Disney’s The Marvels has finally been revealed, and the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe entry promises to pick up the threads where films and series such as Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and WandaVision left off, weaving together the similarly “cosmic”-powered superheroines into some kind of team or family unit. Directed by Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta, The Marvels feels like it could be a lighter and less grandiose installment in the MCU; a vehicle for simply letting the personalities of stars Brie Larson, Tayonah Parris and Iman Vellani shine. And after the CGI bloat of something like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, that might not be such a bad thing.
The trailer below makes it clear that there is some kind of cosmic connection between the powers shared by Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan, first introduced in last year’s Ms. Marvel. Whenever members of the three–we can probably just start calling them “The Marvels”–use their powers, they seem to be swapping places with each other in space and time. As this would no doubt be a major hindrance to their ability to perform superhero activities, the film will see The Marvels digging into the sources of their powers to discover the nature of their connection. They’ll also surely have to team up to take down some kind of villainous threat, but little of that side of the story is suggested in this first trailer.
What is suggested here is the warmth and chemistry that seems to exist between these leads, and the inherent humor in thrusting them into each other’s lives. It’s particularly funny to see Brie Larson teleported into a teenage girl’s room that is stuffed full of Captain Marvel memorabilia. As long as The Marvels doesn’t take itself too seriously, it feels like the kind of tone that could easily make the film a more charming than usual entry into the increasingly tired MCU. That, and more Samuel L. Jackson in the MCU is always a welcome addition. The Marvels will hit theaters in the U.S. on Nov. 10, 2023, so until then you can check out the first trailer below.