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It’s about time; we’re getting our first female-led Marvel superhero movie!  The studio just announced a massive lineup of films and a Captain Marvel movie is on the list.  Carol Danvers’ solo film is officially set for a July 6, 2018 release.

Does this news prove the rumor that Captain Marvel could pop up in Avengers 3 (now titled Avengers: Infinity War – Part I and Avengers: Infinity War – Part II) true?  That’s still a toss-up, but now that her solo movie is confirmed, there are loads of possibilities to consider.  Hit the jump for more on that and for some information on the character.

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Image via Marvel Comics

First off, who’s Captain Marvel?  There are a number of individuals who have claimed the title, but the one we’ll be working with in the new film is Carol Danvers.   Here’s what Kevin Feige had to say about her solo film:

“This Captain Marvel’s name is Carol Danvers.  This film has been in the works almost as long as Doctor Strange or Guardians of the Galaxy before it came out, and one of the key things was figuring out what we wanted to do with it.  Her adventures are very earthbound, but her powers are based in the cosmic realm.”

According to the Marvel.com description, Danvers works her way from the Air Force Academy to the CIA and then becomes the NASA security director at Cape Canaveral.  That’s where she first encounters Captain Marvel, a Kree warrior named Mar-Vell.  While she conducts an investigation on him, the two become close.  Ultimately, both are caught in the middle of an explosion of a Kree Psyche-Magneton device and it turns Carol into a Kree/human hybrid and creates Ms. Marvel.  It wasn't until 2012 that Carol took the title of Captain Marvel.

Thanks to Evan’s Female Superhero Movies piece, we know her powers include flight, super strength, super speed, invulnerability and the ability to fire energy blasts from her hands.  Evan’s piece also came with this description of the character: “She offers a militaristic, yet uplifting approach to super heroics, and bounces off the other members of the Avengers naturally.”

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Image via Marvel

Speaking of the Avengers, now that Captain Marvel has her own movie, it’s hard not to wonder, will the studio pave the way by having her pop up in other films?  Back in August there was all that talk about Captain Marvel being part of the team Captain America puts together at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Could this have sealed the deal?

It definitely seems possible, but that same report also suggests that the studio might not want to introduce her as part of an ensemble in the third Avengers film, and considering Captain Marvel is due in theaters just two months after Avengers: Infinity War – Part I, that makes sense.  Rather than risking Captain Marvel overloaded by dropping her into Infinity War – Part I fully formed and then delivering her solo film, merely teasing the character at the end of Part I to up the hype for the release of Captain Marvel could be the way to go.

Either way, this is bound to put quite a bit of pressure on DC and that Wonder Woman standalone film.  Perhaps Gal Gadot will blow our minds in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and give DC the edge, but at the moment, Marvel is a step ahead in every respect.  Lucky for Warner Bros. and DC that Marvel didn’t announce a Black Widow movie as well.  There would have been no competing with that one.

Catch up on our coverage of all of Marvel's announcements below: