‘Carol kind of became a workaholic’: Brie Larson offers an explanation for why trolls have dubbed her ‘Captain Useless’

The way the world works – or at least a certain element of social media – is that regardless of which Marvel Cinematic Universe project is currently dominating the conversation, Brie Larson will end up being trolled in one way or another.

For a very recent example, look no further than Secret Invasion; when it was revealed in an exchange between Nick Fury and Talos that Carol Danvers was “off-world” again, a meme quickly arose that decided to dub the omnipotent superhero as “Captain Useless” for never being around when the world needs her.

Fortunately, that’s set to change in just a few months when The Marvels flies into theaters, with the trailer making it clear that at least some of the action will be earthbound. Not that she needs to explain herself, but Larson nonetheless shared her thoughts with Entertainment Weekly on why she’s been restricted in canon to nothing but guest spots and cameos in the half a decade since she made her solo debut.

“The way I was able to tap into it and understand it is the concept that Carol kind of became a workaholic, and she lost touch with her heart and with family and friends. That’s certainly something I can relate to.”

It’s solid reasoning that makes sense within the context of the MCU, but will it assuage her army of naysayers? Almost certainly not, but the easiest way to flip them the figurative bird is for The Marvels to come close to matching its predecessor at the box office when it soars into theaters this coming November.