‘The Marvels’: When is ‘Captain Marvel 2’ coming out?

Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani first teamed up on screen in late 2023 as the Marvel Cinematic Universe tried to stitch together threads from WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. The project that fans once called Captain Marvel 2 finally arrived as The Marvels on November 10, 2023, after multiple pandemic-era delays pushed it out of its original 2022 window. The story centers on a power-swap accident that forces Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan to trade places whenever they use their abilities, a premise that turned the sequel into a three-way team-up rather than a solo showcase.

Excitement reaches new heights

During production, Larson spoke about the sprawling sets that felt like her own private theme park. Those sets made it to the finished film, though the scale translated into a brisk 105-minute runtime rather than the epic sprawl some expected. Samuel L. Jackson returned as Nick Fury in a supporting role that anchored the story on Earth while the three leads handled the cosmic side of the plot. Filming wrapped well before the 2023 release, turning early Instagram leaks into distant production memories.

A family affair

Teyonah Parris stepped fully into the role of Monica Rambeau, now operating as Spectrum with full command of her energy powers. Zawe Ashton appeared as the Kree commander Dar-Benn, the film’s primary antagonist. Park Seo-joon joined in a supporting capacity that kept his screen time brief but memorable. Iman Vellani reprised Kamala Khan, bringing the teenage perspective that linked the story directly to the Disney+ series that introduced her. Director Nia DaCosta and writer Megan McDonnell kept the focus on the makeshift family dynamic between the three heroes even as studio notes reshaped the final cut.

Box Office Performance and Legacy

The film earned $206.1 million worldwide against a reported $374 million production budget. That gap produced an estimated $237 million loss for Disney and made The Marvels the lowest-grossing entry in the MCU’s theatrical lineup. At the time of release it still ranked as the highest-grossing film directed by a Black woman, a milestone that sat awkwardly beside the financial disappointment. Marketing struggled to explain the power-swap hook to casual viewers, and the November timing placed the movie between two major awards-season releases that dominated attention.

Critical and Audience Reception

Reviewers gave the film a 63 percent Tomatometer score, with most praise aimed at the easy chemistry between Larson, Parris, and Vellani. Complaints centered on a cluttered third act and abrupt tonal shifts between comedy and stakes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore handed out a B grade, a respectable but not ecstatic mark that aligned with the mixed word-of-mouth. Post-release conversation quickly moved past the 2021-era hype and focused instead on what the underperformance might mean for future MCU scheduling.

The Power-Swap Concept and Story

The central gimmick forces Carol, Monica, and Kamala to swap locations whenever they activate their powers, a device that creates both slapstick set pieces and genuine strategic complications during fights. Their common enemy is Dar-Benn, a Kree leader seeking to restore her people’s homeworld at the expense of other planets. The script leans on the existing WandaVision reunion between Carol and Monica while folding in Kamala’s fan-girl energy from her own series. The result is a tighter, more ensemble-driven story than the first Captain Marvel, even if the rapid location swaps sometimes outpace the emotional beats.

Director's Vision and Alternate Cuts

In 2025 interviews, Nia DaCosta confirmed that the released version differed from both her original pitch and her first assembly cut. Studio input reportedly tightened the scope and altered several character arcs, including an alternate ending in which Captain Marvel perished alongside Dar-Benn. DaCosta has remained diplomatic about the changes, noting that the theatrical cut still contains the core relationships she wanted to explore. The existence of that darker ending has since circulated among fans curious about what might have been.

The Marvels now sits in the MCU catalog as a brisk but uneven experiment in shared-lead storytelling. Its modest box-office footprint and mixed notices have already influenced how Disney plans the next phase of cosmic entries, even as the three leads continue to appear in separate projects that keep their characters alive on screen.