‘Captain Marvel’: Lashana Lynch Breaks Down Maria’s Superhero Quality

The latest film from Marvel Studios will unravel a mystery that affects the past and future of the MCU, with Carol Danvers exploring her history in Captain Marvel.

In the new film, Brie Larson’s character will not remember her time on Earth, but will instead be proud of her Kree heritage — until she learns about her past. Some of those memories include a friendship with fellow Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau. Actress Lashana Lynch spoke about Maria’s role in the film during ComicBook.com’s visit to the set of Captain Marvel.

“I would say that her being a fighter pilot along with a single mother is her superhero quality. That is absolutely her superpower,” said Lynch. “Being a single mother, especially a Black single mother , having been [unintelligible, but I think it’s grown or blown] by one and my grandmother, I know that there’s just a certain type of strength that comes ancestrally that you wouldn’t have been able to portray.

“That’s just a certain way we portrayed in this film that isn’t labored, but also was very much conveyed in…I actually don’t even have the words for it. I feel like nothing…you know what I mean by nothing’s labored? It’s just she’s strong, she’s bold, she’s a Black single mother. She doesn’t argue about it. She has raised an amazing child and now this child is probably going to turn out to be a superhero because she’s been raised by one.”

Lynch refers to her character’s daughter Monica Rambeau, who many Marvel Comics fans are familiar with because she goes on to become another version of Captain Marvel.

But with this film taking place in the past, Maria will be deeply affected by Carol Danvers’ disappearance.

“Her and Brie’s [Larson] character Carol Danvers are very close friends, they’re best friends, in fact,” Lynch said. “She had to go through a lot of grief when Carol disappeared and then suddenly she’s back, and she has to kind of reverse that grief and make it work for this, picking up of a friendship, which is kind of strange but ends up really beautifully. She’s just an incredible character to play. It’s nice to see someone on the page who doesn’t yet have a fully fleshed personality and who you can then inject wherever you want to. And that’s quite a treat, for a Marvel character, you know?”

Fans will get to see how the friendship is affected when Captain Marvel premieres in theaters on March 8th.