Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is famous for its complex plot and engrossing characters, there is also a remarkable untold story that takes place behind the scenes. It may seem arbitrary to choose the 1990s as the setting for Captain Marvel, but the ground-breaking $236 million film Hidden Figures had a big impact. Yes, the impact of the Octavia Spencer-starring film was instrumental in changing the Captain Marvel film’s original 1960s timeline.
The 2016 biographical drama film chronicled the remarkable tale of three accomplished African-American women who were essential to NASA’s space program during the 1960s. As Captain Marvel writer Nicole Perlman noted, they did not want to place Brie Larson’s 2019 film in the same historical timeframe as Hidden Figures.
How Hidden Figures Changed the MCU Setting in Captain Marvel?
Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s films have previously played in the past: Captain America: The First Avenger was set in the 1940s, and much of Captain America: Civil War revolved around a 1991 time frame. However, writer Nicole Perlman claimed in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios that the $236 million film Hidden Figures and other factors changed the film’s original 1960s setting for Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel.
Captain Marvel’s original setting was the 1960s, which was considered the most problematic decade in American history due to revolutions in social norms such as clothing, music, drugs, dress, s*xuality, civil rights, and so on. Referred to as the “countercultural decade” in the United States and other Western nations, the 1960s ran from January 1, 1960, to December 31, 1969.
As MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios explained, Marvel therefore had to make the film a historical drama that takes place before the events of Iron Man to dodge concerns about Captain Marvel’s interactions with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the other Avengers. However, the MCU’s established continuity went far back in time. For example, how could Howard Stark have been unaware of Captain Marvel? If there has already been a superhero flying around, then why has Tony Stark’s confession that he is Iron Man shocked the entire world?
Thus, it was difficult for the writers to choose the ideal Captain Marvel era in light of those conversations. Perlman stated:
“We didn’t write a treatment or anything, but we discussed the idea of setting in the sixties. But then Hidden Figures was coming out and we didn;t want to set something in the same time period. We briefly talked about the eighties and then they were like, ‘No, let’s do it in the nineties.’”
Why Was Captain Marvel Set in the 1990s?
Captain Marvel took inspiration from the decade’s classic action films, just as Spider-Man: Homecoming and Captain America: The Winter Soldier did, as executive producer Jonathan Schwartz informed EW:
“’90s action movie is not the worst reference in the world, especially when you start looking at Robocop, Total Recall, even Starship Troopers a little bit. Terminator 2, Independence Day. There’s a high-concept action-movie feel there that ends up being very character-based but also super bada*s, which is kind of the bullseye we wanted to hit.”
Additionally, by basing Captain Marvel in the 1990s, filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden were able to incorporate several references and even some needle drops that were appropriate for the time. Boden laughed and said (via EW):
“The ‘90s doesn’t feel that long ago to us because we’re really old. But doing this movie has really made us realize how out of date so much stuff from the ‘90s actually is, and we’ve been having a lot of fun with that.”
Captain Marvel became the first female-led superhero movie to break the $1 billion mark with a global box office haul of over $1.1 billion. During its theatrical run, it rose to become the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2019. The Marvels, a follow-up, was just released today.
While The Marvels hits theaters today, Captain Marvel is now available on Disney Plus.
