Casting on any highly awaited film is a surprise. Once the ink is dry on the contract, it almost always gets picked up immediately in the news. Hiding an actor in a role on a major blockbuster film is almost impossible. NDAs are pro forma, but there are too many people in the know, and at that point, it’s hard to find the leak. If an actress were cast as the title character in Captain Marvel, Marvel would have done the nigh impossible in today’s media-saturated world.

Marvel may have done the nigh impossible.

Citing earlier reports from Badass Digest that Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) would appear as a cameo at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Latino-Review is now elaborating to say that the lead role has been cast and it’s being kept “top secret.”

RT! HOT #MARVEL #RUMOR ABOUT #CAPTAINMARVEL #SPOILER Apparently, from what I'm being told, the rumor is that the studio has cast the role of Carol Danvers & keeping it top secret. I'm also being told we will first see her in #AVENGERS #AgeofUltron as originally written in previous drafts of the screenplay. In terms of the standalone film, the Marvel brain trust has blocked out the plot & story with the intention of bringing an established writer to write the script. Comic writer Kelly Sue DeConnick wanted to take a crack at writing the screenplay but I'm not sure if she got the gig. Also, I'm told legendary comic writer Jim Starlin, who has a rich history with Captain Marvel is aboard the project as a consultant. All of the above is #UNCONFIRMED so take with grain of salt until further notice but it's within the realm of plausibility. A photo posted by Umberto Gonzalez (@umbertogonzalez) on

If this is the case, that’s a lot of mouths to shut. I assume the film is already pretty much done since it’s screening for press in early April, so unless it’s the stinger, it would get spoiled in a few weeks.

I admire that Marvel is trying to keep the casting a surprise, but that age is pretty much dead now unless you go into a complete media blackout the entire week before the film opens. The movie will open in Europe before it opens here. Through the grand power of instant communication, someone will say on Twitter, “Wow! [insert critically acclaimed but affordable actress here] showed up as Captain Marvel!”

captain-marvel-carol-danvers
Image via Marvel Comics

If the casting gets spoiled for me before I see the film, so be it. As long as I don’t know how she shows up (again, this is assuming Badass Digest and LR are correct in their reporting that Captain Marvel is in the film), then I’m satisfied.

Additionally, with that bit of casting wrapped up, Marvel has already broken the story and plot for the standalone Captain Marvel, and plans to bring in a writer soon. The studio is also bringing in comics writer Jim Starlin as a consultant. As Badass Digest points out, “Starlin is the father of Cosmic Marvel, and he brought us Thanos, Adam Warlock, the seminal Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel and Infinity Gauntlet.” In addition to Captain Marvel being sandwiched between Avengers: Infinity War – Part I and Part II, it looks like the character’s film will be among the stars instead of on the ground.

Captain Marvel opens November 2, 2018