The Flerkens will flow in The Marvels, as revealed by the film's returning Ms. Marvel star, Iman Vellani.Following The Marvels' surprise closed-door D23 Expo trailer showcase, Vellani confirmed to Deadline that the film will blend multiple elements from the film it follows, 2019's Brie Larson-headlined Captain Marvel, with that of her recent Disney+ show, including Ms. Marvel's post-credit scene. "You can see more of the Khan family, I'm really excited for that. More of the stuff we love from Captain Marvel, you know, getting the Flerkens back and, you know Kree and... just Brie in general," she exclaimed. Further praising Larson, Vellani said that the Captain Marvel star "does such a wonderful job at giving Carol Danvers a lot more emotional complexities in this movie and seeing how she interacts with... you know Kamala, who is much younger, and Monica. And so it's, uh, a pretty crazy journey for her."
In Captain Marvel, a young Carol and Nick Fury encounter a cute, unassuming orange cat named Goose (changed from his comic name Chewie), whose cuteness hides his status as a dangerous alien creature called a Flerken. Like in the comics, the physiques of Flerkens resemble ordinary Earth cats, but the furry exterior hides horrific tentacles and teeth, and they have the ability to weaponize bodily pocket dimensions for both offensive and defensive purposes. Indeed, the quasi-cat would prove instrumental in helping to thwart Carol's former Kree allies. While the film ended with Fury taking Goose in -- despite the alien being responsible for scratching out Fury's eye -- it's unknown whether he's still in possession of the pet, with Secret Invasion's trailer reaffirming that Fury has been off-world for some time.
The Marvels' preview capped off a day of casting and trailer reveals at Marvel Studio's D23 panel, with Larson, Vellani and Teyonah Parris taking the stage for the presentation. Unlike Secret Invasion and Werewolf by Night, whose trailers were dropped online, no footage for The Marvels has been released yet. However, descriptions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe trailer confirm that Kamala Khan, Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau will be united through a mysterious force that's causing all three superhumans to swap places whenever one of them uses their powers. Though Kamala -- an ardent Captain Marvel fangirl -- is excited to meet Carol, the trailer also hints at Carol and Monica remaining estranged, returning to a detail established back in WandaVision.
Unlike her comic counterpart's polymorphic abilities, Ms. Marvel's Kamala Khan gained light-based powers through an alien bangle passed down by her Djinn great-grandmother. This allowed Kamala to create giant crystallized versions of her arms and legs, though The Marvels' trailer implies a greater connection between her, Carol and Monica's powers. Furthermore, Ms. Marvel concluded with the reveal that Kamala is a mutant, rather than an Inhuman, potentially laying the groundwork for more MCU Mutant or X-Men characters like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever antagonist Namor.
The Marvels will release in theaters on July 28, 2023.
Source: Deadline via Twitter