Did ‘The Marvels’ just slip in Marvel’s first official response to the Brie Larson controversy?

A lot’s changed in the Marvel multiverse since Captain Marvel released back in 2019. The Guardians of the Galaxy are gone, the Thor franchise is bad again, and the MCU isn’t quite the guaranteed blockbuster machine it was last decade. But there is one thing we can count on: certain people still hate Brie Larson.

As perplexing as the constant outpouring of negativity at the Oscar-winning actress may seem to those on the outside (although the reasoning behind it can sadly be summed up in a single word: sexism), the Brie Larson hate train has never stopped since she made her MCU debut all those years ago. Marvel Studios itself, however, has always avoided referencing those opinions on one of its leading stars. But it’s possible The Marvels just slipped in the MCU’s first official response, and everyone missed it.

A notable Nick Fury line in The Marvels feels like a direct jab at Brie Larson haters

Once the Khans have been relocated off-world to the S.A.B.E.R. spacestation, Kamala videocalls her mother to inform her that she’ll have to accompany Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau on a dangerous galactic mission to stop Dar-Benn. To placate the anxious Muneeba Khan after the call is ended, Nick Fury assures her, “Nobody cares more than Captain Marvel and nobody gets more grief for it. Trust me, Kamala is in good hands with Carol.”

It’s subtle, and wrapped up in a different kind of context, but it sure feels like this is director and co-writer Nia DaCosta’s attempt to slip in an underhanded snub at the haters of her leading lady. Alternatively, it’s not hard to imagine Samuel L. Jackson improving this line himself, given that he and Brie Larson are out and proud besties, and the Secret Invasion star is one of the few MCU stars to publicly speak out against the controversy. He once memorably, and brilliantly, labelled Larson’s detractors as “incel dudes who hate strong women.”

In fact, this line only really makes any sense as a metatextual jab at Larson’s real-world reputation as there has been no backlash against Carol depicted on screen prior to this. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law did establish that Marvel’s female superheroes face increased scrutiny compared to their male counterparts, however, specifically on the Reddit-like site Intelligencia, so we can maybe assume it’s now Marvel canon that Captain Marvel has suffered a similar blowback since her role in Avengers: Endgame‘s Battle of Earth to what Brie Larson has in our universe.

Forget Kang, toxic fanboys are the real big bad of the Multiverse Saga, confirmed.