Marvel Studios What If used a different actor to voice Captain Marvel. Is this a good-bye signal from Marvel to Brie Larson? Let’s know more.
What If could not rope in some core actors to voice their respective superheroes. This is why we had new voice actors for Captain America, Iron-Man, Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Captain Marvel among others. Considering Brie Larson’s long-term controversy, has Marvel finally decided to replace her as Captain Marvel?
The Brie Larson Controversy
Right from when she came into the MCU, Brie Larson surrounded herself with controversy. After Marvel’s announcement that Larson would be cast as Captain Marvel in 2016, fans were excited. However, in 2018, at the Crystal + Lucy Awards, she spoke about the increasing “white influence” in Hollywood. She said, “I don’t need a 40-year-old white dude to tell me what didn’t work for him…it wasn’t made for him! I want to know what that film meant to women of colour, to biracial women, to teen women of colour.” Again, in an interview with Marie Claire UK in 2019, she again opened up about it. “I started paying attention to what my press days looked like and the critics reviewing movies and noticed it appeared to be an overwhelmingly white male,” she said.
Such words led to outrage among men’s rights activists many of whom even tried to tank her upcoming Captain Marvel a year later in 2019. Although she did clarify herself by saying that “what I’m looking for is to bring more seats up to the table,” her previous words still continued to fan the flames among those who felt that she was trying to be a toxic feminist. And naturally, we are forced to think if all this would sit well with those at Marvel.
A New Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel truly appears in episode 7 i.e. Party Thor’s invasion on Midgard, of Marvel Studios What If. Her debut, however, was in the form of a cameo in episode 3 .e. the Avengers murders, where she had just one line: “So, where’s the fight?” However, it wasn’t Brie Larson who voiced Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel. It was Alexandra Daniels. Of WGN America TV series Salem fame, What If is Daniels’ first venture with Marvel Studios.
Alexandra Daniels does not mimic Brie Larson’s voice for Captain Marvel. This is something different from what we saw with Tony Stark and Captain America where Mick Wingert and Josh Keaton managed to replicate the accent of Chris Evans and the voice of Robert Downey Jr. for the respective roles. Rather, she gives to Captain Marvel what Hudson Thames gave to Spider-Man. The spirit of the character remains the same and manages to carry the arcs perfectly while maintaining their originality.
Multiple Possibilities
One may argue that what led Marvel to choose Alexandria Daniels was Brie Larson’s disapproval to lend her voice. But we don’t have any reason as to why she would do so. After all, she already is shooting for the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels which is scheduled for a November 2022 release. However, there is another suggestion. If the dubbing for What If began after the production for The Marvels began, it may be that Marvel has already made up its mind to get away with Brie Larson. Or, the last reason is probably that her deal with Marvel ends with The Marvels and What If is not in the deal.
