Why Jessica Jones & Captain Marvel Need to Meet On-Screen

It's no secret that there is a divide between Marvel's television and movie studios. Although all productions might technically take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the simple fact that the two divisions are led by different heads and work on very different production schedules make it almost impossible for Daredevil to swing by a Spider-Man film, or Tony Stark to pay a visit to Rand Industries in Iron First.

That said, the fact that all of these productions technically take place in the same universe isn't lost on fans -- almost everyone would love to see all of these characters interact together, but at every turn, the powers that be tell audiences that it's practically impossible to work out the necessary logistics. The truth of the matters is, it probably just won't happen, no matter how much it should -- especially for two characters in particular.

Sure, it would be fun to see Doctor Strange and Iron Fist share mystical wisdoms, or have Luke Cage pay a visit to Wakanda, but there is one relationship that has become a pillar of sorts in the Marvel Comics Universe: Jessica Jones and Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.

In the comics, these two are best friends, despite being polar opposites. Both characters hail from very different worlds, the streets and space, and both are extremely different. One is an absolute mess, while the other is a decorated military officer, and yet these two have found support, love and strength in each other.

The strong relationship these two share was made popular thanks to writer Brian Michael Bendis, who created Jessica Jones alongside artist Micheal Gaydos, and who introduced Carol Danvers as part of her recurring cast in the creative team's Alias series. It's a friendship that was so important and defining to both characters that it continues to grow to this day in Bendis and Gaydos' current Jessica Jones comic. When Carol's not busy flying off into space or fighting alien invaders, she finds the time to sit down and have a coffee with Jess. They set each other up on dates, they call each other when everything goes wrong, and they drop and sacrifice everything if it means helping the other, even if that means going to prison for a little while.

The friendship between Jessica Jones and Captain Marvel not only belongs on-screen, it's one that the Marvel fans deserve. The MCU, whether in the movies or television, has seen its fair share of male-driven friendships, from Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, from Hulk and Thor to Danny Rand and Luke Cage. There should be more than enough room to see the female side of this coin, especially when Marvel has so many strong female characters gracing the screen.

It's lilt surprise that the only female relationship we've seen explored in the MCU so far was in the Jessica Jones Netflix series, between the title character and Trish "Patsy" Walker. But these two were introduced as surrogate sisters, who have known each her for decades. They aren't respective superheroes from opposite sides of the spectrum who bond over their bad luck with men and an ever-expanding world that is constantly threatening to overwhelm them. In fact, the friendship between Jess and Carol is such an important part of the comics that it was reported that, for a certain time, Carol Danvers was considered as a character in Jessica Jones.

However, the cinematic universe and the comic book universe aren't exactly the same and, eventually Captain Marvel would be announced to have her own solo movie in the works, starring Brie Larson. But while we missed out on Carol Danvers in Jessica Jones, that shouldn't mean that fans can't ever see this strong female friendship develop on-screen, whether big or small. Sure, the simple fact that Captain Marvel's solo movie takes place in '90s makes it impossible to have Krysten Ritter appear in the film, but the character will eventually be established in the modern day as Marvel leads out of Avengers: Infinity War and into the studios' phase 4 of movies. This means the door could be open for a sequel to see a time-displaced Carol find a friend who understands her.

If not that, then there is always the chance that actress Brie Larson would be up to pay a visit to Jessica Jones in a potential third season, after her character has been established in the universe. Larson is no stranger to television,having appeared on NBC's Community, and a guest appearance on the Netflix series would go a long way to bridge the gap between television and movies.

This is simply something that needs to happen. Marvel Studios might be too busy to plan for something like this as it gears up for Thanos's invasion of Earth. But when all is said and done and phase 4 begins, things should be a lot quieter, and much easier to manage, and it just makes sense to have this pairing happen. Apart, Jessica and Carol are fantastic, but together, they could become iconic.

CBR

The BFF Relationship Marvel Won't Give Us On-Screen