Captain Marvel: 20 Easter Eggs And References Explained
3. The Canyon Dogfight Mirrors One From Independence Day
Given Carol Danvers' past as a fighter pilot, it was always going to be the case that there would be some dogfights in Captain Marvel. The film does not disappoint in that regard, showcasing multiple sequences where Carol and Maria are behind the controls of an aircraft and engaging in some aerial hijinks. There's the flashback involving Danvers and Mar-Vell, but the sequence involving the Quinjet in the third act deserves extra discussion.
First off, the fact there's a prototype Quinjet is pretty impressive in itself. The vehicles are used frequently by both the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. following the Battle of New York, but the earlier model seen here still manages to do the business.
In the film's closing moments, Maria, Fury, Talos and the rest of the Skrull refugees are in the Quinjet being chased by Minn-Erva. Maria manages to outmanoeuvre the her opponent by taking the Quinjet into a canyon in a way that warrants comparisons with 1996's Independence Day. Will Smith's Steven Hiller tries a similar trick when fighting a lone alien ship in Roland Emmerich's film, resulting in the destruction of the alien vessel.
They don't finish the dogfight in quite the same way, but the location and way in which Maria takes on Minn-Erva is very similar to how it plays out in Independence Day.