15 Ways The MCU Improved Marvel Mythology

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has single-handedly transformed the film landscape of the 21st century. Sure, there were superhero movies before it and yes, major studio franchises are nothing new. But a shared-universe concept that mixed genres, defied source material conventions, and managed regularly produce quality cinema was unheard of and was a laughable prospect only fifteen years ago.

Now, the MCU is practically a money-making machine that Disney will be milking for the foreseeable future and, since it tends to include good movies and shows, audiences are pretty happy about that all things considered. But one positive element of the MCU that often goes understated is just how much it took from the comics it is based on that it then greatly improved.

Some of those improvements, like the inclusion of a soundtrack and better visuals, are built into the medium transfer from comics to film, but then there are the bold changes to Marvel's historic continuity. These have been used to fix problems from bygone eras, refresh stale or boring characters to be more interesting, or just to make better creative choices that improve the overall quality of the narrative.

While 2019's Captain Marvel is widely regarded as one of the weaker movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is responsible for some of the most drastic improvements from the comics. And one of the biggest is the change of Captain Mar-Vell.

In the comics, Mar-Vell was a male commander in the Kree military who defected to defend Earth as the first Captain Marvel. During his adventures, he protected Carol Danvers from an explosion and, as a result, she was imbued with a portion of his DNA and attained some of his powers. She took on the moniker Ms. Marvel and later adapted to Captain Marvel when Mar-Vell died. While most of the broader elements of this origin are kept the same, the specifics are greatly changed in the movie.

For starters, Mar-Vell is now a female Kree sent to spy on Earth's burgeoning celestial endeavors. Instead of defecting for Earth, she defects to help the Skrulls, re-imagined as alien refugees, and enlists Carol's help to keep a lightspeed engine from falling into Kree hands. To fulfill her mentor's dying wish, Carol destroys the engine and the resulting explosion gifts her with cosmic powers.

This changes the narrative completely, from a woman stumbling into powers given to her by a man to a woman passing the mantel of a progressive initiative to and empowering a younger successor.