After a few days of hype-building, Marvel Studios dropped the second trailer for Captain Marvel during Monday Night Football. As Marvel’s first female-led superhero film, and a character that is hugely popular from the comics, Captain Marvel is earning every bit of that hype so far and then some. The first trailer featured a goosebump-inducing sequence of Carol Danvers falling down at different points in her life and getting up every single time. And that last shot of her going binary?

Captain Marvel goes binary

(Credit: Marvel)

Beautiful.

We got a few teasing glimpses of things in the first trailer, like the younger versions of Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. We also got a fleeting shot of Jude Law’s yellow-eyed Mar-Vell and a few other Kree fighters. Outside of that, we had yet to see others in the film, such as Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser and Ben Mendelsohn’s Skrull villain, Talos (because of course, he’s playing a villain). But the second trailer took care of that, showing us a lot more of Carol Danvers’ world and a few new faces.

This certainly gave us a deeper look at the story Marvel is setting up for its badass boss of space. Let’s dive in and break it down, shall we?

The Old Lady Is Definitely A Skrull

Confirmed: The sweet old lady is definitely an evil alien

Confirmed: The sweet old lady is definitely an evil alien

First off, Marvel was quick to explain to the whole punching the old lady in the face thing from the first trailer. Comic book fans knew that old lady wasn’t an old lady, but a shapeshifting Skrull, but general audiences were…well… a little confused at best and outraged at worst. Marvel definitely made it clear in a blatant piece of exposition that Captain Marvel has a damn good reason for punching the old lady, and it’s because she’s an evil Skrull. Got that? Skrulls = bad. Punching them in the face is a-okay!

Carol Danvers’ Origin Story Has Been Changed Up

Now, Marvel haven’t exactly been sticklers when it comes to adhering to comic book canon in terms of narrative or origin stories. Not one story that has been adapted for the big screen has been a direct adaptation of the comics, and I’d argue it’s made the MCU better because of it. It’s no different with Carol Danvers’ origin story. In the trailer, Annette Bening’s character explains to Carol that they apparently found the human Carol Danvers unconscious and near death. In order to save her and make her stronger, the Kree fuse her with what appears to be their own Kree DNA, which is what gives her her powers.

This is a definite departure from her comic book origin story, in which she gains her powers after being caught in an explosion with her Kree mentor, Mar-Vell. When she’s bombarded with the energy from the explosion, Mar-Vell’s DNA is fused with her own, changing Carol’s genetic structure and making her a half-human, half-Kree hybrid. So while the part of her story that finds her as a human who gets fused with Kree DNA remains the same, the way in which that happens has been changed up considerably.

Better Looks At Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn And Annette Bening

Jude Law as Mar-Vell, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, and Annette Bening in a mystery role

Jude Law as Mar-Vell, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, and Annette Bening in a mystery role

While we caught that aforementioned glimpse of Jude Law as Mar-Vell in the original trailer, we had yet to see (or hear) Ben Mendelsohn as villain Talos, or see Annette Bening’s as-yet-unnamed character. We get a far better glimpse of all three this time, and all of them get some dialogue in this second trailer.

We have yet to see the return of Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou as Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer, respectively, unless some eagle-eyed fans managed to spot them for a split second in either of the trailers. But it’s entirely possible we’ll get one more trailer before the movie hits theaters in March so we may see them yet. And even if we don’t, it’s not as if we don’t know what they look like, considering they spent an entire movie chasing the Guardians of the Galaxy around the universe.

A Clearer Monica Rambeau Easter Egg

Even though it was already glimpsed in images released earlier, we get a better shot of the Monica Rambeau Easter egg. In the comics, Monica Rambeau is a rival and friend to Carol Danvers, with a powerset very similar to hers. In the movie, her mama, Maria Rambeau, will be one of Carol Danvers’ fellow Air Force pilots and a friend. What’s more, Maria goes by the call sign of “Photon” – one of the superhero code names her daughter will later take in the comic books – and we get a much clearer shot of that in this trailer. Her call sign is displayed prominently on her jet in one of Carol’s flashback scenes.

Maria Rambeau as Photon

Maria Rambeau as Photon

By the way, if you’re wondering what Carol Danvers chose as her Air Force call sign? “Cheeseburger.” It was “Cheeseburger.” Yep. Take that, “Maverick” and “Iceman.”

The Jamie McKelvie Costume Design

Fans of the comic books know that Carol Danvers has now had two of the most iconic suits in Marvel comics, first her unitard as Ms. Marvel and then her utilitarian suit with distinctive helmet in her reimagining as Captain Marvel. The version of Carol Danvers most readers are familiar with now, however, is the one created by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Jamie McKelvie. McKelvie’s art, in particular, defined Captain Marvel for a new generation and gave her the look we know today. The VFX in the trailer looks like it was ripped straight from the McKelvie comic book panels, right down to her mohawked space helmet.

Straight. from. the comics.

Straight. from. the comics.

I don’t know about you, but those last shots of her flying through space and blasting things left and right with her photon streams gave me chills. So did the shot of her going binary, with her hair standing on end and aflame with energy.

Looks Like Chewie Will Play An Important Role

The bumper of the trailer might have confused more casual audiences. Outside of the funny image of a younger, softer Nick Fury speaking baby talk to a cat, it seemed sort of…out of place? But Captain Marvel fans know that the scene holds a deeper meaning. See, in the comics, Carol Danvers has a cat named Chewie. Well, not a cat, but a “cat.” See, I put “cat” in parentheses because she’s actually a Flerken alien, a dangerous, tentacled alien race with a murderous streak and a penchant for laying eggs everywhere. Rocket Raccoon, in particular, hates Chewie and tries to kill her every time he sees her. Granted, you can’t really blame Rocket for trying, considering Chewie looks like this in reality:

There's something wrong with that cat...

There’s something wrong with that cat…

A Funko POP! figure revealed that Chewie is getting a name change to Goose for the movie – bonus points for the Top Gun reference, Carol. Even though Disney owns both the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, there’s a reason they’re keeping Star Wars references out of the movie. Possibly a legal issue regarding character names? Star Wars has been referenced before in the MCU in two separate movies, first in Captain America: Civil War and in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Regardless, for whatever reason, they’re keeping it out of Captain Marvel. But considering Chewie – er, Goose – got a bumper in the second trailer and is getting her own Funko dolls, it appears as if the cat-that-isn’t-a-cat will play a bigger role in the movie than just hanging out and being cute.

Lots to unpack with this new trailer, but if there are any Easter eggs and cool bits you spotted that I didn’t include, give us a shout-out on social media and let us know!

One thing’s for certain. Thanos has no idea about the ass-whoopin’ heading his way.

Captain Marvel is set to hit theaters on March 8, 2019. We won’t have long to see her again when she saves the day in Avengers 4.

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