A few years ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe promoted their movies and television shows with the line, “It’s all connected.” That remains true in 2019, especially after the shocking events of Avengers: Infinity War. At the end of that film, many of our favorite heroes were erased from existence thanks to Thanos snapping his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. The post-credits scene saw Nick Fury send out an emergency message before he also disappeared. The message got a response from someone comic book fans know as Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel.
Fast forward a few months and we’re now on the verge of the Captain Marvel film. The historic project marks the first solo female superhero movie in the MCU. It takes place in the 1990s and features younger versions of characters like Fury and Agent Phil Coulson. With Captain Marvel already confirmed for Avengers: Endgame, there are all kinds of theories for her solo film and how it connects to the upcoming summer blockbuster.
5. Cull Obsidian
Is this a piece of Captain Marvel's costume hanging from Cull Obsidian in 'Infinity War'?
(via u/Junt4) pic.twitter.com/IQsOYESe5v
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) August 7, 2018
In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos wasn’t alone in his quest to round up the infinity stones. He held help from his “children,” the Black Order. The group consisted of the Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glave, and Proxima Midnight. None of them survived the film, falling to various members of the Avengers. However, fans have looked at every detail of the movie and spotted something interesting about Cull Obsidian.
Early on, Obsidian and the Ebony Maw invade New York in search of the Time Stone. They engage in an exciting battle with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and Wong. Cull Obsidian just so happens to be in possession of a sash that looks oddly familiar. It shares colors with Captain Marvel’s costume. The MCU is carefully crafted and wouldn’t carelessly throw this in. There has to be a reason. Some fans believe it signals that Cull Obsidian will make a surprise appearance in Captain Marvel. He may not defeat her, but he could come away with a trophy.
4. Leader
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This is more of a theory based on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, rather than for just the standalone Captain Marvel film. Since the MCU officially began back in 2008, there are a few heroes who have been the focal point. Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor have been the main three. Hulk and Black Widow follow closely. With most of their contracts coming up, people were left to wonder who was going to lead the Avengers going forward.
The answer cleared up over the past few years. First, Spider-Man joined the MCU and has been a huge success. From his first appearance in 2016 up to Spider-Man: Far From Home this July, the character will have appeared in an incredible five movies in four years. Black Panther was a billion dollar blockbuster and will work as a top Avengers. However, many believe it is Captain Marvel who will take over as the official leader. Captain is already in her name and Kevin Feige has admitted she’s the most powerful character they’ve introduced so far. A trio of Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and Spider-Man sounds like a good group to lead the team.
3. Alternate Timeline
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Two things that have been mentioned should put some questions in your head. First, Captain Marvel takes place in the 1990s. That’s a long time before the Avengers were even considered to come together. The other is that she’s supposedly an incredibly powerful character. That begs the question, where has she been all this time? If she’s so strong, why hasn’t she been involved in anything so far?
A theory suggests that the entire solo film takes place in an alternate timeline. That would explain her absence in the entire MCU. The idea of a separate timeline has already been introduced in Doctor Strange and we’ve heard that the quantum realm from Ant-Man will play a major role going forward. Captain Marvel could use one of those to come over to the timeline we’ve been seeing for years.
2. Nick Fury’s Eye
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Nick Fury is famous for his eye patch. The character had it in the comics and when Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Fury for the first time in 2008’s Iron Man, he had the patch. When folks heard that this took place in the 90s and starred Jackson, intrigue shot up. The trailer revealed that Fury not only looked much younger, but he also had both of his eyes. That led to a barrage of theories suggesting that he loses the eye at some point during this film. Will it happen in a fight against the Skrulls? Does it involve Captain Marvel herself? Does Agent Coulson play a part? Only time will tell.
1. Doctor Strange
In 2016’s Doctor Strange, the titular character revealed he was in possession of the Time Stone. It allowed him to travel back and forth through time, as well as set up time loops. In Avengers: Infinity War, Strange has a key moment where he says he went in time to view millions of possible outcomes from the fight with Thanos. The Avengers only win in one of those. Many have theorized it’s why he gave up the stone to Thanos in exchange for sparing Tony Stark. Stark must be crucial to their victory and for them to win, some must get wiped out.
Another person critical to their win seems like it will be Carol Danvers. A theory out there claims that Dr. Strange himself will make a surprise appearance in Captain Marvel. The idea is that he traveled through time to warn Danvers about what Thanos was going to do. It could be a post-credits scene, but it would be a way to tie her into Avengers: Endgame and set up her arrival.