A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Positive messages about the strength and power of teamwork and female friendship. It's important to take responsibility for your actions and to atone if you've done something wrong or in error. Family accepts you no matter what mistakes you've made. Also themes of perseverance, courage, and empathy.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
Carol, Monica, and Kamala are strong, brave, and empathetic. They persevere and learn to work together as a team when their powers become entangled. The villain is complicated: She's hurting others while trying to save her own people from doom. The Khans are protective but understanding of Kamala's calling to be a superhero. Nick Fury is encouraging and believes in The Marvels.
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Diverse Representations
a lot
Strong female representation both in front of and behind the camera. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) was the MCU's first female superhero to get a stand-alone movie. Ms. Marvel is the MCU's first Muslim Pakistani American superhero. Monica Rambeau is a Black female superhero. Antagonist Dar-Benn is a woman and is played by Zawe Ashton, who's of Ugandan and English descent. The filmmakers are mostly women, too, including director Nia DaCosta and co-writers Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. Positive supporting female characters include Monica's mother/Carol's best friend Maria (in flashbacks) and Kamala's loving mother, Mrs. Khan. Cast is racially diverse overall, including actors who are Black, Asian, South Asian. Crowds and background characters are diverse in terms of race and body type.
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Violence & Scariness
some
Several alarming, destructive scenes of the Kree siphoning natural resources from other planets and leaving the inhabitants to die as their planets crumble. Kree warriors and Marvels battle each other with fists, kicks, and weapons (laser guns, spears, knives, scarves, missiles, etc.). Spaceship dogfights, pursuits, crashes. People are hurt, some presumably killed, and planets are terribly damaged. Characters are stabbed, shot at, and die in supernatural ways. In one disturbing sequence, the heroes can't evacuate an entire population in time and watch as the planet -- and everyone left on it -- is destroyed. The Kree homeworld of Hala is in imminent danger of destruction due to its dying sun and lost resources. Flerken cat monsters use their tentacles to swallow people and objects whole and then spit them out later.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
In one scene, Carol and a prince sing and dance together, and Monica admires the prince's attractiveness.
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Language
some
A few uses of "s--t," "damn," and "hell."
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Products & Purchases
very little
Lots of off-screen Marvel tie-in products.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Marvels is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie that brings together the heroes of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) must figure out how their powers have gotten entangled so that they can work together to stop the Kree from destroying other planets. Although there's plenty of action violence and peril, plus a smattering of strong language (mostly "s--t" and "damn"), this movie is less intense and bloodily violent than some other MCU films. Expect lots of fights (with weapons including laser guns, spears, knives, and more) between the three superheroes and the primary villain and her minions. There are also moments of large-scale devastation when planets are stripped of air, water, and more -- sometimes before all of their inhabitants can be evacuated or saved. This woman-centered story offers positive messages about the strength and power of teamwork and female friendship. Plus, the film's behind-the-scenes credits include a female director, co-writers, composer, and more. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In THE MARVELS, Kree warrior Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) finds an arm bangle that gives her the power to create holes in the space-time continuum. When Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), aka Captain Marvel, investigates one such incident, she ends up trading places with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), aka Ms. Marvel, who in turn switches with Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), entangling the three superheroes' powers. Every time they simultaneously use their powers, they magically trade off. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) encourages the trio to work together to solve the mystery of their enmeshed powers and stop the Kree from destroying other planets by siphoning off their resources. As the three women form an alliance, Kamala's family must hang out with Fury and his agents on the SABER space station for their safety.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the characters in The Marvels demonstrate courage, empathy, and teamwork. Why are those important character strengths?
Why does representation -- of gender, race, ethnicity, and more -- matter? Why is it important that women have a hand in making big, popular movies? What's the potential consequence when the majority of films come from only one gender?
What do you think about the way superhero movies depict violence? Is there a difference in the way you react to realistic violence vs. stylized violence? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Where do you hope the stories for these three superheroes take viewers next? Which of them are you most excited to follow along?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 10, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: January 16, 2024
- Cast: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris
- Director: Nia DaCosta
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Black directors, Female actors, Indian/South Asian actors, Black actors, Female writers, Black writers
- Studio: Disney/Marvel
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Superheroes, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 105 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: action/violence and brief language
- Last updated: June 7, 2024
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