skills such as superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, flight, physical durability, a precognitive “seventh sense” and a perfectly amalgamated human/Kree physiology that renders her resistant to most toxins and poisons. Also, she is immune to most heat and can absorb energy and return it back in photonic form – similar to how Black Panther’s vibranium suit can blast back any hits taken. Oh, did I mention she can survive in space, too? It might be simpler to think of her as the ‘alien Captain America’ since the two characters share a stern sense or morality and both are born leaders in their own right.
With Carol’s human/Kree physiology, this can pose a huge threat to the Black Order and even the Mad Titan himself. The challenge posed now in Avengers: Infinity War has these cosmic entities of evil facing off against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Maybe a little Kree can go a long way!
Silver Surfer aka Norrin Radd
Avengers Infinity War Silver Surfer actor Curt Clendenin
While he made an appearance in the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) the film was not well received despite a strong performance from Doug Jones in motion capture, voiced by Lawrence Fishburne. This iteration of Silver Surfer hopefully will have more depth and ties with the next phase of Marvel films. Norrin became the Silver Surfer when his world was facing annihilation at the hands of Galactus, a being who literally consumes planets, by offering himself as a herald finding new worlds for consumption so that Galactus would spare his homeworld in return.
What stood out when hearing this casting confirmation was the actor that was cast to portray Silver Surfer.
Let’s introduce Curt Clendenin, a man most known for as portraying “Miscellaneous Crew”. To be fair, his work behind the scenes and small roles can make him an excellent choice for a role entirely portrayed in motion capture. While everyone is speculating whether or not Peter Dinklage is playing a dwarf or Pip the Troll, the answer could have been right in front of us: the commanding voice of Silver Surfer! But hey, that’s just my opinion since I would truly hate for Marvel to be so heavy-handed handing the dwarf role to Dinklage.
What Are His Abilities?
Credit: WENN
The Silver Surfer can navigate through interstellar space, travel through different dimensions, and possesses superhuman strength, endurance, and senses, as well as the ability to absorb and manipulate the universe’s ambient energy for himself. Also, he has the ability to manipulate matter, heal people, cast illusions, and exceed the speed of light making him capable of time travel. These seem like a nice bag of tricks to fight off a Mad Titan and his armies. When basic human strength and heroism fall flat, the Silver Surfer is no stranger to battle as well as sacrificing himself for the salvation of others.
Fun fact, the Silver Surfer’s big bad boss Galactus has a long-standing conflict with Thanos. Hopefully this is something we will see in the second installment of Infinity War, but one key comic arc is that Silver Surfer eventually teams up with Adam Warlock (whom we saw being created in the post-credit scene in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 by Ayesha, high priestess of the Sovereign) to dismantle the Infinity Gauntlet once fully assembled by Thanos. Fingers crossed that if Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can’t get the job done… the ones from outer space can!
What I find most fascinating about this news break so near to the film’s release is how close to the vest Marvel is able to hold the upper hand and always remain in control of the narrative. It’s extremely impressive for such a massive studio that employs thousands of individuals globally. Now, after learning more about these enhanced superheroes, I’m ready to welcome them to the team with open arms if it means half the universe has a shot of survival.
With these new arrivals, whether it be a small scene, a shadowy figure in the post-credits, or even us having to wait until the second Infinity War installment, what I do know is this just elevated the playing field for the next phase and I for one cannot wait to get my tickets.