The loss of Stan Lee last year hit the nerd community hard, but Captain Marvel is our reminder that his light will live on in those he inspired.  The latest entry in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU) reminds us that there is still a lot to explore.

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

Two of Marvel’s alien races, the Chitauri and the Skrulls, have often been used interchangeably, and since their arrival in the first Avengers film, I have been waiting to see the Kree-Skrull War in the MCU.  For those unaware, the Kree and Skrulls are sort of the intergalactic Hatfields and McCoys, responsible for much of the cosmic side of Marvel comics.  The war was alluded to in Marvel’s two TV series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Inhumans, but this is our first real look at the intergalactic conflict, and it does not disappoint.

As for the legacy of “Captain Marvel,” multiple characters have assumed the mantle within Marvel Comics, and several of them appear in the movie.  Therein lies the beauty of this film: Incorporating multiple generations’ Captain Marvel is the reminder that we are all welcome here.  Carol Danvers’ switch from Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel was a bit after my time (Personally, I am a Monica Rambeau fan.), but the film does a great job of encapsulating multiple eras, so I felt right at home.

Setting the film in the ’90s was a really interesting choice.  It allowed the film to simultaneously be connected to and separated from the other movies in the MCU.  Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg clearly had a lot of fun joining Brie Larson and showing a new side of the characters that they have been playing for over a decade.  Not all of the characters were handled quite as well, though, as some of the minor roles got lost in the shuffle, and theirdevelopment is relegated to “the alien from that other Marvel movie.”

Despite a few too many unmemorable minor characters, Captain Marvel is a lot of fun.  It fills in some gaps in the MCU’s timeline in interesting and unique ways.  It was definitely the right choice for Marvel to release this and Ant-Man and the Wasp (two movies that both take place before Avengers: Infinity War) before Avengers: Endgame to allow audiences to reflect back as one era ends and another begins.

Captain Marvel releases in theatres in the US this Friday, March 8, 2019.