Yahoo News Captain Marvel 2: Everything you need to know
Note: Contains massive Captain Marvel spoilers
Captain Marvel has landed with a bang at the box office with the second biggest opening of the MCU to date.
It's been a hell of a wait for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give us a female-led solo movie, and Brie Larson's fighter-pilot-turned-alien-superhero Carol Danvers didn't disappoint.
But what are the plans for her beyond Avengers: Endgame? Will we get a Captain Marvel 2, and what can we expect from it?
Captain Marvel 2 plot: How does the first movie set it up?
It's unclear if a sequel will take place in the gap between the end of Captain Marvel and her arrival in Avengers: Endgame or in the time after Endgame.
There's certainly scope for a sequel to explore how Carol helped the Skrulls to find a new home, but perhaps wouldn't be as exciting as what she did after Endgame. It's the same issue that faced Wonder Woman and the DC offering decided to stick in the past for Wonder Woman 1984.
Star Lashana Lynch hopes there is a time jump past Endgame and to some time in the distant future. "It would be nice to see Captain Marvel way in the future," she said.
"Just like with this origin story, we've gone back in time before she had her powers and then as she got her powers and that slight journey just after that, I think it would be nice to see everyone – no matter what characters they are – way in the future. In like, 2050."
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Marvel boss Kevin Feige has promised that the first movie has set up a "pretty amazing" sequel.
Another option is to explore Captain Marvel's time during the five-year time jump in Endgame when she was working with the Avengers.
The Russo brothers confirmed that she wasn't in Endgame much since it was a "story about the original six". That's partly why she was off helping other planets that were also affected by the Snap.
"We love this idea that there are thousands of stories going on, and Carol, because of her abilities, is constantly in demand," Joe Russo added.
Captain Marvel was integral to the Avengers finally defeating Thanos in Endgame and she showed up at Tony Stark's memorial too. But that was the last we saw of her, so it's anyone's guess what she is now up to in the MCU.
The scope is limitless for the sequel, so we'll just have to wait and see what Marvel have cooked up.
Captain Marvel 2 release date: When can we expect it?
In truth, we don't know anything about a release date yet as Feige has confirmed that Phase 4 plans won't be revealed until after Spider-Man: Far From Home.
The studio is known for its foresight and meticulous planning, so we doubt that they would make such a big deal about Larson's character only to let her sneak off after two movies – one of which was effectively a cameo role.
And if she doesn't receive a solo movie sequel, she will be the first character not to do so since Hulk, which is famously caught up in a rights issue with Universal that has prevented any Mark Ruffalo-starring follow-ups.
Even Ant-Man got its sequel, and with Black Panther 2 and Doctor Strange 2 in the works, it would look pretty bad if the first female-led solo film in the MCU didn't get a follow-up.
As for when that sequel would arrive, we won't know for sure until Marvel officially confirms it, but one of the three 2021 release dates set aside for Marvel movies (February 12, May 7 and November 5) look likely.
Captain Marvel 2 cast: Who's coming back?
The first movie passed without any major casualties beyond Starforce member Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan).
Of course Brie Larson would be back as Carol Danvers and given the reaction to their friendship, it'd be a surprise to not see Lashana Lynch back as Maria Rambeau (although her daughter Monica might have to be recast).
Could we see another MCU favourite take the place of Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson)? Who knows at the moment.
There's no doubt that a sequel is on Larson's mind already, as she's already made a suggestion for who she wants to see in it.
"My dream would be that Ms Marvel gets to come into play in the sequel – that's the goal," she said during a panel, presumably referring to the current version of the character (Danvers' first superhero identity was Ms Marvel too, and we know Larson was very clear on not wanting to show her skimpy original costume on screen).
The latest Ms Marvel is Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American girl from New Jersey who models herself on her icon, Carol, after gaining her own superpowers. Feige has previously said that plans for Kamala are "definitely sort of in the works" (whatever that means) once Captain Marvel has arrived in the MCU.
There are other Captain Marvel-related characters ripe for appearing in the sequel.
We're already seen one in Annette Bening's Mar-Vell (gender-swapped for the movie), but she was killed by the Kree so is unlikely to return.
And there are other Captain Marvels to choose from, including Mar-Vell's children Genis-Vell and Phyla-Vell, as well as Monica Rambeau, a younger version of whom was played by Akira Akbar in Carol's first solo film.
With plenty of material to pick from, as well as characters already ready and waiting for bigger roles, Marvel shouldn't have any trouble with Captain Marvel 2.
Captain Marvel 2 trailer: When will it land?
At the moment, it's anyone's guess, but once the sequel is confirmed, we'll have a clearer idea of when the trailer will come, so watch this space.
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