As far as Marvel Cinematic Universe sequels go, The Marvels will be different from anything that has come before it. Instead of focusing solely on Carol Danvers like the first Captain Marvel, the follow-up film will also be bringing in Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan. While that means that three generations of powerful Marvel heroes will be on the screen together, it could pose a problem for the movie.
Since Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau are each incredibly strong characters in their own right, it gives their ensemble movie a huge power-level problem. There are ways that the film could work around this, but it also presents difficulties in terms of which villain would have enough physical prowess to take on The Marvels' core trio. Consequently, the film risks rendering any threat completely null and void.
The Marvels Has an Overpowered Cast
Avengers: Endgame demonstrated Carol Danvers' extreme power levels, being one of the few characters to take on Thanos single-handedly. That was something that not even the Hulk could achieve, despite his super-strength being his entire premise. It's worth noting that Captain Marvel's conclusion already showed this problem, with the final "battle" being absolutely no challenge to Carol. Add in that Carol is arguably one of the most disliked MCU characters yet, and any film focusing on her could repeat the same sins of being bland and lacking any stakes.
Then there are the additions of Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau, who may get the codename Photon in the film. Kamala's powers were changed in the MCU to be essentially like that of a Green Lantern Ring, while Rambeau has energy powers somewhat similar to Carol's. That takes the overpowered ice cream cone and adds two extra scoops, requiring the movie to have a villain that is strong enough to threaten all three women.
But that is made all the more difficult because absolutely none of the three have a robust, iconic Rogues' Gallery to choose from, especially Carol. Though tons of cosmic characters could get thrown into the mix, it’s not a particularly good look when a random villain is made up just to justify another movie in an otherwise underdeveloped property.
Possible Ways To Escalate The Marvels' Stakes
The Marvels could fall into the trope of depowering one of its heroes, which is sadly all too common in superhero sequels. Superman II, Spider-Man 2 and Wonder Woman 1984 all dealt with their respective heroes losing or giving up their powers in some way. And sure, it got done well in two of those movies, but the idea isn't particularly original or even interesting at this point. It's also another bad optic if a character has to get depowered to justify their presence in a movie, especially if it's their own film.
The best course of action to take with the three mighty heroes might be to split them up for a good bit of the movie, having them deal with separate threats that become a larger one. This way, the trio can shine on their own while still coming together by the movie's end. That would also mean that each could have their own personal journey and story that ties into the film. Still, creating three such threats will still be a challenge, especially since three Marvels are more overpowered than just one.