Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel could get redemption in a potential Captain Marvel 3, which could also solve a major problem from Avengers: Endgame.

Although there’s been no confirmation of its development, Captain Marvel 3 could provide Brie Larson with the perfect opportunity to redeem her powerful MCU superhero, and solve a major problem that dates back to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Brie Larson debuted as Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, in 2019’s eponymous Captain Marvel, after her connection to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was teased in Avengers: Infinity War. Captain Marvel was a smash-hit for Marvel Studios, passing $1 billion at the global box office, and marking a strong debut for the MCU’s first leading female superhero, but this success unfortunately didn’t last.

Released on November 10, 2023, Captain Marvel’s sequel, The Marvels, failed to live up to the success of its predecessor. On paper, bringing together Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, should have been a major box office draw, but The Marvels only grossed just over $200 million at the box office, making it the MCU’s lowest-grossing project, despite mostly positive reviews. The Marvels’ box office disaster has put Captain Marvel’s future in the MCU in jeopardy, but Brie Larson’s powerful superhero could still see redemption in an as-yet-unconfirmed sequel.

Captain Marvel 3 Could Bring Together The MCU’s A-Force Team

Marvel Studios’ potential Captain Marvel 3 (or The Marvels 2) could repeat a technique used by 2016’s Captain America: Civil War to obtain more success. After The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier developed Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers as a solo hero, Civil War brought together the MCU’s entire Avengers team in an epic team-up movie that allowed it to become the most successful installment of the Captain America franchise. This could be repeated for the Captain Marvel franchise, though instead of focusing on the Avengers, Captain Marvel 3 could bring together an all-female superhero team from Marvel Comics, A-Force.

A-Force first came together during 2015’s Secret Wars event, comprising the most powerful female superheroes in the Marvel Universe. The team was first introduced as the defenders of the matriarchal Battleworld nation of Arcadia, and the team battles Sentinels and zombies before the multiverse is rebuilt. Following Secret Wars, a new A-Force team comes together in Marvel Comics’ new continuity, and this smaller team has a huge part to play in 2016’s Civil War II storyline, which heavily features Captain Marvel. A-Force would be a great focus for Captain Marvel 3​​​​​​​, particularly following the MCU’s previous teases towards the team.

The post- Secret Wars A-Force team in Marvel Comics comprised Captain Marvel, the Inhuman Medusa, She-Hulk, the cosmic being Singularity, Runaways member Nico Minoru, and the mutant Dazzler.

Avengers: Endgame’s Disappointing A-Force Tease Means The Team Needs Justice

Although A-Force hasn’t officially formed in the MCU yet, Marvel Studios did use Avengers: Endgame’s epic final battle between the Avengers and Thanos to hint at the team’s formation. In the midst of the Battle of Earth, a variety of notable female heroes banded together on the battlefield to protect Captain Marvel and the completed Infinity Gauntlet. This line-up included Captain Marvel, Shuri, Mantis, Gamora and Nebula, the Scarlet Witch, Pepper Potts’ Rescue, the Wasp, Okoye and Valkyrie, but despite trying to be a powerful moment, this sequence simply fell flat, and felt more like pandering than actual substantive storytelling.

This moment in Avengers: Endgame felt like nothing more than fan service, and though there were some that celebrated this interaction between some of the MCU’s female superheroes, this controversial and confusing sequence has ultimately amounted to nothing. Captain Marvel 3 could be the perfect place for Avengers: Endgame’s A-Force team to finally receive some resolution, and for pandering criticisms to be assuaged. The MCU’s Captain Marvel franchise has always celebrated female power, with Carol Danvers realizing her true potential in Captain Marvel, and three female heroes teaming up in The Marvels, so Captain Marvel 3​​​​​​​ can continue this theme.

Marvel Studios Has Introduced Many Female Heroes In Phases 4 & 5

Marvel Studios’ representation journey has been a long and arduous one. It took Marvel Studios to deliver the first Black-led MCU movie with Black Panther, and even longer to produce Captain Marvel, the first female-led MCU movie. Despite the delay, Marvel Studios’ recent projects have been putting much more focus on representing more groups of individuals, which includes introducing many more female superheroes during the MCU’s Phases 4 and 5. This means that any A-Force team that forms in the MCU’s current climate would be more fleshed-out, substantial and formidable, so now is the perfect time to bring them together.​​​​​​​

A new A-Force team in Captain Marvel 3 could include the likes of Monica Rambeau’s Photon, Shuri’s Black Panther, Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk, Yelena Belova’s Black Widow, Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, America Chavez, the Scarlet Witch, the Mighty Thor, the Wasp, Ironheart, the Midnight Angels and many more. Taking place in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga means that alternate female heroes such as Peggy Carter’s super soldier, Captain Carter, could also be included. A new all-female Avengers-esque team in the MCU would be supremely powerful, and would bring the star-power into a potential Captain Marvel 3​​​​​​​ necessary to save Brie Larson’s MCU franchise.

Captain Marvel Could Be Redeemed As The Leader Of An A-Force Team

Indeed, Marvel Studios could bring the A-Force team together in any upcoming MCU project, but forming the team in Captain Marvel 3 would provide the perfect opportunity to redeem Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. Larson has received undue backlash throughout her entire career as the MCU’s Captain Marvel, but seeing her as the formidable leader of a new superhero team could work to hinder these unfounded concerns. This could see her adopt a similar position to Steve Rogers’ Captain America among the original Avengers team, leading the A-Force team as its most powerful figure, but softening as part of a group.

Seeing Carol Danvers lead the A-Force team in a potential Captain Marvel 3 would be a natural evolution for her character. She was a solo hero in Captain Marvel, but learned to work as part of a team in The Marvels. This idea could be expanded in Captain Marvel 3 if Danvers brings together the A-Force, particularly since she now resides on Earth. Carol Danvers could easily reach out to some of the MCU’s female heroes in Captain Marvel 3, helping to make sense of Endgame’s A-Force tease, and giving her a much more weighty role in the MCU’s future.

Captain Marvel 3 hasn’t yet been confirmed to be in development at Marvel Studios, and it’s unclear whether it ever will after The Marvels’ failure at the box office.